SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library |
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| A front view of the library building designed by Vasilyov-Tsolov | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Type | National Library |
| Established | April 4, 1878 |
| Location | Sofia |
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| Size | 7,753,188 (As of 2011) |
| Legal deposit | Yes |
The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the main national library of Bulgaria. You can find it in Sofia, which is the capital city. It was started on April 4, 1878. Three years later, it became Bulgaria's official National Library. In 1924, the important Bulgarian National Revival Archive joined the library.
The library is named after Saints Cyril and Methodius. These two saints are famous for creating the Glagolitic alphabet. The Cyrillic alphabet, which is used in many countries today, is named after Saint Cyril.
The building where the library is now is a well-known landmark in Sofia. It was designed by famous Bulgarian architects Vasilyov and Dimitur Tsolov. Construction happened between 1940 and 1953.
History of the Library
The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the biggest public library in Bulgaria today. It is also the oldest cultural place to be set up after Bulgaria became free. The library holds one of the largest collections of old Ottoman documents.
In 1878, a teacher named Mikhail Bobotinov suggested starting a public library in Sofia. He wanted to help the city grow culturally and educationally. The library opened that same year. It got its own building in 1900.
Sadly, a new building started in 1939. But in 1944, both the new and old buildings were damaged during a war. In 1953, the National Library opened its new building. It was first called "Vasil Kolarov." Then, in 1963, its name was changed to "St. Cyril and Methodius."
Amazing Collections
From the very beginning, the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library aimed to collect special items. These included old handwritten books, early printed books, and all books written in Bulgarian. They also collected books by Bulgarian authors in other languages. Later, they added collections of Slavic and foreign handwritten documents.
Some of the first items came from the personal libraries of historian Professor Marin Drinov and poet Petko Slaveikov. They also got collections from different churches and monasteries. The library created two main collections: one for Bulgarian documents and one for Oriental (Middle Eastern) documents. This made the library also a place for historical records.
Here are some of the amazing collections you can find there:
- Slavonic Scriptures: Over 1,700 original handwritten books from the 11th to the 19th centuries.
- Greek and other Foreign Scriptures: Around 200 old documents from the 9th to the 19th centuries.
- Eastern Scriptures: About 3,100 Arabic, 500 Ottoman, and 150 Persian handwritten books. These date from the 11th to the 19th centuries.
- Collection of Oriental Archives and Newer Turkish Archives: These hold over 500,000 documents from the 15th to the early 20th century. They include old records and registers.
- Old Print, Rares and Valuables: About 30,000 rare books. These are in Old Church Slavonic, Bulgarian, and other languages. They cover the 15th to the 20th centuries. This collection also has Bulgarian Renaissance newspapers from before 1878.
- Old Print Books from the Orient: Around 2,000 books in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian. These are from 1593 to the early 20th century.
- Bulgarian Historical Archive: More than 1.5 million documents! These tell the stories of Bulgarian heroes, important people in business and culture, and the fight for freedom in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace.
- Portraits and Photographs: Over 80,000 photos and pictures.
