Zhivkov birth house, Bulgaria

Todor Zhivkov's birth house - darkometer rating : 2 - The place where Bulgaria 's communist leader of 35 years was born, and where a reception centre still displays a collection of gifts to the man. A strange kind of backward-looking cult-of-personality shrine and a quirky little treat for the dark tourist. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Todor Zhivkov was the Eastern Bloc 's longest-reigning leader, rising to power in the Socialist Party in 1954 and holding on right until the fall of communism in November 1989. He died in 1998. His origins were humble: he was born in 1911 into a peasant family in Pravets. It was also in his home town that he proved himself in organizing socialist resistance during WWII , and later rose to higher ranks in Sofia at the time of the communist take-over. His peasant background, way of speaking and alleged "country bumpkin" manners made him the butt of many a joke throughout his career. Still, he stayed loyal to his origins and family, and his birth house became a sort of shrine even during his lifetime. He held receptions for foreign guests here and a modern building was erected for the purpose. Some members of his family are said to still live in the vicinity of the birth house in Pravets. During the communist era, Pravets was also known as the site where Bulgaria manufactured computers (at a time when the country was at the forefront of the industry within the Eastern Bloc), and the products were named after the town.