On May 13, 2026, in the "Prof. Marin Drinov" Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, a solemn ceremony was held to award the most successful projects of the Bulgarian National Science Fund, completed in 2025.

One of the two awarded projects in the field of the Humanities was the IBSCT-BAS project "The Vocabulary of Constantine of Preslav's Uchitel'noe evangelie ('Didactic Gospel'): Old Bulgarian-Greek and Greek-Old Bulgarian Word Indices" (contract No. KП-06-Н50/2 of 2020). In a short presentation, its coordinator, Prof. Dr. Lora Taseva, introduced the audience to the main achievements of the team, which, in addition to scholars from the IBSCT-BAS, also included colleagues from Germany, Slovenia and Austria. The quantitative results of the project include two volumes of dictionaries with a volume of over 1200 pages, a collection of 21 scientific articles, another 31 studies and articles in scholarly periodicals (including 12 in Web of Science and 13 in Scopus), as well as 42 reports delivered in 13 countries – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Italy, Jordan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Finland, Czech Republic.

More about the project: http://uchitelnoevangelie.cl.bas.bg

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A team from the Institute of Balkan Studies with Center for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS), within the framework of the project “Obscured Balkans: About the Historical Novel”, is organizing a discussion dedicated to the novel “MAMNIK” by Vasil Popov and the television series “MAMNIK” directed by Viktor Bozhinov.

In recent months, Vasil Popov’s novel “Mamnik” and Viktor Bozhinov’s film adaptation for the small screen have been discussed mainly as presenting folklore mythical creatures little known to the Bulgarian reader/viewer or as a horror story. In the background and completely out of interest in the numerous discussions of the two works, the historical context in which Vasil Popov has placed the necessity of invoking Mamnik and the fate of several families experiencing the consequences of the historical fate of the Western Bulgarian lands has remained. The discussion within the framework of “About the Historical Novel” will focus on the historical narrative around which the story of Mamnik is built. 

The event is part of a series aimed at drawing the audience's attention to the historical novel and its influence on contemporary society. The discussion will be moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova (IBSCT-BAS) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gergana Doncheva (IBSCT-BAS) with leading discussant Dr. Kristiyan Kovachev (IBSCT-BAS), and the discussion will include historians - specialists in the field of contemporary Balkan history, political scientists, cultural scientists, anthropologists and writers. 

The event will take place on May 19, 2026 (Tuesday) at 17:00 in Conference Hall 1 of the Largo, Serdica Antique Complex of the Regional History Museum - Sofia, Nezavisimost Square and on Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84768907278

The event is part of the activities of the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Center for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences under the project "Obscured Balkans" in cooperation with the Regional History Museum - Sofia, within the framework of their partnership in the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" - B G16RFPR002-1.014-0011 "Sustainable Development of the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG".

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The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to “Totalitarianism in the Balkans: A conversation with Teodora Dimova”. The event is organized under the project “Conversations about Literature and the Peninsula” and will be held on May 19, 2026 (Tuesday) at 15:00 in the IBSCT-BAS (Moskovska Street No. 45). Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Liudmila Mindova, PhD.

We look forward to welcoming you!

About Teodora Dimova

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to participate in the Fourth Roundtable of the project “Obscured Balkans” – “Chaos of Transition: Mastering Change”, in honour of Prof. Alexandre Kostov, Dr. habil., Corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which will be held on November 26-27, 2026 in a hybrid format at the IBSCT-BAS building at 45 Moskovska Str. and via Zoom.

You can send applications for participation containing the following information until September 15, 2026:

1. Title (in Bulgarian and English);
2. Author's name (in Bulgarian and English);
3. Affiliation and address;
4. Abstract in Bulgarian and English (up to 1800 characters or 350 words);
5. Keywords (up to 5 in Bulgarian and English);
6. Short biography;
7. ORCID number.

Along with the application, indicate in what form you would like to participate – in person or remotely.

Each participant will have 15 minutes to present their paper.

The round tables are inextricably linked to the digital series “Obscured Balkans”, in which the participants' extended papers will be published. The deadline for submitting articles is March 2027. 

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The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to a public lecture by Dr. Stamatia Fotiadou and Dr. Angel Zlatkov Cultural heritage between the past and the present, looking towards the future. The event is part of the lecture series Every Second Tuesday and will take place on May 12, 2026 (Tuesday) at 15.00 at the IBSCT-BAS building (Moskovska Street No. 45).

The lecture aim to present selected results from the research projects “Digital Historical Trails in Bulgaria and Greece (DIGIPAB-G),” developed by Dr. Stamatia Fotiadou, and “Rediscovering, Preserving, and Promoting the Cultural and Historical Heritage of Eastern Macedonia,” developed by Dr. Angel Zlatkov. The two projects, implemented with the support of the European Union – NextGenerationEU (Investment C2I2), will be presented both independently and in the context of their scholarly interconnection. They examine the cultural and historical heritage of the Balkans as a bridge between the past and the present, looking towards a shared future, and highlight the role of contemporary scholarly and digital approaches to its study and promotion.

We look forward to welcoming you!

The Bulgarian National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science has selected the IBSCT-BAS project "The Vocabulary of Constantine of Preslav's Uchitel'noe evangelie ('Didactic Gospel'): Old Bulgarian-Greek and Greek-Old Bulgarian Word Indices" led by Prof. Lora Taseva, PhD (contract No. КП-06-Н50/2 of 2020) as one of the best projects completed in 2025.

An award ceremony will be held on May 13, 2026 at 10:00 in the "Prof. Marin Drinov" Hall in the main building of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 15-ti Novembre Street No 1.

More information about the project is available at: http://uchitelnoevangelie.cl.bas.bg

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to the presentation of the edited volume "The Church and Otherness" on April 21, 2026 (Tuesday) at 15:00 in the IBSCT-BAS building (Moskovska Street No. 45). The collection comprises 22 scholarly articles on issues related to the disclosure of otherness in the context of church history.

This edited volume is a result of the international scholarly conference "The Church and Otherness" held in 2023 and funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund under contract No. КП-06-МНФ/ 25 (08.08.2023). The collection will be presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gergana Doncheva, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova and Dr. Kristiyan Kovachev.

We look forward to welcoming you!

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to the public lecture of Assist. Milen Petrov (IBSCT-BAS) The Ottoman Balkans in the German Manuscripts of the Bibliotheca Palatina (14th–17th centuries).

The event is organized under the initiative Every Second Tuesday and will be held on April 14, 2026 (Tuesday) at 15:00 in the IBSCT-BAS building (Moskovska Street No. 45).

We look forward to welcoming you!

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The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is pleased to invite you to the presentation of the latest book by Prof. D.Sc. Valeria Fol “When the Sun Was a God. The Rock Sanctuaries of the Thracians” (Bulgarian History Association, 2026). The event will be held on April 14, 2026 (Tuesday) at 17:30 in Conference Hall 1 of the Largo, Serdica Antique Complex of the Regional History Museum – Sofia.

We look forward to welcoming you!

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to “Death and Immortality in the Literature and Culture of the Balkans: A Conversation with Georgi Gospodinov”. The event is organized under the project “Conversations about Literature and the Peninsula” and will be held on April 7, 2026 (Tuesday) at 15:00 in the IBSCT-BAS (Moskovska Street No. 45). Moderator: Liudmila Mindova.

We look forward to welcoming you!

More about the book “Death and the gardener” and its author (in Bulgarian)

A team of the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS), within the framework of the project "The Obscured Balkans: On the Historical Novel", is organizing a discussion dedicated to the novels "LAND OF SHADOWS" by Elizabeth Kostova and "THE LAST DOLPHIN HUNTER" by Zahari Karabashliev. 

The event is part of a series, the aim of which is to draw the audience's attention to the historical novel and its influence on contemporary society. The moderator of the discussion will be Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova (IBSCT-BAS) with the leading discussant Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nikolay Todorov (RU "Angel Kanchev", RHM-Silistra), and the discussion will include historians - specialists in the field of contemporary Balkan history, political scientists, cultural scientists, anthropologists and writers. 

The event will be held on March 13, 2026 (Friday) at 5:30 p.m. in Conference Hall 1 of the Largo, Serdica Antique Complex of the Regional History Museum - Sofia, Nezavisimost Square and on Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84768907278.

The discussion is part of the activities of the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Center for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences under the project "The Unknown Balkans", implemented jointly with the Regional History Museum - Sofia, within the framework of their partnership in the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG" - B G16RFPR002-1.014-0011 "Sustainable Development of the Center for Excellence "Heritage BG".

The Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) is pleased to invite you to join the discussion of the concept of camp, which will be held on March 12, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the Serdica Ancient cultural and communicative complex (Nezavisimost square) and in Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81339988213.

The concept of camp and its contemporary interpretations will be presented by Assoc. Prof. Kalin Stoev, Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Todorv, Assoc. Prof. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova, and Bisser Banchev, PhD. The moderator of the event will be Assoc.  Prof. Zlatomira Gerdzhikova.

The event is organized as part of the activities of the "Historical Chameleons" project, implemented by the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Center for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and the scientific infrastructure CLADA.BG. More about the event and the project can be found at https://historical-chameleons.clada-bg.com