National Library to Alexander Nevsky

University of Saint Clement of Orhid reflected in the windows of the Yalta Club

Last time we went off to Alexander Nevsky we reached the Russian monument at the end of Freedom Park, a little further on is one of the more imposing buildings in Sofia, the University of Saint Clement of Ohrid.

This is Bulgaria’s premier and oldest institution of Higher Education. Itwas founded on 1 October 1888, 10 years after the liberation of Bulgaria and fully achieved university status in 1904.

Today it has sixteen faculties and over 14,000. students.

A university of this size in the centre of a capital city needs considerable resources and luckily financial support came in the form of the brothers Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev, who now sit in splendour sculpted at the front of the building which was finally constructed between 1924 and 1934.

The brothers, Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev

It’s not the only centre of learning just before we get to see Alexander Nevsky proper as just a little further up the road is the National Library of Cyril and Methodius.

The National Library with the statues of Cyril and Methodius in the foreground.

These are indeed famous men of Bulgaria. The Saintly brothers who developed the Cyrillic Alphabet which is widely used in many countries today - the most famous being the Russian Federation - and with Bulgaria joining the EEC it is now the third official language of the community.

So important is the alphabet that it is part of the National Day Celebration on May 24 the Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture and of the Slavonic Alphabet.

And just a while ago Bulgaria insisted on maintaining the term Evro within the EEC rather than the more widely used Euro.

The library itself was founded on 4 April 1878 and developed to its present form by 1924.

Of course as we walk out every day, the weather changes again. Now it’s late Spring and the Trees in Freedom Park are no longer bare or even green but in full blossom, mostly being magnificent Chestnut Trees.

For the next part of our walk I feel we will reach Alexander Nevsky and the buildings along the famous Yellow Road.

I'm John Rocha, Blog Master of Bulgarian Vistas.

I like to write from experience about living in Bulgaria, holidays in Bulgaria, Bulgarian food,

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