The Flooded Church, Zhrebchevo dam, Bulgaria
The Crossroads point:
This haunting place is much more than a beautiful place and a favourite photo spot. It is a sign of a whole era. During the totalitarian regime in Bulgaria, the government was determined to turn an agrarian society into an industrial one. Hence, factories of all kinds were built across the land (without a thought whether Bulgaria actually has the resources to operate those or if they need to be imported). Infrastructure was improved, cities were built and re-built and last but not least - dozens of dams appeared.
Before the dams could appear, though, some space needed to be cleared, as the cosy lowlands in-between riverbeds were occupied already - with villages, most of the settlements being hundreds of years old. The most notorious case is of the only known Thracian town, Sevtopolis, being swallowed by another dam and irreparably lost to history. Forever. Many villages were destroyed in the 1950s and 60s with the 'noble' idea to bring water to those who needed it. Sacrifices needed to be made for the common good, right? Inhabitants were given some 'monetary compensation' and or apartments in nearby towns. The end.
Here is the catch though - there were some things that could have been spared the destruction - churches - for example. The Flooded Church, or the St. Ivan Rilski church, as it was its name, was once a place of worship for three villages - Zapalnya, Zrebchevo (which gave the dam its name) and Dolno Panicharevo. The chucrh itself was erected at the end of the 19th century and in 1962 when the dam was constructed, was already a monument of cultural significance for the locals. It could have been rescued during the construction of the dam. The precious frescoes were lost - the only thing the priest was allowed to take away were the holy books and relics that were kept in the altar (or so the tale goes). In 1962 the water flooded the three villages, and the church remained at the end of the dam, half-flooded in winter by water, and on land during the summer. It is on the edge of the dam, and it was once on a hill above the villages. The old village graveyard, was also flooded and some tombstones can occasionally be seen around. Even the bases of houses could be seen in dry times, further into the dam.
Today, thankfully, probably due to the great media interest in the place, restoration (or conservation, I'm not quite sure) of the temple is under way. This place, along with a few other flooded churches on the territory of Bulgaria, has become a symbol of the mindless destruction of that time.
How to get there:
This is not a tourist site per-se and is mostly visited by photographers. There are no signs for it and you can easily miss the right turn. If you are interested to see it and you are travelling in Bulgaria, drop me a line and I'll give you some more information :)
