Histories from Belene
"Histories from Belene" is an Interactive digital storytelling project created jointly with the Sofia Platform Foundation. In order to preserve the memories about the communist regime and about the Belene camp, we recorded extensive interviews with survivors of the Belene camp, covering more than 3,000 questions. This formed the basis of the software for the virtual conversations with survivors, which you can access and conduct on this website. Along with these virtual conversations, we also created a digital tour of Belene, which offers 10 sites in and around the town of Belene. The tour is also accessible via belene.camp
Between 1951 and 1953, women without trial and sentence and without having committed crimes were forcibly sent to the island. This is the so-called Site 4 of the Belene camp. After this period, women were sent to the Persin island, along with the men.
Two main camp sites existed during all periods of the existence of the camp (1949-1987) – Site 1 and Site 2. Site 1 is the closest to the bridge between the town of Belene and Persin island. It was used to house the people interned in the camp. Its construction began in July 1949 and initially it consisted of barracks and dug-outs for about 300 people. By 1952, approximately 2,000 people were housed there.
This is the location of what was known as Site 3, where a number of ox and cow sheds were built in early 1952. Pigs, sheep and chickens were kept elsewhere around the camp. Livestock farming was considered light work, with a few internees on a lighter regime engaged in it. The majority of internees were engaged in logging, dike construction, and performed other hard manual labor. Because of the scarcity and poor quality of tools, this labor was primitive. Food was insufficient, the working day lasted up to 15-16 hours, and the daily work quota was highly inflated. All this quickly led to the complete exhaustion of the internee.
In 1951, about 2 years after the establishment of the Belene camp, the communist authorities prohibited the transfer of the bodies of the deceased internees to their relatives. Until the end of 1953 deceased internees were buried on Magaretsa island. Predela island was designated as the site of the secret prison cemetery in 1954. The bodies of murdered and deceased internees from the Lovech camp were also buried there. The camp slang, with tragic irony, began to call Predela island “Site Six”.
Belene is home to one of the largest catholic communities in Bulgaria. The church is the oldest building in Belene – it was built in 1860. It also serves as a shrine to Monseigneur Eugene Bosilkov, who was killed by the communist authorities in 1952, along with Father Pavel Dzhidzhov, Father Kamen Vichev and Father Josaphat Shishkov.
Belene has a centuries-long history. The ancient settlement was likely established around the end of 1st century BC – the beginning of the 1st century AD. From that time there are also records of the existence of a Roman customs house, Dimum. The name probably comes from the Thracian tribe "dimenzi" who inhabited the region.
The story of Belene doesn’t begin and end with the labor camp. The Persina Nature Park is located here, and it is the home of hundreds of birds, among which we find the Dalmatian pelican. Against the backdrop of the setting sun and the pink Danube, the nature park offers a magical view.
Crew
Producer / Photo / Video
Georgi Totev
Producer / Photo / Video
Georgi Kozhuharov
Animation
ZARAN
