The presentation was attended by the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Academician Yulian Revalski, the capital Mayor Ms. Yordanka Fandakova, the Deputy Mayor for culture Dr. Todor Chobanov, the former President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Academician Ivan Yukhnovski, the Scientific Secretary-General of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Prof. Eva Pasheva, the scientific secretaries of the BAS Prof. Yoana Spasova and Assoc. Prof. Olya Stoilova, Media Group Bulgaria Holding’s Publisher Ms. Venelina Gocheva, authors and scientific consultants of “Encyclopedia Sofia”, editors and students interns at Bulgarian Encyclopaedia Scientific Information Centre, editors at Trud Publishing House, many guests and journalists.
BAS’ President Academician Revalski thanked the authors for the prestigious edition and gave the floor to the Mayor of Sofia.
“Encyclopedia Sofia” is a wonderful gift for Sofia,” said Ms. Fandakova.
Arch. Tanya Kadiyska, one of the authors of the “Encyclopedia Sofia”, presented the encyclopedia’s contents: “It begins with an extensive overview entitled “Sofia – A passage of time”, which examines the natural environment, traces the history of the city, emphasises important events from the past, from the development, construction and present state of the government, public and spiritual life of Sofia and the region. The merit of significant historical figures and state institutions for the development of the city and its establishment as the capital, as well as the role of Sofia in the history and culture of our country, is also pointed out.
The second part – “Sofia from A to Z”, is a classic encyclopedia reference with 450 alphabetically arranged articles on geographical sites in the Sofia capital district (mountains, rivers, natural attractions), neighborhoods, all settlements in Sofia Municipality, the oldest or most significant business facilities and transport facilities, parks and gardens, sports halls and stadiums, universities, theatres and museums, festivals, etc. The third part – “A Walk Around Sofia”, introduces iconic streets, squares and boulevards that give the city its appearance and are part of its unique atmosphere.
“Encyclopedia Sofia” is illustrated with over 700 photos, maps and diagrams. The reference part is supplemented with tables of the mayors of Sofia, the population of Sofia Municipality, its cultural landmarks, the monasteries of Sofia’s so-called “little holy mountain”, an alphabetical index of personal names, statistical data on the number of museums, art galleries, libraries, theatres, medical facilities, and sports facilities.’
The scientific consultants of “Encyclopedia Sofia” Mariana Marinova, Snezhana Goryanova and Lili Golemanova also spoke and thanked the Bulgarian Encyclopedia Scientific Information Centre for the opportunity to be a part of the team that worked on the edition.
“The work of the compilers of the BAS encyclopedias, the contemporary followers of d’Alembert and Diderot, is specific – it requires professionalism and dedication, exactness and precision, and is rewarded with the creative satisfaction of publishing another encyclopedia – it is celebrated with such events as today’s presentation,” said in conclusion Iva Chalakova, Bulgarian Encyclopaedia Scientific Information Centre’s Director and host of the presentation.
Encyclopaedia “Sofia” is bilingual – in Bulgarian and in English and is suitable both for Bulgarian readers – residents of Sofia and guests of Sofia, as well as for foreign readers. The encyclopedia was published jointly with Trud Publishing House and funded by Sofia Municipality’s “Culture” program. The release of “Encyclopedia Sofia” caused great interest among media and was widely covered by BTA, BNT, Radio Sofia, BTV, Nova TV.
