Sofia University
Encyclopedia
The St. Clement of Ohrid
University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education
institution in Bulgaria
, founded on 1 October 1888. The university's edifice was constructed between 1924 and 1934 with the financial support of the brothers Evlogi Georgiev
and Hristo Georgiev, whose sculptures are now featured on its façade, and has an area of 18,624 m² and a total of 324 premises.
Sofia University has 16 faculties and three departments, where 14,000 students receive their education. In addition, it also disposes of a university library
, a university press
, a computer centre, a sports centre and several other structures. The current rector is Ivan Ilchev
. Sofia University is ranked 801st in the world and 327th in Europe by the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.
, to serve as Bulgaria's primary institution of higher education. Initially, it had 4 regular and 3 additional lecturers and 49 students. It was founded as a higher pedagogical course, it became a higher school after a few months and a university in 1904. The first rector was Bulgarian linguist Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan
.
During Sofia University's first years, it had three faculties, a Faculty of History
and Philology
(since 1888), a Faculty of Mathematics
and Physics
(since 1889) and a Faculty of Law
(since 1892). History, geography, Slavic philology
, philosophy
and pedagogics, mathematics and physics, chemistry
, natural sciences and law were taught. The first women, 16 in number, were welcomed to the university in 1901, and 25 November (8 December O.S.), the day of St Clement of Ohrid, became the university's official holiday the following year.
In 1907, as Prince Ferdinand opened the National Theatre
, he was booed by Sofia University students, for which the university was closed for 6 months and all lecturers were fired. Not until a new government with Aleksandar Malinov
at the head came into power in January 1908 was the crisis resolved.
At the beginning of the Balkan Wars
, 1,379 students (725 men and 654 women) were recorded to attend the university. A fourth faculty was established in 1917, the Faculty of Medicine
, the fifth, the Faculty of Agronomy
following in 1921, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
and the Faculty of Theology
being founded in 1923. In 1922–1923, Sofia University had 111 chairs, 205 lecturers and assistants and 2,388 students, of which 1,702 men and 686 women.
The foundation stone of Sofia University's new edifice was laid on 30 June 1924. Funds were secured by the brothers Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev. The rectorate was built according to the initial plans of the French
architect Henri Bréançon, who had won a competition for the purpose in 1907. The plans were developed by Nikola Lazarov
and revised by Yordan Milanov, who also directed the construction, but died before the official opening on 16 December 1934.
The first doctoral thesis of the university was defended on 27 October 1929 in natural sciences and by Vasil Tsankov. The second one, in chemistry, followed on 1 July 1930 by Aleksandar Spasov. In 1930–1931, the university had four more doctors.
After the political changes of 9 September 1944 and the emergence of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, radical alterations were made in the university system of the country. At that time, 1944-45, 13,627 students attended the university, taught by 182 professors and readers and 286 assistants. Communist
professors were introduced to the higher ranks of university authority, with others that did not share these views being removed. Specific party-related chairs were established and the university was restricted after the Soviet
model. Three new faculties were founded in 1947, one of forestry
, one of zootechnics and one of economics
and major changes occurred, with many departments seceding in later years to form separate institutions.
The Sofia University Mountains
on Alexander Island
, Antarctica were named for the university in commemoration of its centennial celebrated in 1988, and in appreciation of the university’s contribution to the Antarctic exploration.
Clement of Ohrid
Saint Clement of Ohrid was a medieval Bulgarian saint, scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs. He was the most prominent disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets, especially their popularisation among...
University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, founded on 1 October 1888. The university's edifice was constructed between 1924 and 1934 with the financial support of the brothers Evlogi Georgiev
Evlogi Georgiev
Evlogi Georgiev was a major Bulgarian merchant, banker and benefactor. The main building of the Sofia University was built with a large financial donation by him and his brother Hristo Georgiev.-Biography:...
and Hristo Georgiev, whose sculptures are now featured on its façade, and has an area of 18,624 m² and a total of 324 premises.
Sofia University has 16 faculties and three departments, where 14,000 students receive their education. In addition, it also disposes of a university library
University Library
University Library refers to academic libraries at universities, such as:*Basel University Library*Cambridge University Library*Cornell University Library*De La Salle University Library*Durham University Library*University of the East Library...
, a university press
University press
A university press is an academic, nonprofit publishing house that is typically affiliated with a large research university, and publishes work that has been reviewed by scholars in the field. It produces mainly scholarly works...
, a computer centre, a sports centre and several other structures. The current rector is Ivan Ilchev
Ivan Ilchev
Ivan Ilchev , Ph.D. in history, is the current rector of Sofia University, the oldest and biggest higher education facility in Bulgaria. He speicalises in the recent history of the Balkan peoples....
. Sofia University is ranked 801st in the world and 327th in Europe by the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.
History
The university was founded on 1 October 1888, 10 years after the Liberation of BulgariaLiberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
, to serve as Bulgaria's primary institution of higher education. Initially, it had 4 regular and 3 additional lecturers and 49 students. It was founded as a higher pedagogical course, it became a higher school after a few months and a university in 1904. The first rector was Bulgarian linguist Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan
Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan
Aleksandar Stoyanov Teodorov-Balan was a Bulgarian linguist, historian and bibliographer.Balan was born in the Bessarabian village of Kubey, today Chervonoarmiyske near Bolhrad in Odessa Oblast, Ukraine , to a Bulgarian family. The general Georgi Todorov was his brother...
.
During Sofia University's first years, it had three faculties, a Faculty of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
(since 1888), a Faculty of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(since 1889) and a Faculty of Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
(since 1892). History, geography, Slavic philology
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and pedagogics, mathematics and physics, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, natural sciences and law were taught. The first women, 16 in number, were welcomed to the university in 1901, and 25 November (8 December O.S.), the day of St Clement of Ohrid, became the university's official holiday the following year.
In 1907, as Prince Ferdinand opened the National Theatre
Ivan Vazov National Theatre
The Ivan Vazov National Theatre is Bulgaria's national theatre, as well as the oldest and most authoritative theatre in the country and one of the important landmarks of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria...
, he was booed by Sofia University students, for which the university was closed for 6 months and all lecturers were fired. Not until a new government with Aleksandar Malinov
Aleksandar Malinov
Aleksandar Pavlov Malinov was a leading Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister on three occasions. He was born in Pandakli, Bessarabia in a family of Bessarabian Bulgarians....
at the head came into power in January 1908 was the crisis resolved.
At the beginning of the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, 1,379 students (725 men and 654 women) were recorded to attend the university. A fourth faculty was established in 1917, the Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, the fifth, the Faculty of Agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
following in 1921, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
and the Faculty of Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
being founded in 1923. In 1922–1923, Sofia University had 111 chairs, 205 lecturers and assistants and 2,388 students, of which 1,702 men and 686 women.
The foundation stone of Sofia University's new edifice was laid on 30 June 1924. Funds were secured by the brothers Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev. The rectorate was built according to the initial plans of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
architect Henri Bréançon, who had won a competition for the purpose in 1907. The plans were developed by Nikola Lazarov
Nikola Lazarov
Nikola Ivanov Lazarov was a Bulgarian architect.Lazarov was born in the sub-Balkan town of Karlovo, then part of the Ottoman Empire . His father, a rose oil and woolen braid dealer and manufacturer, was killed by the Ottomans during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 which led to the Liberation...
and revised by Yordan Milanov, who also directed the construction, but died before the official opening on 16 December 1934.
The first doctoral thesis of the university was defended on 27 October 1929 in natural sciences and by Vasil Tsankov. The second one, in chemistry, followed on 1 July 1930 by Aleksandar Spasov. In 1930–1931, the university had four more doctors.
After the political changes of 9 September 1944 and the emergence of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, radical alterations were made in the university system of the country. At that time, 1944-45, 13,627 students attended the university, taught by 182 professors and readers and 286 assistants. Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
professors were introduced to the higher ranks of university authority, with others that did not share these views being removed. Specific party-related chairs were established and the university was restricted after the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
model. Three new faculties were founded in 1947, one of forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, one of zootechnics and one of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and major changes occurred, with many departments seceding in later years to form separate institutions.
The Sofia University Mountains
Sofia University Mountains
Sofia University Mountains are a cluster of three small mountains, 14 km long in the north-south direction and 5.5 km wide, rising to 1500 m in north-western Alexander Island.They are located south-southeast of Havre Mountains, southwest of Rouen Mountains, northwest of Elgar Uplands, east...
on Alexander Island
Alexander Island
Alexander Island or Alexander I Island or Alexander I Land or Alexander Land is the largest island of Antarctica, with an area of lying in the Bellingshausen Sea west of the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Marguerite Bay and George VI Sound. Alexander Island lies off...
, Antarctica were named for the university in commemoration of its centennial celebrated in 1988, and in appreciation of the university’s contribution to the Antarctic exploration.
Faculties
The Sofia University offers a wide range of degrees in 16 faculties:- Faculty of BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- Faculty of ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
- Faculty of Classical and Modern PhilologyPhilologyPhilology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
- Faculty of EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Business Administration - Faculty of EducationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
- Faculty of GeologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes... - Faculty of HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- Faculty of JournalismJournalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and Mass CommunicationMass communicationMass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time... - Faculty of LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
- Faculty of MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and InformaticsInformatics (academic field)Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information... - Faculty of PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
- Faculty of PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
- Faculty of Pre-school and Primary School Education
- Faculty of Slavic Studies
- Faculty of TheologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
- Faculty of MedicineMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
Departments
- Department of Language Learning
- Department for Information and In-service Training of Teachers
- Sports Department
Affiliated bodies
- Balkan Universities NetworkBalkan Universities NetworkThe Balkan Universities Network or BUN in its present form was created after the end of the SFR Yugoslavia, the founding of new universities, and the implementation of the Bologna Process in Balkan Universities...
- National Centre of Polar ResearchNational Centre of Polar Research (Bulgaria)The National Centre of Polar Research is a specialized body established by the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia in 2007 to appropriate the state budget funds allocated to polar scientific exploration, granted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria.-References:*...
Alumni
- Blaga DimitrovaBlaga DimitrovaBlaga Nikolova Dimitrova was a Bulgarian poetess and Vice President of Bulgaria from 1992 until 1993.-Life:...
, writer, former Vice-President of Bulgaria - Georgi ParvanovGeorgi ParvanovGeorgi Sedefchov Parvanov is a President of Bulgaria, whose second and last mandate expires on January 22, 2012; he was elected after defeating his predecessor Petar Stoyanov in the second round of the presidential elections in November 2001 and he came into office on January 22, 2002...
, President of Bulgaria - Elisaveta Bagryana, poet
- Kiril BratanovKiril BratanovKiril Tsochev Bratanov was a prominent Bulgarian biologist and pioneer in the area of immunology of reproduction.He was born on March 5, 1911, in the town of Lukovit, Bulgaria, and studied veterinary medicine at the University of Sofia. After receiving his doctoral degree in 1935, he spent two...
, scientist - Ivan DochevIvan DochevIvan Dimitrov Dochev was a Bulgarian far right politician active either side of the Second World War.-Early years:Born in Shumen the son of an army colonel, Dochev worked in the civil service from 1926 to 1932 when he went to Sofia University to study law and politics...
, politician - Rostislaw KaischewRostislaw KaischewRostislaw Kaischew was a Bulgarian physicochemist and a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. His most significant contributions to science were within studies of crystal growth and nucleation....
, scientist - Bojil KolarovBojil KolarovBojil Kolarov is a Bulgarian writer specialised in the study of the origins and history of Hindu culture and philosophy. He was born in 1972 in Sofia and graduated in 1997 in philosophy and biology from Sofia University....
, scholar - Ivan KostovIvan KostovIvan Yordanov Kostov was Prime Minister of Bulgaria from May 1997 to July 2001 and leader of the Union of Democratic Forces between December 1994 and July 2001....
, politician - Meglena KunevaMeglena KunevaMeglena Shtilianova Kuneva is a Bulgarian and EU politician.Born in Sofia, Kuneva graduated in Law from Sofia University in 1981. In 1984 she became a Doctor of Law. She worked as a journalist for the Law Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio while being an Assistant Professor at Sofia...
, politician - Aleksandar Tsankov Staliyski, politician
- Nikolai TodorovNikolai TodorovNikolai Todorov served as acting President of Bulgaria in 1990.-Career:Todorov was inspired to go into politics after the trial of Traycho Kostov, whom he had shared a prison cell with during World War II. After a distinguished academic career, which included a position at the National and...
, President of Bulgaria - Maria TodorovaMaria TodorovaMaria N. Todorova is a Bulgarian historian and philosopher who is best known for her application of Edward Said's notion of "Orientalism" to the Balkans. She is the daughter of former Bulgarian President Nikolai Todorov.-Career:...
, scholar - Lyudmila ZhivkovaLyudmila ZhivkovaLyudmila Todorova Zhivkova was the daughter of Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov, who reached the rank of senior Bulgarian Communist Party functionary and Politburo member. Her life remains uniquely controversial and colourful in the history of Communist Bulgaria and that of the Soviet...
, politician - Patriarch Maxim, cleric, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox ChurchBulgarian Orthodox ChurchThe Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
- Zhelyu ZhelevZhelyu ZhelevZhelyu Mitev Zhelev is a Bulgarian politician and former dissident who was the first democratically elected President of Bulgaria, he is elected for his first mandate by the Parliament for the period 1990 to 1992, in January 1992 general elections are held when he is reelected for his second...
, former PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Bulgaria
External links
- Sofia University website
- University Library Online Catalogue website
- Sofia University forum
- Sofia University, Faculty of Chemistry website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Law website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Geology and Geography website
- Sofia University, Faculty of History website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Philosophy website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Physics website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Pre-school and Primary School Education website
- Sofia University, Faculty of Slavic Studies website
- Sofia University, Department of Language Learning website
- Sofia University, Department for Information and In-service Training of Teachers website