Guide for Erasmus Students at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
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GUIDE FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS AT THE BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ERASMUS CODE: BG SOFIA30 Sofia 2016 CONTENT Part I Shuttle buses (fixed route taxis) History of Bulgaria Healthcare for foreign citizens in Sofia Interesting facts you may not know about Bulgaria Hospitals in Sofia UNESCO World Heritage sites Pharmacies in Sofia Bulgarian official holidays Sofia airport Part II International bus stations in Sofia Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Sofia central railway station Erasmus office Phone calls in Sofia Tuition taxes Emergency phone numbers in Sofia Language of instruction Sofia WiFi zones Application procedure Currency After arrival What to try in restaurants (national cuisine) Grading system Supermarkets Accommodation Cost of living Electric current Part III Transport in Sofia Campuses of BAS Public transport ticket prices Units of BAS (corresponding to faculties in universities): Metro LIST OF RESEARCH UNITS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum (IEMPAM) Institute of Mathematics and Informatics (IMI) BIODIVERSITY, BIORESOURCES AND ECOLOGY Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (IICT) Institute of Mechanics (IMech) Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (IBER) Institute of System Engineering and Robotics (ISER) Institute of Forestry (IF) National Laboratory of Computer Virology (NLCV) Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics (IPPG) Laboratory of Telematics (LT) National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) ENERGY RESOURCES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY CLIMATE CHANGES, RISKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy (INRNE) Geological Institute „Acad. Strashimir Dimitrov” (Gl) Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems (IEES) National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy, and Geography (NIGGG) Institute of Chemical Engineering (IChE) National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) Central Laboratory of Solar Energy and New Energy Sources (CLSENES) Institute of Oceanology „Prof. Fridtjof Nansen“ (IO) NANOSCIENCES, NEW MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES ASTRONOMY, SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGIES Institute of Solid State Physics „Acad. Georgi Nadjakov“ (ISSP) Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory (IA NAO) Institute of Electronics „Acad. Emil Djakov“ (IE) Space and Solar-Terrestrial Research Institute (SSTRI) Institute of Optical Materials and Technologies „Acad. Jordan Malinovski“ (IOMT) Institute of Mineralogy and Crystallography „Acad. Ivan Kostov“ (IMC) CULTURAL-HISTORICAL HERITAGE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY „Acad. A. Balevski“ Institute of Metal Science, Equipment and Technologies with Centre for Hydro- and Aerodynamics (IMSET-CHA) Institute for Bulgarian Language „Prof. Lyubomir Andreychin“ (IBL) Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry (IGIC) Institute for Literature (IL) Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry (IOCCP) Institute for Balkan Studies with Centre of Thracology „Prof. Alexandar Fol“ (IBSCT) Institute of Physical Chemistry „Acad. Rostislaw Kaischew“ (IPC) Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum (IEFSEM) Institute of Polymers (IP) Institute for Historical Studies (IHistS) Institute of Catalysis (IC) Institute of Art Studies (IAS) Central Laboratory of Applied Physics-Plovdiv (CLAP) National Archaeological Institute with Museum (NAIM) Cyrillo-Methodian Research Centre (CMRC) BIOMEDICINE AND QUALITY OF LIFE MAN AND SOCIETY Institute of Molecular Biology „Acad. Roumen Tsanev“ (IMB) Institute of Neurobiology (INB) Institute for Economic Studies (IES) Institute of Microbiology „Stephan Angeloff“ (IMicB) Institute for the State and Law (ISL) Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering (IBPhBME) Institute for Population and Human Studies (IPHS) Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction „Acad. K. Bratanov“ (IBIR) Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge (ISSK) Part I HISTORY OF BULGARIA The geographical position of Bulgaria, on the crossroads between Europe and Asia and North and South, is reflected in the rich and ancient history of Bul- garian culture, architecture, cuisine, customs and clothes. The first Bulgarian Kingdom was founded by Khan Asparouh in 681. It was inhabited by Slavs and Bulgarians who had come from an ancient Bulgarian state situated on the Volga river. The creation of the Slavonic alphabet by brothers Cyril and Methodius in 863 and the establishment of Christianity (East Orthodox) as a state religion in 864 contributed to the development of the Bulgarian nationality and created conditions for the flourishing of Bulgarian literature and culture. From 1018 till 1185 Bulgaria remained in the Byzantium Empire. In 1185 the Second Bulgarian Kingdom was declared after the end of Byzantium rule and oppression. In 1393 after a long war and fierce resistance the country fell under Turkish rule. After an unsuccessful revolution in 1876, Bulgaria received freedom thanks to the Russian-Turkish Liberation War (1877-1878). The state was separated into three parts after the Berlin Conference in 1878. In 1989, the country performed an unprecedented peaceful transition from autocratic communist rule to a democratic system. A new Parliament was elected in June, 1990 after the first free elections in 50 years. This Parliament made a New Constitution said to be one of the most democratic constitutions in Europe and the first among the former socialist countries. The main tasks facing the New Parliament (elected in the second free elections, October 1991) are creating laws that will ensure a transition to a free market economy. Valuable cultural monuments have remained from Ancient Thrace on the territory of present-day Bulgaria which inspire the imagination and make us admire their beauty such as tombs (such as the Kazanlak tomb, the Aleksandrovska tomb, and the Sveshtarska tomb); treasures (the Panagyursko, Rogozensko, and Valchitransko teasures, among others); and sanctuaries and temples (at Perperikon, Starosel, Kozi Gramadi, Begliktash, and elsewhere). In the middle of the 1st century AD, all Bulgarian lands became a part of the Roman Empire. Many architectural and archaeological monuments have been preserved from this period, such as the Ancient Theater and the Roman Stadium in Plovdiv, and remains of the Roman cities Ulpia Escus, Nove, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Nikopolis ad Nestum, Augusta Trayana, and Abritus. After the dissolution of the Roman Empire, the present Bulgarian lands came under the control of the East Roman Empire, later called Byzantium by histo- rians. In the second half of the 7th century, the proto-Bulgarians settled in what is now Northeast Bulgaria. They united with the Slavs to form the Bulgarian state, recognized by Byzantium in 681. The head of the state was the leader of proto-Bulgarians Han Asparouh, and the city of Pliska was declared the state’s capital. uring the reign of Han Krum (803-814), Bulgaria bordered the empire of Karl the Great to the west, and the Bulgarian armies reached the gates of the Byz- antium capital, Constantinople to the east. In 864, during the reign of Prince Boris I (852-889), Bulgarians adopted Christianity as their official religion, which makes Bulgaria one of the oldest Christian states in Europe. At the end of the 9th century, the brothers Cyril and Methodius created and disseminated the Slavonic alphabet. Ohrid and Veliki Preslav became centers of the Bulgarian and Slavonic culture. From Bulgaria, the Slavonic alphabet spread to other Slavonic states as well. To the present day, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Macedonia and Belarus still use the Cyrillic alphabet, with rules of orthography established by the students of Cyril and Methodius and their followers in the Bulgarian capital Preslav. The reign of Tsar Simeon the First (893 – 927) is famous as the Golden Age of Bulgarian Culture, and the borders of the country at that time reached to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. In 1018, after protracted warfare, Bulgaria was conquered by Byzantium. In 1186, an uprising led by the boyar brothers Asen and Peter freed Bulgaria from Byzantine rule, establishing the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, with Tarnovo as its capital. The former might of Bulgaria was restored during the rule of their youngest brother Kaloyan (who ruled from 1197-1207), and during the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen the Second (1218-1241), the Second Bulgarian Kingdom reached its zenith, achieving political hegemony in Southeast Europe. It expanded its borders to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea and greatly developed its economy and culture. Some of the most important monuments preserved from that time are the wall paintings in the Boyana church, the churches in Veliko Tarnovo, the Zemenski Monastery, the Ivanovski Rock Churches, the min- iatures that illuminate the London Gospel, and the Manasiy Chronicle. At the end of the 14th century, the country was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. In the first years of Ottoman rule there were scattered attempts to liber- ate the country. Later the Hayduk movement created the preconditions for an organized national liberation movement. The Bulgarian Revival began at the beginning of the 18th century, when the Bulgarian church, educational and culture institutions were re-established. The beginning of the organized national liberation movement to throw off the Ottoman rule was marked by the activities of Georgi Rakovski (1821-1867), while key figures in the liberation movement were Vasil Levski (1837-1873),