The branch of Sofia University in the city of Burgas is hosting the photo exhibition “The University Library through the Lens of Two Photographers”. The exhibited 20 panels depict the past and the present of the Sofia University Library. The old black and white photographs are by Bozhidar Karastoyanov (1903-1956), one of the most famous Bulgarian photographers, who documented the construction and opening of the Rectorate and the University Library the buildings in 1934. Bozhidar Karastoyanov’s daughter donated the remaining photographic negatives from the archive of her father. They have been digitised and are currently available in the digital collection Photographs of the University Library.
The colour photographs were taken by Assoc. Prof. Vladislav Gospodinov of the Faculty of Pedagogy of the Sofia University. They accentuate and bring to the fore various details of the building’s interior and exterior that are imperceptible at first glance, but highly effective, and capture various moments of the students’ daily life in the library. The reading rooms attract the attention of both photographers, and the selected photographs provide an opportunity to compare and contrast the moments captured through the photographic lens in the 1930s and today.
With the support of the Municipality of the city of Burgas, the exhibition is showcased in the gallery space of the largest public library in south-eastern Bulgaria – the Centre for Contemporary Art and Library, Burgas. This exhibition space is again with a symbolic meeting point: the exhibition of the first library building (opened 90 years ago) is a guest in the newest library building.
Visitors and guests of the city of Burgas can visit the exhibition until the end of January 2024.