Festival 10.11 refers to 10 November 1989 – the date that marked the beginning of Bulgaria’s democratic transition and remains a turning point in the country’s collective memory. The festival creates space for reflection and discussion on the legacy of communism and on how the past continues to shape civic attitudes today.

Between 2 and 14 November, Sofia became the setting for a different kind of conversation about the recent past. Through tours, exhibitions, workshops, and discussions, Festival 10.11 invited audiences to explore the traces of communism in the urban environment.

The festival brought together personal narratives and archival documents, as well as Bulgarian experiences and European perspectives. In a context where collective memory often remains fragmented and surrounded by taboos, Festival 10.11 raises the question of how we remember—and why this matters for democracy today.

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Objectives

• To encourage public discussion about the communist period and the democratic transition;

• To connect memory of the past with contemporary civic challenges;

• To use memory as a tool for civic education and engagement;

• To bring together different generations and professional communities in a shared dialogue.

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Activities

• Historical walking and tram tours of the city;

• Exhibitions focusing on labor camps, resistance, and forced assimilation;

• Public discussions with historians, writers, academics, and activists;

• Workshops on working with memory, dealing with the traumas of communism, testimonies, and new media;

• A concert by the band Cool Den.

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Materials

• Festival 10.11 website featuring an interactive map of historical tour routes: 1011fest.bg

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Organizers

Sofia Platform Foundation
German-Bulgarian Historical Association “Memory”
New Bulgarian University

Funding
Sofia Municipality – Cultural Events Calendar
Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur

With the support of
Goethe-Institut Bulgaria
Municipal Enterprise “Tourism”
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Sofia City Library

Partners
Vector Labs
Lens2Lens
MP Studio