Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev Monument in Sofia

The Monument of Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev consists of two bronze seated figures flanking the main entrance of Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” at 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. The statues honour the brothers whose donation of land and money made the university’s monumental central building possible. They are easy to miss if you hurry past the Rectorate, but they are among the most direct pieces of public art in Sofia for understanding the role of private philanthropy in Bulgaria’s educational history. The site is best for visitors already exploring Sofia University, the National Assembly area or the nearby parks and museums, and it needs only a short stop.

Visit Sofia identifies the pair as works by sculptor Kiril Shivarov and places them on either side of the university’s main entrance. The city tourism authority gives coordinates of 42.693776, 23.334571. Rather than presenting the brothers as heroic standing statesmen, the sculptures show them seated, integrated into the architecture of the entrance. That arrangement matters: the men are commemorated not on an unrelated square but on the building their fortune helped finance.

Sofia University’s own history gives the scale of the gift. The brothers donated 10,200 square metres of land and 6.8 million golden leva for construction of the main university building and support of education. The university, founded in 1888, was Bulgaria’s first institution of higher education. Construction of the Rectorate began in 1924, and the building was ceremonially opened in 1934. The statues therefore belong to a larger architectural statement about education, national development and gratitude to the donors.

Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev were born in Karlovo and built successful commercial and financial careers largely from Romania. Their wealth came from trade and banking, but their historical significance in Bulgaria rests heavily on philanthropy. Hristo died before the university building project was realised, while Evlogi’s will provided major resources for Bulgarian public causes. The university became the most visible beneficiary. That makes the statues a useful corrective to the common tendency to read monumental university buildings only through architects and professors: the funding story is literally seated at the entrance.

Look at the relationship between sculpture and façade. The Rectorate’s grand entrance, broad steps and stone architecture create a formal frame for Shivarov’s bronzes. The brothers sit separately, one to each side, so a visitor approaching the main doors passes symbolically between the two benefactors. The sculptures work best from the pavement and forecourt where the symmetry of the arrangement is visible. They are not hidden memorial plaques but part of the public face of Bulgaria’s oldest university.

There is no admission charge to view the statues, and they are in the open exterior space of the university entrance. A visit of around 10–15 minutes is sufficient for the pair. The university itself is a working academic institution, so the presence of the outdoor monuments should not be taken as permission to enter offices, lecture halls or library areas without a public event or other reason for access. If the Rectorate is busy with ceremonies, protests or academic events, the forecourt can also be crowded.

The location is exceptionally convenient for a central Sofia walking route. The statues face Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard near the Sofia University area, with the National Assembly, Tsar Liberator monument, Borisova Garden edge and St Kliment Ohridski surroundings close by. The university’s own visitor material emphasises that the Rectorate lies in the city centre within easy reach of theatres, galleries, museums and parks. This is therefore a stop that adds historical depth without requiring a detour.

The reviewed official sources do not publish dedicated visitor hours or accessibility instructions for the statues themselves. They stand outdoors at the main university entrance, and their visibility from the public approach makes them straightforward to observe, but travellers who need a confirmed step-free route should check the current condition of the forecourt and curb approaches. No separate visitor facility, ticket desk or interpretation centre belongs specifically to the monument.

What gives the pair lasting interest is the unusually direct connection between biography, money and place. The Georgiev brothers’ bequest did not merely produce a statue or scholarship; it materially enabled the construction of a national educational institution’s principal building. Kiril Shivarov’s bronzes keep that story permanently visible. Even for a visitor with little interest in nineteenth-century commerce, the monuments offer a concise lesson in how modern Sofia was built not only by governments and architects but also by donors who chose education as their legacy.

The chronology makes the memorial relationship especially clear. Sofia University had existed since 1888, but the Rectorate now associated with the brothers emerged from a much longer building project: construction began in 1924 and the ceremonial opening followed in 1934. Their contribution is therefore tied to a specific physical result, not just to a general tradition of charitable giving. Standing between the two bronzes and looking toward the main entrance, a visitor can read donor, architecture and institution together in one place. That makes the pair unusually effective public monuments even though the actual stop is brief and no separate exhibition is required to understand the basic story.