The exhibition Holidays after the fall opens in Sofia on May 7th, a discussion on the theme will be held and an accompanying book will also be presented.
Every summer season, the sun-drenched coasts of Bulgaria and Croatia turn into densely inhabited, intensively exploited tourism industry hotspots. Various architectural and urban planning strategies had been pursued there since the mid-1950s, in order first to create then to further develop modern holiday destinations. In both destinations (late-)modern tourism architecture and resorts of a remarkable quality and typological diversity had been produced, that had reflected planning trends both of the East and the West. These resorts have persisted both as a playground for the domestic labour force and as a viable product on the international market. And the best of them are worth being considered as cultural heritage that needs to be protected and conserved, since in the wake of the political change after the fall of Communism and the privatization of the tourism business, individual resorts and outstanding buildings have been economically and physically restructured, in a myriad of ways, leaving a legacy of deserted ruins, cautious renovations, exorbitant conversions, radical densification - and an on-going public protest against the destruction of natural resources.
Holidays After the Fall Sofia
