"Soviet Army Monument" a Sofia Travel Page by ghosthunter

Built in 1954 by a team of architects and artists working under Danko Mitov, this is one of the best examples of socialist sculpture in the Balkans, and also one of the most controversial. A skyline-dominating 34-metre-high pillar, it is crowned by a flamboyant statue of a Red Army soldier leading a Bulgarian couple towards the Promised Land of communism. Bronze bas-reliefs on either side of the pillar show scenes from the October revolution, World War II battles, and Soviet troops entering Bulgaria to be greeted joyfully by the locals.
In 1993 Sofia City Council voted to destroy the monument, pointing out quite rightly that it symbolized Bulgaria’s subservience to a foreign power. Faced by opposition from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and discouraged by the potential cost of its demolition, the Council had no choice but to leave the monument as it is. For much of the last decade the area around the monument has become the favoured meeting point of Sofia’s skateboarders, although construction work on the Sofia metro has recently encroached on their space. Turn up on important dates like May 9 (the anniversary of Germany’s surrender in 1945) or September 9 (anniversary of Bulgaria’s communist-led coup in 1944) and you’ll probably see die-hard communists gathering at the monument to demonstrate their undying faith in the cause.

The animals here mainly appear stressed & unhappy. The Zoo is very rundown. Considering it cost's less than £1 to get in it's hardly surprising.

Trams & buses are frequent & cheap in Sofia .