Софийски университет "Св. Климент Охридски"

In the 20’s of the XX century Sofia University announced a competition for the design of a building, destined to host the Faculty of Agronomy. The competition was winned by the architectural bureau Ovcharov-Popov – architects Georgi Ovcharov and Genko Popov. According to one of

the requirements of the academic council of the University, the designers had to draw in a reputed foreign architect to collaborate during the planning. They chose the German architect Paul Bonatz and architect Ovcharov undertook a six months training under his supervision. This was the beginning of his brilliant career.

Bonatz had a great impact on the creativeness of architect Ovcharov and bequeathed to him his motto – “A building should influence with the simplicity of its style”. In 1928 the building of the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry, situated in Knyaz Simeon Tarnovski Street (now 8 Dragan Tsankov blvd.) was already a fact. It was a spectacular building in style and stability of the monument. The facade is made of unique brickwork, still not used in Bulgaria to this moment. Ovcharov involved also the so called hidden arches – the walls look flat but some hidden elements appear on a closer look. The look of the building is accomplished by the tall and narrow windows. A unique atmosphere of a medieval castle was accomplished due to the turrets and arches, built in both in the exterior and the interior.

The construction of the building was co-funded by the State and the Rockefeller Foundation. The former granted 16 million leva for the completion of the central building. Later the Academic Society would give a highest appraisal for the architecture of the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry. It was called “the first and bravest example of interior and exterior unity in our country”.

Nowadays the Faculty of Biology has 6 spacious auditoriums with multimedia support, an aula for 300 persons, over 30 teaching labs, over 20 research labs, 4 computer rooms, a vivarium, a Drosophila lab – unique for Bulgaria, in which a collection of 912 lines (22 were developed in the lab) is maintained, a contemporary herbarium (SO in Index Herbariorum), a greenhouse, phytostatic rooms, a library with over 82 050 tomes, preserved in three separate depositories and an educational and experimental base in Dragalevtsi with a 52 acres experimental field. All students and teachers can enjoy the three botanic gardens – in Sofia, Eco-Park Varna and in Balchik.

The foyer of the Faculty of Biology, 1930

Laboratory in Biology, renovated thanks to the “America for Bulgaria” foundation