The Czech Centre in Sofia has announced the conclusion of its operations in the Bulgarian capital. The institution stated on Monday that, following a decision by the Director General of the Czech Centres network, the Czech Centre in Sofia will cease its cultural and educational activities in Bulgaria. Scheduled events are set to continue through the end of May.
The Centre also noted that May 5th marks the 77th anniversary of the Czech Centre in Sofia. Its establishment dates back to May 5, 1949, when an art and craft shop named Ceskoslovenska tvorba Orbis opened at 100 Rakovski Street in Sofia, alongside a counterpart in Prague. This initial opening was established under an intergovernmental cultural agreement between Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria in 1947, formalized by a protocol in 1948.
Following the emergence of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic as independent states in January 1993, the Czech Republic subsequently established the Czech Centres to succeed the former Czechoslovak Centres abroad. The closure marks the end of a long operational history for the Czech Centre in Sofia, which has been recognized as the oldest Czech institution of its kind abroad and one of the longest-running foreign cultural organizations in Bulgaria.
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