The Academic Council of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski has unanimously endorsed an open letter advocating for the continuation of the Czech Centre in Sofia, following the institution’s announcement of its closure in the Bulgarian capital. The Czech Centre stated on Monday that, by directive from the Director General of the Czech Centres network, the facility would cease its cultural and educational activities in Bulgaria.
Planned events are scheduled to continue through the end of May. The Czech Centre in Sofia, which holds the distinction of being the oldest Czech institution of its kind abroad and a long-standing foreign cultural organization in Bulgaria, marks its 77th anniversary on May 5. Its origins trace back to May 5, 1949, when an art and craft shop named Ceskoslovenska tvorba Orbis opened at 100 Rakovski Street in Sofia, established under an intergovernmental cultural agreement between Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.
Following the establishment 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 cultural centers abroad. Against this backdrop, the Academic Council of Sofia University voiced significant concern regarding the planned closure. The council urged a reconsideration of the decision, emphasizing the center’s historical and cultural importance and its vital role in sustaining the enduring Czech-Bulgarian cultural relationship within Sofia.
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