The Bells Monument (or, in Bulgarian, “Камбаните”) is in a park at the base of the Vitosha mountain. An inscription at the monument’s base reads, “Children of the future accept the eternal, fiery call of immortality – Unity, Creativity, Beauty.” When the UN declared 1979 the Year of the Child, Lyudmila Zhivkova, daughter of a former head of state, conceived to construct a monument. With the participation of the UNESCO Banner of Peace children’s movement, the Bells Monument was built in only 30 days. Four 122-foot-tall pylons are oriented toward the cardinal directions. Strung at the very top are seven bells to represent each continent. Encircling the towering pylons are two semicircular walls containing 95 bells, each from different countries and/or social organizations. Only children are supposed to ring the bells.
