Steampunk Steamroller, Bulgaria

Tucked away in an unassuming back road of a Bulgarian town, sits a rusting Steampunk Steamroller. The steamroller lies within the grounds of a large ruined mansion, which was once owned by an important Bulgarian businessman. Over the years the town has encroached, surrounding the mansion and steamroller.

This mansion was the summer residence of an influential Bulgarian businessman, a rich industrial tycoon of the late 19th and early 20th Century. Over his half-decade career he was involved in many sectors including trading, factory production lines and banking. He was also known for his charitable work, and was a strong supporter of the local community. He set up schools and orphanages for poor children of the region. He stated in his Will that this home was to be used for charitable activities after his death; either as a school to provide free education for poor families, a retirement home for the elderly or housing for poor writers/journalists.

His final wishes were not honoured. In the late 1940’s the state nationalised his charitable resources and seized the house. The building was used as a hospital and care home for certain infectious diseases such as tuberculosis until the late 1990s.

We visited the snow-covered Steampunk Steamroller during the early spring of 2017.

If anyone has more information about this steamroller, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.