The Pantheon of National Revival Heroes is a striking monument in central Ruse — a tall concrete tower with abstract bronze reliefs, built in 1978 as an ossuary for prominent figures of the Bulgarian national awakening. The crypt below holds the remains of 26 figures associated with Ruse's cultural and political life during the period leading up to independence. The adjacent chapel is open to visitors.
The building is controversial stylistically — the Soviet modernist tower is architecturally jarring against the surrounding 19th-century streetscape — but its interior is genuinely evocative. The Atlas Obscura entry for the Pantheon notes its unusual combination of nationalist iconography and communist-era architecture. Worth visiting in combination with the Freedom Square walk; it's a 10-minute stroll east from the main square.