September 17 – the day when the Christian Orthodox church venerates the holy Martyrs Sophia and her three daughters Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov (Faith, Hope and Love) is also the day of Sofia. This year the events marking it include three exhibitions at the Sofia City Library dedicated to the history, the cultural and social processes taking place in the city. How has it changed in the 20^th century depending on the city council decisions? The answer to this question can be seen in the collection “Ever growing, never old”.

Here is more from Yovka Ivancheva from the Library’s “Meetings and Events” department:

“The exhibition displays some very interesting exhibits from our “Local History” fund. The Sofia City Library is among the biggest public cultural institutes. We have a designated department which collects, preserves and promotes everything connected with Sofia. The collection features important documents connected with the decisions of the Sofia City Council through the years. One such decision was that taken by mayor Vladimir Vazov, brother of the patriarch of Bulgarian literature Ivan Vazov for the construction of the Rila water-conduit in 1933 and of the Sofia packing-house. It was during his term as mayor that the Sofia Municipality City Library opened and the foundations were laid of the municipal museum and archives in 1928. There are also documents from the time of engineer Ivan Ivanov – one of the most successful mayors of Sofia – who made a number of improvements and innovations in water supply, sewerage, paving the city streets, electricity supply, landscaping and sanitation. It was during his term of office (1934-1944) that bus (26 April, 1935) and trolleybus (8 February, 1941) transport was put in place. That was a time when Sofia acquired all the features of a modern European city. In this sense, the exhibition makes a contribution to the city’s history.”

The notice boards with important municipal decisions from last century are supplemented with a wealth of photographs which show how the city has changed. “Sofia – history as seen in posters” provides another angle to the past of the city:

“Posters connected with the cultural and public life of Sofia are kept at the City Library’s “Local History” fund. This is an exposition featuring 200 posters and notices, most of them original. The posters are most diverse – from playbills and concert posters to invitations to other kinds of public events. For example, we have here one of the first posters of the now legendary rock band Shturtsite, as well as some really intriguing copies of notices – that was what street posters were called at the beginning of the 1920’s – connected with the city’s economic and political life. For example a notice for meetings and discussions on the problem “Which came first, the chicken or the egg.” Or notices for new cosmetic products or fashion trends in the life of the people living in the capital city. There is something very nostalgic about these old posters which reveal the incredible bustling public and cultural life of Sofia.”

Judging by the posters, nowadays the streets are much more colourful, Yovka Ivancheva admits. “Most of the posters we are displaying are hand-drawn and what is evidently lacking now is the refinement of line, of the details. Old posters create a very different atmosphere, tell different stories, so to my mind, what makes them interesting is the clash of two worlds. Visitors will be able to see the life people once led in the capital city.”

The third exhibition opening at the Sofia City Library on the day of Sofia is of children’s drawings and shows what the city looks like in the eyes of its youngest inhabitants. The works are by children from the drawing schools at the library’s children’s department.

English Milena Daynova