Soviet Army Monument in Sofia Washed Clean Overnight

Society » CULTURE | June 21, 2011, Tuesday // 09:15
Bulgaria: Soviet Army Monument in Sofia Washed Clean Overnight The Soviet Army Monument in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, which was painted by an unknown graffiti artist Saturday to represent a set of US pop culture characters, has been washed. Photo by BGNES

The Soviet Army Monument in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, which was painted by an unknown graffiti artist Saturday to represent a set of US pop culture characters, has been washed.

Although the Sofia municipality had said the cleaning operation would start at 08:30 Tuesday, the paint was almost entirely gone by 06:00 a.m.

The emergency cleanup was carried out at night to avoid provocations and protest actions on the part of supporters of the unknown street artist.

The cost of the operation, BGN 840, was covered by non-governmental organizations.

According to reports of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), the money has been provided by Forum "Bulgaria-Russia", chaired by Svetlana Sharenkova.

The conversion of the the bronze figures of Soviet soldiers into various US superhero and other pop culture characters – including The Joker, Wolverine, Santa, Superman, Ronald McDonald, Captain America, Robin, and Wonder Woman- drew diametrically opposed reactions ranging from admiration for the ingenuity of the artist to condemnation of what was termed "the desecration" of a monument built to honor the role of the Soviets in beating down Nazism in Europe and liberating Bulgaria from fascism.

Still others praised the swift reaction of the Sofia municipality, urging it to keep up the good work with the cleaning of other graffiti-sprayed monuments, underpasses and buildings in the city.

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Tags: sofia, fascism, Nazi, Soviet Army, Soviet Army Monument, street artist, graffiti, Bulgarian National Television, BNT

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