the, the, this might look brutal last day just want to play these people however, have much more serious concerns about their history. a summer contrast with loud debates and even louder music. the we're in the northern german village of back in which hosts and now legendary heavy metal festival each year. and now it's all loud and wild but peaceful and we look to bulgaria where

a fire re cultural policy debate is raging. what to do with soviet era monuments tear them down like elsewhere or preserved them. the war and ukraine is fueling the debate and it's dividing the country the it's the best place in the world to leave mess. so drink metal, it's metal over here. metal with the best place. heavy metal music that rivals a jack hammer, a festival face as big as 356 soccer fields. 80000 visitors from all over the world. of course, there are other have dropped in the middle festivals of similar size. in the house count status, which is the beginning, it was nothing but let us take you on a trip through the past at the world's most imaginary heavy metal festival. the

the wisdom method. since we love this kind of music and went through concepts, organize code scripts, and it was working beyond the bulk of the local pop lungfuls in town. and that's where, when we said all let's, let's take this idea a little bit further. let's bring the music to to hometown and organize the fact that it's what they did in 1990 thomas young's and how the hoop now and other friends organized the 1st back and opened an festival in the hometown. the location was a nearby sam page. the main ship sage was cobbled together from the 10th and the trunk. the entrance fee was 12 miles. 6 yours today. $0.06 played for 2 days.

thomas henson was one of the even if it doesn't look like it here. 800 people turned up on that until this weekend, and that success led to move in trend warranties, an annual festival from then on. the tv is need to support each heavy metal bands stacks and agreed to play. this was a big case for the festival. we bloody pursing 90. 2000 people in here, 3500 to be personalized, 4 times more than in the 1st edition. gone from word of mouth. so it's, it's great festival because it's one of the big success stores of german music for the real success, kicked in story, lots of anxious times the band with a financial dis bounced for the organizes it 1st. in 1996 ticket sales were back,

the festival was almost can sold the but in the german bands those on coast agreed to play. not your typical saves mind you. they were controversial because they've been connected with the fall really to me in the 1918 that 1st album had been described as harmful to youth because of sense within the and then what keep in the band distance itself from the phone right. seen in the, in the ninety's, the image thing. good. nonetheless, they come, couldn't you mentioned on the, on the coast house to sell 8000 tickets in 1996 and from then on back in the open that was established was increasing impressive. visits and numbers grew from you saying yes, i listened on by the very 1st time i was here was in 1993 or then and 98 the 1st time they were very few people that was here were the backstage area is now and

then in 98, i was totally flabbergasted. i think they're about 20 to 30000 people. i came back every 2 or 4 years and suddenly they were about 80000. unbelievable. i loved backend for me it's the most beautiful metal festival in the world. the developments exceeded even the wildest dreams of the organizes. there are a few special tied to this that have contributed to back in success to a lot of personal commitments. the small open at festival, turned into a huge international events in just a few years. we started off very not easily and no one could have known what would happen. it's just gotten better. i mean, the music is what drives it all forward, but also the fans. how about crazy? they come from all over the world. i've heard it was the music that started it all off to be that bonded see movies on steve legs. thanks

a lot from the lineup. almost all of the world's top metal bands have performed here, but it's not only about big names. after all, i imagine most a has the purple outlets coupon slip. not all so headline asa festivals, getting a headlines set a headlines set from the headline. one headline separately. so that's kind of the difference. when you know, i don't want to name any other festivals, but like we just did a festival where we played like 25 minutes. and the fans were like not a box. and it's not only about the length of the performance, but also the mix of music. funny very strings that this younger music will books night, this quote, and some point this afternoon i'm going to be gotten. and i like, and i learned that a lot of that and before us just on and off the rest of it was about,

i don't know why we're here, but i'm very grateful to be here. for the backend has applied special status, even among wells, not many bands. dream of playing here. this like honey land, because that's what i'd say is that gus in i was young. it's like a senior high school, i just watching from the youtube and then from the dvds. wow. how can i play on a like a how many people like us that's. that's why this really special, like on the 1st, the 1st like all more free, like god, they have new brand to have big brand to have new commer. they have bed the bed. this wasn't even a dream of my life. time is a dream of many lifetimes. like all people in turn, i live on a dream about getting it on die on. it never happens really for his bond from the caribbean from time to big. so i will be and, and walk in, moving 80 countries on tools to be in as a national lineup. new it is

a small island in the middle of the pacific rim under us wherever from different parts of the zillow. number 10 is more than just defensible. it's a very special place for a whole community on 2nd, honeymoon says that the dream you do work for it. so you can be here on the backend. community continues to grow, particularly because everybody is welcome. the goal is to have you met this? i mean, it's like a big, heavy metal family swap, club wide expanse of black outfits on job. lots of people of all ages v as there was a visit for n as cable change, the baby. and now we've been families with children, comments, and it's kind of become more family friendly movie as i think on the day,

the 1st parkins were really hard core. only dudes the for him, the metal head 0, i repeat, you say to being tolerant and peaceful. it's supposed to be one of the safest, soft festivals for women. what i really like, you are the people, the people, the fans, there's so friendly, so peaceful and respectful the specs for pot from safety i just felt like they meant to for a successful festival is a well functioning infrastructure is the, is what began. and as a make shift event in 1990 has become a well oiled machine development megabytes. we always thought that we wouldn't manage financially. how about, i mean, we never imagined what technical possibilities we would have one day that we would now be sitting in at the late hour delay tell us of its investment is constant to meet the funds, the mountains varies. now, if drainage system under the fields so that the ground wouldn't get completely

soaked by rain as used to happen in the b 17 to meet the 1st of the many vendors. i think i've been doing this innovative dispenser has created added value for the consumers. schools because i've periodical they now get good quality beer, much faster, the quality, it's like what? okay, the top we do all of this the unique backend promise. slaton. nice in the middle of nowhere. the tranquil village of banking in the state of she needs to be called shining north, and gemini has a me a 2000 inhabitants when the festival is not on. the remote count has been people that is reading with not only that when they hear nice music, they yield more milk can ask our training. he says they produced a 100 leaders more legal training was a good the festival withheld on the true designs from the stones. when he died in

2021 was a great sense of lost in the metal community that can wouldn't be possible without locals like him. but the village wouldn't be the same without the festival either in a gospel from the yeah. when people say, where are you from the everyone knows box investor. if you say it's a whole, you got the people ask where that is on the box and whether in bavaria or spain, wherever you go. well, people know, this is the, beside the attraction is that there's finally something happening here for the colder. i think it's good. i want to go again. football, quantity, this is a really friendly nice, they're patient. they wait, we really can't complain. no cause that happy to them to him if need be good for the wheel rim fell off just before we got to box, the trailer was sitting on the wheel suspension. com. then all of a sudden the farmer turned out that looked at us and said, i've got what you need. take hobby locals in the middle. hands have

always been very close. and since 2000 and it's been back in firefighters who've opened the festival, think since gone at coast states has in the metal community, the gateway blocking only works here. that's why it's called block. and the village, it's all a part of it. you can only do buck in and bucket can is a place of loadings of fans and fans and over 3 decades in the nation that's become a mega event. back in open air is now a global brands on the festivals. is you need a small rural community, has that huge metal the

should soviet monuments be preserved or dismantled? how should the monuments of a long gone regime be dealt with? are they in fact, legally protected memorials to fall in soldiers or rather symbols of a totalitarian system? nearly 35 years after the fall of communism in eastern europe. this debate has flared up again, especially in bulgaria. at the center of the controversy is the monument to the soviet army, right in the middle of the capital, sophia, the data showing whatever ends up happening to the monument. the decision will come much to late basement. there was a cause. now, i want to use a memorial if these aren't just any stones, it's

a pansy and it shouldn't be destroyed under any circumstances such as the simple 2nd yet because like an affordable to the lowest proof. and this is not a cultural monument tutor up though. and the, the thirty's have confirmed that it's not a soldier's memorial see fit to provide that. we use coupon like weeks we didn't buy when it was funny. our proposal to turn the monument into a museum would fill a void we have here he is, namely the absence of this kind of museum and the lack of information about the tab originally much of the that or as communism crumbled the best of lenin and other leading soviet figures started disappearing from public fields. some wound up in storage. others in museums like here in bulgaria. but the monitor monuments remains mostly on time. it was only with the russian full scale invasion of ukraine in 2022. that these imposing monuments were hastily

dismantled much here in breed. but involved gary of opinion is strongly divided on what should be done with the moving communist era. monuments may 9th, 2023. is it a visit today in sophia, the soviet russian, european, and full gary and flags are flying in the bulgarian capital summer. here to commemorate the day of victory over nazi germany. others are celebrating europe day, which also falls on may 9th. the debate over the soviet army memorial has little gary and society for many years now. the, the chance range from 1982 the

nationalist to pro europe. the one thing is clear, this is a country that has not yet come to terms with its past. unlike in other former eastern bloc countries, such as poland, the communist era is often romanticized in bulgaria. the horrors of that era were hardly discussed for a long time, leaving plenty of room for problem matic interpretation. so may or from an end to the historical vacuum and an end to this monument, that's what these residents have. so p a want no business with any organization wants to be the subordinate the we've been campaigning for this monument here to be dismantled for more than 10 years. so i'm going to be of this and they put it to zeta. we want this square to be politicized. we're taking the of that because this

monument divides us as a society. and then we'll just these polls. we're going to be because of the monument. we can't use the square, but let's typical in yeah, it doesn't look to the future, but rather promotes a criminal propaganda of the past and is the reason for a lot of tension. for as early as 1993, the city council decided to take the monument down. but since then, the various institutions have been passing the buck back and forth with no one willing to take responsibility. despite the fact that activists had already clarified that the monument is not under special legal protection, neither was a cultural assets, nora's of soldiers, memorial, measurable gaiety of following the invasion of the red army. communist regime was established in bulgaria team. this monument was created during a time when, under an oppressive regime, he may still coupon his quote,

themselves zuber agency of dean. this is what we wanted to show last week. that was where would it be? nice to give you today when i see something similar happening in ukraine. nicole bottom, you an army simply invades a country and declares itself looper. i said when it wins the world, potentially put, that also happened in bulgaria. back then to say this to us when we clicked on a david viciousness at the end of world war 2, the soviet union was one of the victorious powers over nazi germany. during the cold war, this alliance split and bulgaria became part of the soviet dominated communist eastern block from the city. there is unique days in the history of eastern european contest after the 2nd world war. because bulgaria, being a lie to nazi germany and maintains peace with an octave, the galactic relations with the soviet union during the whole pace of the 2nd world

war. second book area was occupied by that data to me in 9 to in september 9th, to 44 without any resistance and, but the patient had no reason. and no, absolutely, no pretexts, the, the, the, the destruction of the beginning and political and culture truly, it was the highest in comparison with the other just sort of being countries and did the same time video is the only country in eastern europe, which never was never able to create a coherent and the clear politics of memory to establish the assessment of the gene, the patient and the legacy of communist is human to get some or filling in the blanks and the countries historical reappraisal with bright colors.

in 2011, the artist group destructive creation, painted the monument to the soviet army as american cultural figures, such as superman santa claus and others. since then, the monument has been a site of social protest. in 2013, it was painted pink as an apologies for the participation of the people's republic of bulgaria in the suppression of the prague spring movement in 68. in 2014, it turns blue and yellow in solidarity with ukraine when russia illegally annexed crimea. finally, school with cisco trip to permit those what's happening here as good as the weeks and the control. the actions are proves that we have at least have the freedom to perform artistic activities on the street to the able to complete the and when they hit the mark and then the media shows it down with pencil and disrespect. there is no media sense or should i just because we at least can contribute to

a dialogue with our actions limit to how that dialogue is conducted is another matter. and you have a variable, the weather actions like this are prosecuted or not often depends on the shifting constellations of political power. reason enough for the art group to remain anonymous. but i'm probably gonna study mostly in the proposal to turn the monument into a museum is good because it would force the opposers to make concessions stuff in the middle of the bit. but more than that, it would fill a void. we have here, namely the absence of this kind of museum, the and the lack of information about the terror regime if that were sending, if you destroy the memorials altogether, then you're acting like the communists back. then they also destroyed the monuments they came across. so we stick with the city police department and incorporating the monument into an existing museum also in a different city has also been proposed. but sophia, what have

a very fitting location, the museum of art from the socialist period. here during the patients, atlanta and in various palaces plus jacob and bulgaria and communists leader k or gave the proof to study apple carplay system to so long as any proof i got on the phone. during that time of the art had to serve propaganda, will stop, you know, name of the dog you bought. it became a tool of political power. and the idea ology that i almost just leave us as a better job with the communist party mailed it with the state. the job. we opened this one party system controlled every sphere of public expense, political forwarded to just cultural and every other aspect of life receive up art was not excluded from these processes. the national style of 3 people. 30 nikolai, who stop at least he has been director of the museum since 2011 and has followed

the debate over the soviet army monument and sophia, with interest with the monument fits in the museums, football, pitch sized park. the museum director has another suggestion. you might not pay a promise me because there's the idea of dismantling the monument and removing it to the city of the truck route to get up about $200.00 or 250 kilometers from sophia. all should be the interesting aspect. there is that this city was founded in the early years of socialism, which finding it was built out of nothing. the trip crowd became a symbol for the construction of a new socialist society in bulgaria, uh to come to moving the monument. there really isn't an outlanders idea because the material ground itself is a monumental social, isn't it? a monument like the one in sophia, which honors a for an army or could find an appropriate place there. would you be interested in maybe cost for to me? yes. to remove some football gary, and so celebrate may 9th. as a victory day, see things very differently. holding photos of relatives to were killed in the 2nd

world war and russian flags. the people we spoke to were in agreement. the monuments should stay where it is and remain a symbol of the fight against fascism toilet. ok, this is a joint memorial that must remind us that so many people died in this heinous, bloody and ruthless war. godless people who never want to do more. then memory must be kept to live disability. and this will, is still going on, on the whole with the, with the doctor for those meaning, the war between the united states and russia. south for the eastern america either see it since then. russia has been a thorn in the side of those who want to use the enormous resources of russia. they, for their own gain samples, were on the table, got similar to little reappraisal too much. this information pollutants promptly get into a narrative and the current war against do crane falls on for tom ground and bulk

area. a country that has never completely escaped russian influence some 35 years after the end of the old regime. both area faces an important challenge, confronting and dealing with it's passed. the russian war of aggression against ukraine has brought this to it back into focus. phone guerria is wrestling with its own identity. the you and nato member states has a daunting task ahead. the that was all from arch unveiled. thanks for watching. join us again next week. the,

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