Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" () is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. It is the oldest institution of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constructed between 1924 and 1934 with the financial support of the brothers

Evlogi Georgiev Evlogi Georgiev () (3 October 1819 – 5 July 1897) 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 G ...

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. The university has 16 faculties and three departments, where over 21,000 students receive their education. The current rector is Georgi Valchev.

History

The university was founded on 1 October 1888—ten years after the

liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...

—to serve as Bulgaria's primary institution of higher education. Initially, it had four regular and three 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, namely a Faculty of

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

Philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

(since 1888), a Faculty of

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

(since 1889) and a Faculty of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

(since 1892). History, geography, Slavic philology,

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

pedagogics Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

, mathematics and physics,

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, natural sciences and law were also taught. The first women (16 in number) were welcomed to the university in 1901 and 25 November (8 December N.S.), the day of St.

Kliment of Ohrid Saint Clement (or Kliment) of Ohrid ( Bulgarian, Macedonian, , ''Kliment Ohridski''; , ''Klḗmēs tē̂s Akhrídas''; ; – 916) was one of the first medieval Bulgarian saints, scholar, writer, and apostle to the Slavs. He was one of the most ...

, became the university's official holiday the following year. As Prince Ferdinand opened the National Theatre in 1907, he was booed by Sofia University students, for which the university was closed for six months and all lecturers were fired. Not until a new government with

Aleksandar Malinov Aleksandar Pavlov Malinov (; 3 May 1867 – 20 March 1938) was a leading Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister on three occasions. He was born in Pandakli, Bessarabia (present-day Orikhivka, Ukraine) in a family of Bessarabian ...

at the head came into power in January 1908 was the crisis resolved. At the beginning of the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, 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 is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, the fifth, the Faculty of

Agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

following in 1921, the Faculty of

Veterinary Medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

and the Faculty of

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

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 A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

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 Yordan Milanov (; 1867–1932) was a Bulgarian architect. Milanov was one of the leading Bulgarian architects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

in natural science of the university was defended by

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

Vassil Tzankov. The second one in chemistry followed on 1 July 1930 and the title doctor was granted to 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 The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...

, radical alterations were made in the university system of the country. At that time in 1944–1945, 13,627 students attended the university, taught by 182 professors and readers and 286 assistants.

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

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 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

model. Three new faculties were founded in 1947, one of

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, one of zootechnics and one of

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and major changes occurred, with many departments seceding in later years to form separate institutions. In 2001, the Sofia University was the first Bulgarian Athenaeum to open a Theological Faculty ruled by the national

Orthodox Church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church, the second-largest Christian church in the world * Oriental Orthodox Churches, a branch of Eastern Christianity * Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a confessional Presbyterian denomination loc ...

after the

fall of communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

Sofia University Mountains Sofia University Mountains (планина Софийски Университет \pla-ni-'na so-'fiy-ski u-ni-ver-si-'tet\) are a cluster of four small mountains, long in the southwest–northeast direction and wide, rising to ca. ( Mount K ...

Alexander Island Alexander Island, which is also known as Alexander I Island, Alexander I Land, Alexander Land, Alexander I Archipelago, and Zemlja Alexandra I, is the largest island of Antarctica. It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land, Antarcti ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

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 and departments

Faculties

Sofia University Faculty of Biology TB 2

Sofia University offers a wide range of degrees in 16 faculties: * Faculty of

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

* Faculty of

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

* Faculty of Classical and Modern

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
* Faculty of

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

* Faculty of

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

* Faculty of

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and

Mass Communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

* Faculty of

and

Informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems. According to the Association for Computing Machinery, ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which the centra ...

* Faculty of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

* Faculty of

https://www.phys.uni-sofia.bg * Faculty of

Pre-school A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space Learning space or learning setting refers to a physical s ...

and

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

Education * Faculty of

Slavic Studies Slavic (American English) or Slavonic (British English) studies, also known as Slavistics, is the academic field of area studies concerned with Slavic peoples, Slavic peoples, languages, literature, history, and culture. Originally, a Slavist or ...

* Faculty of

Departments

* Department of Language Learning * Department for Information and In-service Training of Teachers * Sports Department

Affiliated bodies

Balkan Universities Network The Balkan Universities Network or Balkan Universities Association (BAUNAS) is an association of universities in Southeast Europe. In its present form the body was created after the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia and the end of the Yugoslav Wars. ...

* National Centre of Polar Research

Notable alumni

* Elisaveta Bagryana, poet * Anthony Bailey, businessman * Pepka Boyadjieva, sociologist * Kiril Bratanov, scientist *

Iván Cepeda Iván Cepeda Castro (born October 24, 1962) is a left-wing Colombian politician, human rights activist, and philosopher. The eldest son of the late left-wing politician Manuel Cepeda Vargas, Cepeda has served as a member of the Senate since 201 ...

, politician and senator of Colombia * Ljubomir Chakaloff, mathematician * / Boris Christoff, opera singer * Raymond Detrez, historian *

Philip Dimitrov Philip Dimitrov Dimitrov ( ; born 31 March 1955) is a Bulgarian politician, Prime Minister of Bulgaria 1991–2, MP in the 36th (1991–1994), 37th (1994–1997) and the 40th (2005–2007) National Assembly, and MEP from January 2007 to May ...

, politician and lawyer, former

Prime Minister of Bulgaria The Prime Minister of Bulgaria () is the head of government of Bulgaria. They are oftentimes the leader of a political coalition in the Bulgarian parliament, known as the National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unica ...

and member of the

Constitutional Court of Bulgaria The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria is in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has signed. The 12 members of the C ...

* Todor Georgiev, scientist and inventor * Khristo Ivanov, scientist *

Rostislaw Kaischew Rostislaw Kaischew (; February 16, 1908 Old Style, O.S. (February 29, 1908 (New Style, N.S.)), Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire – November 19, 2002, Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian physicochemist and a member of the Bulgarian Acad ...

, scientist *

Mimoza Konteva Mimoza Georgieva Konteva (1952–2018), was a Bulgarian geographer, landscape scientist and associate professor. She became one of the senior authorities of geography and landscape studies in Bulgaria. Biography Konteva was born on 22 December ...

, geographer *

Ivan Kostov Ivan Yordanov Kostov ( ) (born 23 December 1949) is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 1997 to 2001. A member of the SDS party, which he led from 1994 to 2001, he was previously Minister of Finance from 1990 ...

, politician and economist, former

* /

Julia Kristeva Julia Kristeva (; ; born Yuliya Stoyanova Krasteva, ; on 24 June 1941) is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, semiotician, psychoanalyst, feminist, and novelist who has lived in France since the mid-1960s. She has taught at Colum ...

, philosopher and writer *

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

, cleric and head of the

Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...

* Georgi Nadjakov, physicist *

Ivan Kostov Nikolov Ivan Kostov Nikolov ( Bulgarian: Иван Костов Николов) Hon HonFMinSoc (December 24, 1913 (O.S.) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria – March 31, 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria), Aka Ivan Kostov, was a Bulgarian geologist, mineralogist and crystall ...

, geologist and mineralogist * Ya'akov Nitzani, politician,

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

member *

Georgi Parvanov Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov (, ) (born 28 June 1957) is a Bulgarian historian and politician who was President of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012. He was elected after defeating incumbent Petar Stoyanov in the second round of the November 2001 pres ...

, former

President of Bulgaria The president of the Republic of Bulgaria (, romanised: ''Prezident na Republika Bŭlgariya'') is the head of state of Bulgaria and the commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Army. The official residence of the president is at Boyana Residence, S ...

* /

Ivan Georgiev Petrov Ivan Georgiev Petrov (; born 6 September 1949) is a Bulgarian-American physicist specializing in thin films, surface science, and methods of characterization of materials. His research and scientific contributions have been described as having ...

, physicist * Assen Razcvetnikov, poet, writer and translator * Dimitar Sasselov, astronomer * Lachezara Stoeva, diplomat *

Petar Stoyanov Petar Stefanov Stoyanov (, born 25 May 1952) is a Bulgarian statesman and politician who served as the 2nd President of Bulgaria from 1997 to 2002. A member of the Union of Democratic Forces, he won the second democratic election in modern B ...

, former president of Bulgaria * /

Ivan Stranski Ivan Nikolov Stranski (; ; – 19 June 1979) was a Bulgarian and later a German physical chemist who is considered the father of crystal growth research. He was the founder of the Bulgarian school of physical chemistry, heading the depart ...

, physical chemist * /

Tzvetan Todorov Tzvetan Todorov (; ; ; 1 March 1939 – 7 February 2017) was a Bulgarian- French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and essayist. He was the author of many books and essays, which have had a significant influe ...

, philosopher * Orlin D. Velev, professor and scientist * Mikhail Wehbe, diplomat *

Rashid Yassin Rashid Yassin Abbas Al-Rabaie (Arabic: :ar: رشيد ياسين, رشيد ياسين) (July 1, 1931– April 30, 2012) was an Iraqi journalist, poet, Literary criticism, literary critic, and university professor. He was born in Baghdad under Mandat ...

, journalist and poet *

Zhelyu Zhelev Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev (; 3 March 1935 – 30 January 2015) was a Bulgarian politician and former dissident who served as the first democratically elected and non-Communist President of Bulgaria, from 1990 to 1997. Zhelev was one of the most prom ...

, former

Maria Zheleva Maria Ivanova Marinova-Zheleva (, 3 April 1942 – 8 December 2013), sometimes Romanization of Bulgarian, transliterated as Mariya Zheleva or Mariya Jeleva, was a Bulgarian historian, film editor, film director, and screenwriter who served as the ...

, filmmaker and former

First Lady of Bulgaria First Lady of Bulgaria () is an unofficial honorific applied to the wife of the president of Bulgaria. Officially, her term as first lady is concurrent with her husband's term in office. The first lady often accompanies the head of state during st ...

* Lyudmila Zhivkova, politician

Faculty

* Snejina Gogova, sinologist, sociolinguist and psycholinguist, Professor of Chinese linguistics

Partner Universities

Europe

Humboldt-Universität Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt, ...

Technische Universität Dresden TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...

Université de Genève The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology unti ...

, and others.

Notes and references

External links

Sofia University website
*
Efficiency and public funding for higher education in Bulgaria
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Sofia Universities and colleges established in 1888 1888 establishments in Bulgaria

History

Faculties and departments

Faculties

Departments

Affiliated bodies

Notable alumni

Faculty

Partner Universities

Europe

See also

Notes and references

External links