Icarus is a monument of hope and represents a sculptural composition placed in front of the Varna Municipality building. According to its author, the sculpture symbolizes humanity’s aspirations toward the highest and most unattainable goals.
The journey of the Icarus sculpture began in 1978, when the design of the building in front of which it now stands was entrusted to architect Stefan Kolchev and his team, while the design of the surrounding architectural ensemble was entrusted to a team from the Regional Design Organization led by Kolyo Genchev and architect Manoyan. The building was conceived as a Party House, namely the administrative headquarters of the Regional Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party. A letter from the Committee for Culture concerning “the design and execution of a 4 m / 5 m sculpture for the space in front of the Party House” was addressed to Kolchev’s team and to the Varna sculptor Alyosha Kafedzhiyski. The letter did not specify any historical context, stylistic requirements, or conceptual preferences, which later led the sculptor to say:
“I appreciated this freedom because it was part of a subject that has always attracted me — the theme of the flight of the free human spirit. Icarus’ fate is tragic, but who does not want, one day, to fly toward the sun, regardless of what happens afterward…”
Therefore, when Kafedzhiyski began sketching the flying man, he was convinced that Icarus would bring a more humane and elevated spirit to the strict architecture of the Party House.
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