In the small mountain village of Banya near Bansko in southwestern Bulgaria stands one of the most curious Soviet-era monuments in the country. This life-sized duo statue brings together two towering figures of 20th-century Communism in a single sculpture. Its existence points to local history, diaspora connections, and how memory of the communist past survives in unexpected places.

Every revolutionary needs a partner in crime. In the town of Banya, we find Lenin paired up with his Bulgarian “bestie” Georgi Dimitrov. The statue depicts the two, standing nearly three meters tall. Lenin is shown speaking, with Dimitrov listening attentively. It refers to a meeting in 1921 at the Third Comintern Congress. This monument reimagines the two leaders not as distant icons, but as close comrades sharing a stroll and a deep conversation. While in reality their meetings were professional and focused on the global cause.

This site in Banya remains the only place in Bulgaria where a monument features the two together.

Who Made It?

The monument was made by sculptor Georgi Gergov and architect Ivan Dimov. The sculptor graduated under Professor Marko Markov at the Academy of Arts in 1949. He is a member of the Sculpture Section of the Union of Bulgarian Artists since 1950. It was unveiled on 18 June 1967, designed to honor the 85th anniversary of Dimitrov’s birth and the broader legacy of communist leadership.

Georgi Dimitrov

Georgi Dimitrov was the premier communist leader of Bulgaria after World War II. Dimitrov spent significant time in Moscow and was a high-ranking official in the Comintern. But by the time Dimitrov became a truly global figure, Lenin’s health was already in decline.

The Story Behind the Statue

Local tradition holds that the idea and funding for the statue came from a native son of Banya, Kostadin Kalchov, who emigrated to the United States in 1912. In the 1960s he donated a large sum of money to his home village for community projects, including a cultural center and the statue of Lenin and Dimitrov. The amount sent was reported as around 36,000 USD, substantial for the time, and came with the wish that these works be realized in his native village.

Plans seem to have changed between concept and execution. Kalchov originally wished to fund a much larger socialist monument, perhaps even one of the largest in the Balkans, but what was built was a more modest granite sculpture and a community center.

A Relic of a Lost System

Unlike most statues of Lenin and other communist leaders in Bulgaria, which were removed after the fall of communism in 1989, the Banya monument was preserved. Locals view it not just as an ideological relic but as a piece of local history tied to the generosity of a diaspora benefactor.

There is also a large memorial wall dedicated to those who fell in the anti-fascist struggle (1923-1944) next to the duo.