Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. The First 130 Years

The beginnings of Sofia University may be traced back to the year 1888, ten years after the end of the Russian-Turkish War, which had begun in 1877, and which resulted in a recreated Bulgarian state re-emerging on the map of Europe. The state was small in territory, as well as in population. The capital, Sofia, numbered not more than 20,000 inhabitants. However, in this semi-oriental city, a Higher Pedagogical Course was started in 1888, and it was this that later grew into a modern higher education institution. The subsequent founding of the University was a single act, but behind it stood ages of history.