Astronomical Observatory of the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

In 1892 at the initiative of Prof. Bachevarov, the first Professor of Astronomy at the Higher School (as originally called the University), the construction of the Astronomical Observatory began outside Sofia in the immediate vicinity of the current Maria Luisa basin. At the time, the Borisova Garden is a pasture of the village of Slatina, which reached to Orlov most. The old building and the great dome were completed in 1897. The first observer device of the new Observatory is the viewing tube of the famous Bulgarian scientist Dr. Petar Beron. In 1886 his nephew Stefan Beron gave it to the Bulgarian Literary Society, which in turn provided it to the Higher School in 1892. The visual tube was produced in Munich in the second half of the nineteenth century by Merz and its increasing properties ranged up to about 500 times. This was the first observer device used for astronomy training. Today, the visual tube, along with other astronomical instruments from the beginning of the Observatory, is displayed in the permanent exhibition of the National Polytechnic Museum in Sofia. The University Astronomical Observatory is one of the first observatories on the Balkans. In the first years of its existence, its core business is educational. Observations for scientific purposes have been rarely conducted. Under the guidance of academician Nikola Bonev (from 1928 to 1965) modernization of the Observatory is carried out at European level. The yard has been expanded, a new building with auditorium for classes and a terrace for astronomical observation, as well as another smaller dome were built. Since 1942, the Observatory has become an Office of Time. This important task was performed until 1986. After many years of stagnation the terrain was cleaned, the buildings were restored. In 2017, the Observatory celebrates 120 years of its foundation and will open its doors to visitors. (Source: www.phys.uni-sofia.bg/~astro/)