Located southeast of the centre of Sofia, Swimming Complex “Red Banner” (also called “Red Flag”) is a vast sports centre that has been abandoned since 2012.
Built to host the 1985 European Aquatics Championship, “Red Banner” was the largest and most modern swimming facility in the Balkans at the time of its completion. As well as two exterior and three interior pools, the sports complex featured numerous other facilities including a physiotherapy centre, a gymnasium, an acrobatics hall, a press room and a hotel. Two grandstands, one indoors and one outdoors, could each accommodate 2,000 spectators.
“Red Banner” continued to be used for water sports after the championships ended. But, like so many structures in Bulgaria that were built during the country’s socialist period (this swimming pool in Lovech, for example), the complex began to suffer from a lack of funds, and therefore maintenance, shortly after the fall of communism in the late 1980s, early 1990s. The place did receive an overhaul in 2009 but the work carried out was shoddy and by 2012 the venue was no longer fit for purpose and was officially closed in 2015.
Since that date, the sports centre has been abandoned. Over the years it has been ransacked and looted of anything of value and the condition of the place has steadily deteriorated.
Future plans for the site are not clear.
According to a 2022 news report in Bulgaria, there are government-backed plans to renovate the site in its original form and make it fully functional once more. However, another news agency has stated that a brand-new sports complex will be built on the plot of the current one and that the funds for the project would come from private investment. Currently, the site comes under the administration of the Ministry of Sports, which took it over from the Ministry of Defence in 2011.
Visiting the former Swimming Complex “Red Banner” in Sofia
We visited the Swimming Complex “Red Banner” in May 2022. The site was fenced off, but we found an open passageway in the southwest corner of the site (opposite the covered tennis courts) that allowed us to walk straight in. This route led us to the outdoor pools and grandstand from where it was easy to continue to the hulking indoor section of the complex. We didn’t encounter anyone else whilst there, although we did hear a barking dog but concluded it was not in the same part of the grounds as we were.
The above is our experience. However, a post on social media dated April 2023 states that the area is patrolled by guards both inside and out. Maybe we were lucky and said guards were on their tea break (along with the barking dog!) when we happened to visit. Either that or the situation has changed since the middle of 2022.
Along with the tennis courts, there is a functioning sports hall to the west of the former swimming pool. I suspect it was part of the original complex as it’s built in the same style as the now-abandoned hotel, which is next to it. In front of the sports centre would be a good place to park a car.
How to reach the former Swimming Complex “Red Banner” in Sofia on public transport
If you don’t have your own wheels, it is simple to reach Swimming Complex “Red Banner” on public transport. The easiest way to get to there is to take the tram (either #20 or #22) to stop SK Tsska. This will set you down on the main road across from the swimming pool.
You can catch tram #20 or #22 from central Sofia. The most convenient stops are Tsentralni hali which is close to Banya Bashi Mosque, or National Opera. Alternately, several buses pass by the Red Banner – check Google maps for details.
The GPS location for Swimming Complex “Red Banner” is 42.67413, 23.37335
Acknowledgement/Source
I am grateful to Stefan Spassov for his article on #SOSBrutalism about Swimming Complex “Red Banner” in Sofia. Stefan’s Instagram profile, @theforgottencivilization, features interesting photos and information related to Bulgaria’s socialist period (1944-1989).
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I don´t think they can refurbish this pool, at least not the indoor pool, it seems to be beyond repair. But it`s a shame, I think it once was very nice.
But then, this also happened to a lot of olympic sports venues all over the world.
I think you are right. The complex is in a terrible condition and, unfortunately, it would be more cost-effective to knock it down and start again.
This was the scene of the 1985 European swimming championships are Michael Gross broke the world record in this actual pool for the 200m fly
Thanks for this! I have just been searching for images or videos to see how the pool looked back then, but unfortunately, nothing is coming up.
I found the site by chance and would have estimated it to be at least 10 years older as that brutalist style had come out of fashion in Western Europe by the mid-80s. I also think it is beyond repair and it is hard to believe that it was renovated just 15 years ago and still in operation 9 years ago. I met a couple of young men their who said that is guarded but never saw guards. Indoor passages may be dangerous as lots of ceiling parts seem to fall off. Pools are dangerous as well due to lack of ladders, so don’t fall into one.