Sofia University’s biology students are a lucky bunch, because they get to spend the time of their education in such a building. The olden days' spirit is felt everywhere and tempts one to give into the books and the test tubes.

The building is located in one of Sofia’s most prestigious neighbourhoods – Lozenets. It is most easily reached either by walking – from the Eagle’s Bridge through the Borisova Garden, or by tram from Graf Ignatiev boulevard.

Built in 1928 based on a project by architect Georgi Ovcharov, who was called “our only architect – philosopher” by Ilya Beshkov, one of Bulgaria’s most renowned painters. The building was one of the first creations of the architecture firm “Ovcharov-Popov,” completed with the help of the German professor Paul Bonatz, with whom Ovcharov studied for six months.



The architecture of the erstwhile Agronomical, now Biological, Department is an example of unity between the exterior and interior. The little red bricks, visible from both the outside and the inside, make hidden arches. At first sight, the wall appears to be even, but upon closer inspection, the hidden shapes protrude, like encoded signs, discernible only to those in the know. The “fairytale” appearance is completed by the tall, narrow windows of the facade. On the inside, especially by the staircases, there is a real labyrinth of round and triangular niches. With every step of the staircase, one has the feeling of getting closer to the tower’s peak, which could easily be housing an alchemist's lab.

Because of the building’s red bricks, this period of architect Ovcharov is called “the brick one.” The dark, slightly dusty red, together with the bulging filling surrounding each little brick, make an impact, and the window cornices, the sharp-edged Gothic openings, the circular movement and the play of the shadows seem to be performing an oratorio. The greenery around the building completes the consonance – the reason for which they say that Georgi Ovcharov was firstly an artist and a musician, and then an architect.

* This story is part of the Alternative Cultural Guide to Sofia. The guide was created by students from Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski. Initiated by associate professor Alexander Kiossev, it was supported by the Sofia University’s Academic Research Fund. The texts, published in Bulgarian by the student magazine Piron, were edited by Lyuboslava Ruseva, and translated into English by BalkanTravellers.com.