Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the discourse metamorphoses of the Bulgarian city of Dimitrovgrad - perceived as an example of socialist utopia, today it receives a different official interpretation - as an 'inconvenient totalitarian past', but its utopian roots seem to have survived until the present.

Paper long abstract:

Talking about a reinvigorated belief in utopia through organization of public space, it is interesting to take a look back at history and, specifically, at the previous attempts of creating a radically new civic reality. The focus of this paper is the Bulgarian city of Dimitrovgrad, built shortly after the establishment of the socialist state of Bulgaria. Defined from its very beginning as 'The City of Youth' and 'A Wholly New Reality', Dimitrovgrad was perceived as an example of the socialist utopia. Its builders directly stated their intention to break off with the past and even overcome the constraints of time and nature to build the "Home of Socialism", where the new socialist citizen was supposed to be born. Today, 25 years after the end of socialist rule, Dimitrovgrad receives a completely different official interpretation - as a part of a 'pan-European network of totalitarian cities'. 'Inconvenient and terrible past', which through the neo-liberal European policies can develop tourism and create economic benefits. Based on extensive field work, this paper analyzes the discourse metamorphoses of the city, whose utopian roots seem to have survived until the present, despite all changes.