Bulgaria’s got a new skatepark, and it turned out beautifully. In a country which struggles economically skateparks are rare, but in recent years their number has been growing in the country. Our author Fani lives in the capital of Sofia but she took a trip to Stara Zagora to see and skate this new gem in her home town.
Stara Zagora, a town in the middle of Bulgaria, had its old skatepark for about 20 years until the municipality destroyed it in 2016. The local skateboarding community quickly started working towards the building of a new park, however, things were more difficult than they imagined.
The old skatepark in the town gathered skaters from around the country for meet-ups and competitions, the community was thriving. At the time, there was still no quad skate scene in Bulgaria (Check out the latest DogDays yearbook on Bulgaria’s roller skate scene in the 1980s).
The new skatepark in Bulgaria is for all wheels
After years of negotiations and obstacles, the first dig of the new skatepark started in 2020. Geramis Skateparks – a Bulgarian building company with a branch operated by skateboarders – did the project and built the park from scratch. They listened to what other communities need and built the skatepark so that is compliant for all sports – skateboarding, roller blading, BMX riding and quad skating. And it’s perfectly built for both street and ramp competitions.
It was not an easy process at all – it took two years for the park to be finished. And considering the situation in Bulgaria, it’s almost a miracle that everything was built the right way by the right people.
The park features a keyhole skate pool, bank with two quarter pipes, street section with hand rails and snake rail, three types of stairs, a marble hubba, combo arena with hubba, rail and rainbow hub, manual pad, classic ledges and ledges with pipe, slappies, wally and step up jump. Everything is suitable for both stances.
Painted by the art collective Arsek & Erase it became a piece of art
The skatepark became canvas for the talented Arsek & Erase. The boys that were painting the old park, took over the final touches and turned the new one into a piece of art. From a bird’s perspective, the park looks like the back of a skateboard deck. You can see a totem with an eye, a fox, a bird and a bear.
Roller skating in this colorful new playground feels so fun and special. It has everything a quad skater would want, no matter if you like flipping on skates, shredding 50s on rails or just surfing the pool while the colors around you change faster and faster.
A long-awaited spot that gathers people of all ages and social backgrounds, creatives and athletes, the kids of Bulgaria and the older generation that still finds time to skate – the skatepark in Stara Zagora is a dream come true for many of us.
Words by Fani Vankova
Photos by @veliko.balabanov