100 years of Bulgarian studies: Conference at Comenius University in Bratislava

On 15 and 16 October, the Slovak capital, Bratislava, will host a major international academic conference dedicated to Bulgarian-Slovak cultural dialogue. On the evening of 15 October, the Bulgarian vocal quartet Svetoglas will give a concert entitled The Mystery of Bulgarian Polyphony.

Both the conference and the concert will take place at the Faculty of Philosophy of Comenius University in Bratislava. The occasion is a significant milestone: 100 years since the beginning of the academic study of the Bulgarian language at Slovakia’s largest and oldest university.

Celebrations marking the centenary of Bulgarian language teaching in Slovakia began back in September with the opening of two photographic exhibitions in the university’s Atrium art space. The first, Ancient Treasures of Bulgaria, was created by the Institute of Balkan Studies with the Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with Prof. Valeria Fol and Dr Alexandra Milanova as its authors. The second, Bulgarian Monuments under UNESCO Protection, is a trilingual exhibition organised by the State Institute for Culture at Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The exhibitions introduce students and visitors to significant archaeological discoveries, Thracian treasures and Bulgaria’s unique cultural and natural landmarks. These range from the world’s oldest worked gold, discovered in Varna, to Rila Monastery, Nessebar, the Boyana Church and the Madara Rider, as well as the natural beauty of the country’s national parks and reserves. The displays also feature striking photographs by renowned Bulgarian photographer Ivo Hadzhimishev.

The exhibitions will remain open until 15 October 2026, when the celebrations marking 100 years of Bulgarian studies in Slovakia will reach their climax.

The international academic conference Bulgarian-Slovak Intercultural Dialogue opens on 15 October. The two-day event is held under the patronage of Prof. Dr Marian Zouhar, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University, and H.E. Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Slovak Republic.

The conference boasts an exceptionally rich programme, organised into several panels running concurrently in different rooms of the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University.

The official opening at 9 am local time will be followed by a presentation by Slovak Bulgarian-studies scholar Prof. Maria Dobrikova, entitled Bulgarian Studies in Bratislava: A Century of University Education. Prof. Vladimir Penchev, a distinguished Bulgarian scholar of Slavic and Czech studies, ethnologist and researcher of the traditions and folklore of Bulgarian communities abroad, will present the findings of the first comprehensive study of the Bulgarian community in Slovakia.

On the first day of the conference, Mariola Walczak-Mikołajczakowa of Poland will present the Institute of Slavic Philology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and its role in promoting Bulgarian culture, literature and language. Bulgarian-studies scholar Dr Maria Dudash of Hungary will then discuss the history of Bulgarian philology at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, while her colleague Monika Farkas Baráti will present Bulgarian studies at the University of Szeged. Svetlana Karadzhova, Bulgaria’s lecturer at the West University of Timișoara, will speak about the prospects for and challenges facing the study of Bulgarian in Romania.

The discussions will also address literary relations between Bulgaria and Slovakia, foreign-language teaching and other linguistic topics.

On the second day of the academic forum, 16 October, the scholars will pursue their discussions of topics including word formation, translation, phraseology, ethnolinguistics and history.

Following the in-depth academic discussions at Comenius University, conference participants and official guests attending the centenary celebrations will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the mystery of Bulgarian polyphonic singing with the Svetoglas quartet.

Founded in 2009 by Daniel Spasov and Milen Ivanov, both soloists with the world-renowned Mystery of Bulgarian Voices choir, the vocal quartet Svetoglas is one of Bulgaria’s distinguished ensembles dedicated to preserving and promoting the country’s ancient musical traditions. Through powerful polyphonic performances of authentic folk songs and Orthodox liturgical chants, the musicians reveal the richness, spirituality and beauty of Bulgaria’s musical heritage.

With its distinctive sound and original interpretation of tradition, the quartet has earned recognition both in Bulgaria and on the international stage. Svetoglas’s mission is to transform ancient musical messages into living art that resonates with contemporary audiences.