In Bulgaria, the secrets of the red apartment – 08/30/2023 – Zeca Camargo

The relatively modern electronic intercom at the entrance to the old building seems almost an aberration. And the place you were about to visit even more: in the middle of the serious “an. 9”, “an. 10”, “an. 11”, indicating, I imagine, the bells of the residents, suddenly you find a label where reads: “The Red Flat”.

Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, is an austere city, painted with the sad paints of an identical past. But when you touch that apartment, you are already preparing to enter a slightly more colorful universe. Although the predominant color is red.

This was not, I must say, my main objective when traveling to this country that few Brazilians choose as a tourist destination. But when I discovered this place on an app, I had to take a detour.

The original idea was to visit the beautiful monasteries and the even more beautiful Orthodox Christian churches there, but my traveler’s curiosity inevitably led me to this little time capsule. A bizarre portrayal of an era that Bulgarians themselves can perhaps only view with humour. Or even an “ostalgie” figurine.

This delicious word, which I discovered years ago in a brilliant exhibition at the New Museum in New York, refers to nostalgia for the times of communist Europe, joining the German words “ost” (east) and “nostalgie” (nostalgia). And it’s the perfect setting for a visit to the Red Flat.

Not that communist Bulgaria was a “golden age”, on the contrary. But reversing history, the creators of this space, which reproduces everyday life there in the 1980s, play with this dark memory with the same lightness of the delicious film “Goodbye, Lenin!”.

The bad parts of that period we already know. And Red Flat seems to offer us something different: why not have a little fun with the oddities of that time?

From the cramped kitchen, where a 1981 sheet depicts glorious landscapes from Bulgaria itself, to the daring “teens’ room”, it’s impossible to walk around that space without cracking a smile. Even if it’s the one with the happy emoji with a tear in the eye.

At the discotheque in brotolândia, for example, we found a vinyl of Madonna (or madona) with a cover all written in Bulgarian, something that I, a die-hard fan of the singer, had never seen. Next to it, a “modern” pocket calculator the size of her palm.

The sober living room accommodates, in addition to extremely uncomfortable armchairs, a wooden shelf with books and magazines from 40 years ago that seem to come from an even more distant time. In addition to hidden compartments with alcoholic beverages and (dare we!) a bottle of Coke!

The cramped, family-friendly bathroom showcases original products in packaging that would make “retro look” lovers orgasm. And the TV in the house shows non-stop the best of the state broadcaster from four decades ago.

I visited everything with that embarrassed smile on my face. But what exactly was I laughing at? Not all the beauty I’ve seen in Bulgaria can hide a heavy cloud that hangs over its citizens.

Exploring Sofia, I discovered amazing restaurants, creative shops and fascinating people. But there is an inherent sadness in the streets, as if precisely this communist memory was not only past, but very present.

But maybe it’s precisely places like Red Flat that free those wonderful people from the weight of history. And they allow us to get to know Bulgaria with a generous eye — which is exactly what we’re going to do the next time we find ourselves here.

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