Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

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Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Българска академия на науките
Established1869;156 years ago (1869)
Headquarters Sofia, Bulgaria
Coordinates 42°41′40″N23°19′54″E / 42.69444°N 23.33167°E / 42.69444; 23.33167
Chair
 Evelina Slavcheva  [ bg ]
Website www.bas.bg

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; Bulgarian : Българска академия на науките, Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite, abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869.

Contents

The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members. It publishes and circulates different scientific works, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and journals, and runs its own publishing house.

The activities are distributed in three main branches: Natural, mathematical and engineering sciences; Biological, medical and agrarian sciences and Social sciences, humanities and art. They are structured in 42 independent scientific institutes, and a dozen of laboratories and other sections.

Julian Revalski has been the president of the BAS since 2016. As of 2022, its budget was 119,860 million leva (€61.28 million). [1]

History

Headquarters of BAS at 1, 15th November Str, next to the Bulgarian Parliament. Bulgarian-Academy-of-Sciences 4.jpg
Headquarters of BAS at 1, 15th November Str, next to the Bulgarian Parliament.

As Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire, Bulgarian émigrés founded the Bulgarian Literary Society (Bŭlgarsko Knizhovno Druzhestvo) on 26 September 1869, in Brăila in the Kingdom of Romania, on the model of the Romanian Literary Society, that had been established in 1866. The first statutes were accepted, and its first board was elected: [2]

Board of Trustees

Acting members:

The following year, the Literary Society began issuing the Periodical Journal, its official publication, and in 1871 elected its first honorary member - Gavril Krastevich. As a cultural and enlightened society, the Society worked to form a library of old Bulgarian and foreign books, manuscripts, and medieval charters; and the journal brought to the attention the importance of collecting materials valuable for the study of Bulgarian folklore, history, language, and literature. [3]

In 1878, shortly after Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule, the General Assembly voted to move the headquarters of the Society from Brăila to Sofia, and on 1 March 1893 the BLS moved into its own building, right next to where the Bulgarian Parliament is seated. The BLS headquarters were completed in 1892. The building was designed by architect Hermann Mayer [4] and was expanded during the 1920s. [5]

The Bulgarian Literary Society adopted its present-day name in 1911, and a Bulgarian politician Ivan Geshov (1849–1924) who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria (in office: 29 March 1911 – 14 June 1913) became the academy's first president for 13 years ahead till he died in the age of 75 in 1924. [6]

The BAS became a member of the Union of Slavonic Academies and Scientific Communities in 1913 and was accepted as a member of the International Council of Scientific Unions in 1931.

The BAS was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for their contributions to promotion of mutual understanding between Bulgaria and Japan on 1 December 2020. [7] [8]

Departments

The BAS has 9 main sections, more broadly united under three main branches: Natural, mathematical and engineering sciences; Biological, medical and agrarian sciences and Social sciences, humanities and art. Each consists of independent scientific institutes, laboratories and other sections.

Mathematical Sciences

Physical Sciences

Chemical Sciences

Biological Sciences

Earth Sciences

Engineering Sciences

Humanities (Division 'Cultural-Historical Heritage and National Identity')

Social Sciences (Division 'Man and Society')

Specialized and Supporting Units

Honours

Academia Peak and Camp Academia on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica are named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of Academy's contribution to the Antarctic exploration. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bulgarian Academy of Sciences budget puts the institution at risk, scientists say".
  2. ↑ "The History of BAS from 1869 to 1877". Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Chokel, Bogomir (1963). "The Archives of Bulgaria". The American Archivist. 26 (4): 443–448. doi:10.17723/aarc.26.4.e6554886v7036521. JSTOR   40290300 . Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  4. ↑ Михайлова, Милена (21 June 2007). "Отново за историческата среда около храм-паметника "Св. Александър Невски"" (in Bulgarian). Арх & Арт. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Иванов, Емил. "КУЛТУРНО-ИСТОРИЧЕСКОТО НАСЛЕДСТВО НА БЪЛГАРИЯ – ОПИТ ЗА КАТЕГОРИЗАЦИЯ НА КОНКУРСНОТО ДЕЛО В АРХИТЕКТУРАТА (1878-1944)" (PDF) (in Bulgarian). СУ „Св. Климент Охридски” – Богословски факултет. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ivan Evstatiev Geshov Biography". Britannica. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY 2020 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
  8. ↑ Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY 2020 (Groups) | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
  9. ↑ Academia Peak. Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica.
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