Abandoned Bulgaria: Miner's Office

As with most of our explores in Bulgaria, there is little history known about this abandoned building, even with the help of local explorer @abandoned_bulgaria.

We were passing after a long day of exploring. With a storm brewing and the wind and rain picking up, we decided to see if we could gain access. The storm had cleared the streets of suspicious locals in the centre of this small settlement, so we walked the perimeter.

Holding our faces to the glass windows of the entrance, we initially thought the building was still in use, albeit very dilapidated. A sign listed its limited open hours and there was a phone sat on the otherwise empty reception desk.

The large, once grand building has the symbol of the miner’s union proudly displayed at its peak. This was our only clue to its use- we would have to get inside to find out more.

As we reached the rear of the building, hopping over piles of rubbish, cracked and boarded windows gave us hope that the large building was indeed abandoned.

Eventually we found a broken cellar window that was just big enough to squeeze through, if we took our backpacks off. We clambered through one by one and were immediately met by the sound of running water and wet boots.

We worked our way through the junk-filled basement, jumping across discarded debris to avoid the deepening water. Mold covered the walls and the air was musty. We passed a few store rooms and made our way upstairs.

Now on the street-level floor, we dashed passed the windows that faced the main Street outside. From this angle it was clear that the building hadn’t been used for a long time.

The long corridors and wood-panelled offices had mostly been stripped of their past communist grandeur, leaving behind empty filing cabinets and shelves.

We wandered through the rest of the building, up a few more flights of stairs, with the wind howling and thunder rumbling outside. Occasionally a gust of wind spooked us by rattling a door.

The top floor rooms still contained a few remnants of the buildings past- technical manuals, furniture in conference rooms and old telephones. These, along with the large atomic symbol on the rear wall of the entrance, are the only clues we have to the building’s communist past.