National Library

The St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the National Library of Bulgaria. It is the biggest library in Bulgaria and the oldest cultural institute.

The National Library was founded on December 10, 1878, as Sofia Public Library, based on private donations from Bulgarians and Russians. In 1987 the first legal deposit law was adopted and in 1909 the first law of the National Library was passed.

The mission of the St. Cyril and St. Methodius National Library is to preserve the national printed and written heritage. As a deposit library the National Library collects and preserves all publications issued by Bulgarian publishers and in addition a great deal of Bulgarian grey literature. As a scholarly library the National Library serves the academic community and individual scholars, students and citizens. It also serves as the national bibliographic information centre in the fields of social administration, science and culture and as a research institute in library science, bibliography and bibliology, and also as a national science and co-ordination centre for library service.

Over the years the National Library had passed through a lot of changes, but the most recent one was when the new building of the National Library was officially opened on December 16. The prominent Bulgarian architects Ivan Vasiliov and Dimitar Tzolov design it. The Library was built in neoclassical style and the monument of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius is inseparable part of it.