ArcaMax

Sofia has lots of sprawling parks, offering apartment dwellers a green and inviting space to hang out in. And many of the parks come with heavy reminders of a difficult 20th century.

After World War II, Bulgaria ended up in the Soviet Bloc. Even though Bulgaria was famously docile under Russian rule, life under communism wasn't easy here. And today, while enthusiastically part of the EU, Bulgaria still wrestles with its communist legacy.

Although the communists are gone, their architectural heritage still looms large. At Sofia's main intersection, today's parliament offices fill the Stalinist-style former Communist Party Headquarters.

All over Bulgaria, controversy swirls around crumbling communist-era monuments. Should they be allowed to stand, or should they be torn down? Many have already been removed and are displayed at Sofia's Museum of Socialist Art. In the museum's sculpture garden of communist propaganda, Lenin, who once topped the main pillar in the center of town, still faces the storm. The red star, which for 50 years capped the city's grandest edifice, no longer inspires. And Georgi Dimitrov, the "Bulgarian Lenin," is simply ignored.

Today, these statues seem only to preach their outdated ideology to each other. I love to visit places like this and think of the treasures we have in our freedom.

Relatively unknown and underappreciated, Bulgaria is a country I've long enjoyed for the surprises it offers the curious traveler. It may not appear at the top of many travelers' wish lists, and that's just one reason you may want to visit.

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(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

(c)2016 RICK STEVES DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.