The prefabricated buildings which are one of the symbols of socialism and the migration of rural population to the cities are now heading towards their 60th anniversary. The peak in the construction of panel buildings was between the 1960's and the 1980's. The construction of panel buildings in Bulgaria was brought from France. However, Western Europe did not witness such a large-scale construction of panel buildings, as it happened in Bulgaria.

The panel flats are cheap: their price corresponds to the budget of an average Bulgarian family. Despite their unattractive look, they left a permanent mark on the architecture typical of the socialist period. Several decades later they remain part of the urban environment and a social phenomenon.  Their balconies are covered in glass and the facades are decorated with various cables and satellite dishes.

Who are the owners of the prefabricated buildings today? Here is what real estate broker Petar Sotirov told Radio Bulgaria.

"Usually, the panel flats are owned by families with children, because along with the large size of the dwelling clients get a separate kitchen, which is of great importance to each family. People often reshape these rooms into children's bedrooms or offices. The panel buildings are not worse than any of the new buildings in this country, if they get the necessary heat and water insulation."

How people living in the panel neighborhoods view the current environment? The opinions are quite controversial. The older generations who bought these flats several decades ago still like them. They somehow got used to living in them. Here is what Vassilka Georgieva from Sofia told Radio Bulgaria:

“The biggest advantage of the panel buildings is the good disposition of the rooms. Personally, I do not like the newly-build flats.”

The younger generation is more critical towards the prefab buildings. “The panel blocks look unsightly”, says Yordan Simov and adds:

“I would be very happy if we get rid of all panel buildings. The problem is that people will not have a place to live. I also live in a prefab building. I do not like to have so many neighbors and would rather live separately. Moreover, the panel building does not last long and doesn't have its own yard.”

Nowadays the panel blocks of flats are not just a heritage of the near past, but also one of the cheapest options for those who want to buy a home in the big cities. The price of a panel flat starts from EUR 30,000 in Sofia, comments Petar Sotirov. The prices of all types of buildings including the prefabricated ones rose in the last quarter of 2014 and the first trimester of 2015. The increase is linked to the state of infrastructure in a given neighborhood.

The old panel buildings are much cheaper than the newly-built homes. That is why these types of buildings are again so popular on the property market.

"Since 1998 people started to spread rumors that the market of panel flats would come to a standstill”, Petar Sotirov further explains. “However, the demand of such homes has not seized yet. Some clients prefer to buy a panel flat, because they can get a fair-quality property in Bulgaria's big cities such as Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas for as much as EUR 30,000-40,000. The buyers of such homes are mainly interested in the square surface of the dwelling. The panel flats offer a real square surface, which is close to its bright surface."

Theoretically, the life of the prefabricated buildings is around 50-60 years. Fortunately, in most cases the estimates do not correspond to reality. The critical point in this case is the solidity of the welding connecting the panels. If the welding becomes weak, the panels may separate from each other and cause serious damage to the building construction. However, investigation is expensive, as the competent experts need to reach to the welding, which is quite inconvenient for the home owners, too. That is why, people rely in most cases on wrong calculations regarding the life cycle of this type of building.

The new program of the Bulgarian cabinet which enables people to insulate their panel buildings could bring new life to them. However, it will not cover all panel buildings in this country, or the most damaged ones, but provide financing to those who file their applications first.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov