St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library

The St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the National Library of Republic of Bulgaria. It is the biggest library in Bulgaria and the oldest cultural institute. In 1878 the Sofia schoolteacher and first secretary of the City Council Michael Bobotinov makes a proposal for the establishment of a public library, needed for fostering of culture and education in Sofia. Provisional Library Commission is chosen to take upon itself organization and opening of the library in accordance with its existing statute. November 28 1878 (new style 10 December 1878) is accepted as the foundation of the National Library. On the next year Sofia Public Library is transformed in a state institution, called Bulgarian National Library; Marin Drinov, chairman of the Library Commission and head of the Department Education made the proposal. In 1939 the construction of a new Library building (the place is the former royal riding-school) began. The air raids over Sofia during the World War II destroyed both the old and new building in 1944. The new building of the National Library was officially opened on December 16 1953. The prominent Bulgarian architects Ivan Vasiliov and Dimitar Tzolov design it. The Library was built in neoclassical style and the monument of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius is inseparable part of it. The Library gathers and processes bibliographic information, stores it and provides the Bulgarian and foreign public with printed matter and audiovisual documents created in Bulgaria. Also it gathers, preserves and processes Bulgarian, Slavic and Oriental manuscripts, archival documents and rare and valuable old printed books, making them available to researchers. The Library builds up, preserves and makes available a representative collection of foreign academic literature in all fields of knowledge. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Xhe5sjtpvHbfzUca9