torres, the 100 german streets on d w. the discovery stories change your mind. just a click away. find out best document trees on you to see the world, the subscribe. know to dw talking entry the this my look brutal last day, just want to play these people however, have much more serious concerns about their history of summer contrasts with loud debates and even louder music.

the we're in the northern german village of backend, which hosts and now legendary heavy metal festival each year. and now it's all loud and wild but peaceful. and we looked to bulgaria where a fiery 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 best place in the world to leave metal drink meth. oh, it's metal over here,

that's always the best place. heavy metal music that life holes a jack hammer, a festival face as big as 336 soccer fields. 80000 visitors from all over the world. of course, there are on a hard rock in the middle festivals of similar size, but health status. but at the beginning, there was nothing but seals. and that does take you on a trip through the past at the wills medicine, legendary heavy metro festival. the wisdom method, since we love this kind of music and when to concepts organize code scripts. and i was working beyond the boston local pop lungfuls in town. and that's where when we set all let's, let's take this idea a little bit. so the,

let's bring the music to, to home town and organize it for us. that's what they did in 1990 thomas young's and how the, who now are the other friends organized the 1st back and opened the festival in the hometown. the location was a nearby sam page. the main ship stage was coupled together from the 10th and the trunk. the entrance fee was 12 miles about 6 yours today. $0.06 played over 2 days . thomas henson was one of the even if it doesn't look like it, he is a 100 people turned up on that until this weekend and that success led to move imagery, warranties in festival. from then on the 2 years later, the british heavy metal band saxon agreed to play. this was a big case for the festival. we bloody pursing 92000 people in here,

3500 to be personalized, 4 times more than in the 1st edition. going from word of mouth. so it's a trick bustle 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 10 sold the but then the german bands, the own college degree to play. not your typical saves mind you. they were confidential because they've been connected with the phone really to me and the 1980s. that 1st album had been described this home full to youth because of the text with a new not keep in the band, the distance itself from the phone right seen in the, in the ninety's,

the image thing. good. nonetheless, they come cut the gym and shot the own codes has to sell 8000 tickets in 1996 and from then on back in the open air was established was increasing impressive. visits and numbers grew from the thing. yeah. i let us know by the very 1st time i was here was in 1993 or then and 98. the 1st time that were very few people that was here where 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 love vac in for me. it's the most beautiful metal festival in the world. the developments exceeded even the wildest dreams of the organizes or receive special sensors 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 at all forward, but also the fans about crazy. they come from all over the world. i've heard it was the music that started it all off to be the largest and people expect to lots 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 headline set. a headline set from the headline. so that's kind of the, 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 very strange that this younger music will books night, this quote, and some point this afternoon, not going to be gotten. and i like, and i love that a lot of that. and before us just and off the rest, it was about, i don't know why we're here, but i'm very grateful to be here. for the backend has declined a special status even among wells, not many bands. dream of playing here. it is like honey land and that's what i say is that gus in i was young and like a senior high school i just watching from the youtube and then from the day as well as that, how can i play on a like a whole many people like us that's, that's why this really special, like on such devices like armoire free, like god,

they have new van to have big band 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 that is for moving 80 countries onto the international lineup. new it is a small island in the middle of the pacific pearl harbor. i'm under us. we're from different parts of the zillow. number 10 is more than just defensible. it's a very special place for a whole community like a honeymoon. the dream you do work for it so you can

be here on the backend. community continues to grow, particularly because everybody is welcome. does susan nichols, have you met this? i mean, it's like a big, heavy metal family. swapped a wide expanse of black outfits on john, lots of people of all ages v. i think it was a visit for and it was cable, change the barrier. now even families with children, comments in it's kind of become more family friendly movie. as i think on the day, the 1st of all kids were really hard core. only nudes going. okay. i'll see what else to come to to work for him. the metro had the wrong reply, you say to being tolerant and peaceful. it's supposed to be one of the safest arch festivals for women. what i really like you are the people, the people, the fans are so friendly, so peaceful and respectful respect for if in the past some safety,

i just felt like the expensive for a successful festival is a well functioning infrastructure is the used to begin and as a make shift event in 1990 has become a well oiled machine. developing market best. we always thought that we wouldn't manage financially. how about 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 is that investment is constant to meet the times the mountains. there is now a drainage system under the fields so that the ground wouldn't get completely soaked by rain as we used to happen in the fall. and this being pipeline was introduced in 2017 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 have to think what they now get good quality beer, much faster over them. dear funny too. so i put, okay,

the toby, to all of this, the unique backend chum, the promise letters nice in the middle of nowhere. the tranquil village of banking in the states of chaise bay college 9 and north in germany 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 nailed more milk. can ask our training. he says they produced a 100 leaders more legal training was incorrect. the festival was held on the true designs from the stones when he died in 2021 was a great sense of lost in the middle community. that can wouldn't be possible without locals like him. but the village wouldn't be the same without the festival either. 2 in the gospel from the when people say, where are you from amazon?

everyone knows box investor. oh, if you say it's a whole lot of people ask where that is on the box and whether in bavaria or spain, wherever you go, when people know this is the beside the attraction is that there's finally something happening here for the code. and i think it's good, i want to go again to about quantity. this is a really friendly nice, they're patient. they wait, we really can't complain. no cause that happy to the hand if need be good for the wheel rim fell off just before we got to the trailer was sitting on the wheel suspension come then all of a sudden the farmer turned up, looked at us and said, i've got what you need i want to pay the heavy locals in the middle. had several always been very close. and since 2000 it's been back in fire fighters who've opened the festival. think since gone at coast status in the mental community. the

gateway talking only works here. that's why it's called lock in the village. it's all a part of it. you can only do back in and bucket is a place of lemmings and fans and fans, and over 3 decades in the nation, that's become a major event back in open areas. now of global brands on the festivals may help the most headline is good logistic tons of good sewing, but back in the special job is a small rural community. has that huge metal the should soviet monuments be per served 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 shing, whatever ends up happening to the monuments that decision will come much to late basement. there's no because now i want to use a memorial. these aren't just any stones, it's a pansy and it shouldn't be destroyed under any circumstances. so should the simple 2nd yet, because the convertible 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 tablet regime of his daughter. as communism crumbled, the best of lenin and other leading soviet figures started disappearing from public view. some wound up in storage. others in museums like here in bulk area, but the launch are 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 like here in breed. but involved gary of opinion is strongly divided on what should be done with the moving communist era monuments. on

may, 9th, 2023 is 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 blissful gary and society for many years now. the, the chance range from 1982 to national list, the 2 pro era. the

one thing is clear, this as 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, leading plenty of room for problematic interpretation. don't they, or from an end to the historical vacuum and an end to this monument? that's what these residents have. sophia, 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 it could have been 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 model, staples, 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 attention,

a photo. 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 is a cultural assets nora's of soldiers memorial. and there's a whole 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, so coupon has called themselves liberated c. uh once again, this is what we wanted to show. but what is that, what's, what would it be nice to give you today? when i see something similar, how can i add a new crane, who bought them in armies 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 get going 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. body is unique days in the history of eastern european contest after the 2nd world war. because bulgaria, being a lie to not to germany, i mean think peace with an octave. the galactic relations with the soviet union during the whole pace of the 2nd world war seconds bulgaria was occupied by a that died of me in 92 in september 1944. we don't and use this to us and, but the patient said no, it isn't. and no, absolutely no put text the, the, the,

the destruction of the book get in political and cultural relate was the highest in comparison with the other disappearing countries. and at the same time, both area 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 assessments of the gene, the patient. and the legacy of communist as human to get is some are 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 proud spring movement in 68. in 2014, it turns blue and yellow in solidarity with ukraine when russia illegally annexed crimea. finally, school quits, this looks up to donate those what's happening here as good as you and the control where these actions are proves that we have at least have the freedom to perform artistic activities on the street too, because they have with, with maybe the and when they hit the mark and then the media shows that and with hands on and disrespect, there is no media sense or should i just because we at least can contribute to a dialogue with our actions. i mentioned how that dialogue is conducted is another matter. and you've already told him to see whether 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 for them. probably because it's funny,

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 and the lack of information about the terror regime that we're sending. if you destroy the memorials altogether, then you're acting like the communist, very fitting location. the museum of art from the socialist period. here during the depictions of lenin in various palaces, plus jacob and bulgaria and communists leader, georg eved, any proof to study a book at least, christopher, so long as any propaganda. the faults during that time of the art had to serve propaganda, will stop, you know, name of the dog you bottom. it became a tool of political power and 90 ology analysis. leave us as

a better job with the communist party melded with this data. the job we open to this one party system controlled every sphere of public, expressed political forwarded to just cultural and every other aspect of life 0 art was not excluded from these processes. the fed name 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 and the museums football pitch sized park. the museum director has another suggestion. you might not be a, a promise me, cuz there's the idea of dismantling the monument and removing it to the city of demetrius ground, 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 drug crowd became

a symbol for the construction of a new socialist society in bulgaria, uh, the kind of cheese, moving the monument. there really isn't an outlanders idea because the mutual grot 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 the ball, gary and so celebrate may 9th, as a victory day, see things very differently. holding photos of relatives who were killed in the 2nd world war and russian flags. the people we spoke to were in agreement, the monument should stay where it is. and remain a symbol of a fight against fascism toilet. ok, mama. 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 than memory must be kept alive, disability and this will is still going on for the whole with the,

with the doctor for those meaning, the war between the united states and russia separate. this is the america, you'll 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. some of the girl medieval got split too little reappraisal too much this information pollutants promptly get into a narrative in the current war against ukraine falls on for tile, ground, and bulk area. a country that has never completely escaped russian influence some 35 years after the end of the old regime bulgaria faces an important challenge confronting and dealing with it's past. 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 as

a daunting task ahead. that was all from arch unveiled thanks for watching. joined us again next week. the

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