site.btaSofia University’s German Philology Bachelor's Degree Programme Marks Its 100th Anniversary

An international academic conference marking the 100th anniversary of Sofia University’s German Philology Bachelor’s Degree Programme was opened with a solemn ceremony in the University’s Ceremonial Hall, Sofia University’s press center said on Thursday.

The forum is organized by the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology’s German and Scandinavian Studies Department and will run until October 14. It brings together Germanists from 14 countries, including Bulgaria.

Four plenary papers and section papers in four sections (Linguistics, Literary Studies, Translation Studies, and Methodology of Teaching German as a Foreign Language) will outline trends in the development of German Studies both in German-speaking countries and abroad.

The conference is accompanied by cultural events, including an exhibition in the Rectorate’s Central Foyer dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the German Philology Programme and its founder Konstantin Galabov, a literary reading by Austrian writer Marlene Streeruwitz, etc.

The event was opened by German and Scandinavian Studies Department Head Maria Endreva and Reneta Kileva, who is the conference organizing team leader.

"The German language has been part of Sofia University’s curricula since the founding of the university in 1888. Today, we are celebrating an established course enjoying high prestige and training some of the best students at our university. Our lecturers exude erudition and are recognized by their achievements in our country and abroad,” a welcoming address on behalf of Sofia University’s Rector Atanas Gerdzhikov says.

 Greetings for the anniversary were also extended by Ambassador Irene Maria Plank of Germany, Ambassador Andrea Ikic-Bohm of Austria, and Ambassador Raymund Furrer of Switzerland.