[Photo from sofia-guide.com]

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.

The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University (Bulgarian: Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, Sofiyski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“) 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 754th in the world and 325th in Europe by the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.

The university was founded on 1 October 1888, 10 years after the Liberation of Bulgaria, 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.