The UNWE Museum Was Officially Opened

The UNWE Museum was officially opened through an official sanctification. The ritual was implemented by His Right Reverend Tiveriopol Bishop Tikhon, Patriarchal Vicar and Chairman of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the presence of Prof. D.Sc. (Econ.) Statty Stattev, Rector of UNWE, Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov, Honorary Rector and Honorary Professor of the university, Acad. Stefan Vodenicharov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS), the Academic Managing Body of the university and guests on the occasion of celebrations devoted to the 95^th Anniversary of UNWE.

The official ritual of sanctification

We are witnesses of an exclusive event, pointed out the Rector of the university Prof. D.Sc. (Econ.) Statty Stattev. He outlined that the creation of the Museum had been a longstanding act which had begun over the past two mandates of Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov as Rector of UNWE. The restoration of our university history is important and necessary because there is no future without the past, reminded Prof. Stattev.

Prof. Borislav Borisov (in the middle), Prof. Statty Stattev (on the left) and Acad. Stefan Vodenicharov at the opening of the Museum

The university as a spiritual center for forming the way of thinking, behavioural culture of young people, their attitude to the lecturers and state couldn`t depend on various political ideologies with supreme positions followed by one or another political party, addressed  to the attendees the Honorary Rector Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov. The history of UNWE is most of all academic and I hope this very true history is exposed in the new Museum, said the Honorary Rector.

Attendees at the official event

The Honorary Rector gave examples of “loss” and “manipulation” of history. The Golden Book of UNWE signed on the first pages from King Boris III and his sister Evdokia had disappeared when the university was renamed as Karl Marx. For the next 40 years it had been replaced by a newly opened Golden Book which also had disappeared during the changes and then the old Golden Book had to be bought off from an unknown person for 2 000 BGN. “A new government comes with a new ideology, the old book closes and a new one opens. But we are a university not a political office and we should respect our academic history, academic values, traditions and spirit. We should have academic culture of memory and it should not depend on the political conjuncture”, explicitly declared Prof. Borisov. “In 1989 after a strong political pressure to our Academic Managing Body the monument of Karl Marx - our patron for decades was demolished. What does this event show about the historical culture of memory of the government. The fundamental theory of Marx had really become a base for originating an ideology which had transformed the world through a new political system but Karl Marx is most of all a great philosopher and economist whom The Times newspaper announced for the thinker of the millennium and thus gave us an example for political objectiveness of assessment and culture of memory”, pointed out Prof. Borisov and expressed his confidence that the new Museum is a worthy act for preserving the history of UNWE.

Prof. Stattev, Prof. Borisov and Acad. Vodenicharov see the exhibition in the presence of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lilyana Valcheva, Chairman of National Branch Syndicate of Higher Education and Science at Confederation of Independent Syndicates in Bulgaria and Georgy Chernev, Chairman of Sofia Chamber of Commerce and Industry

In one of the halls in the newly opened Museum is exposed the exhibition “UNWE and BAS: Our Common Origin” which will be also exposed in the Bulgarian Academy of Science Presidium. This common exhibition is really unique and very valuable, pointed out Acad. Stefan Vodenicharov and reminded that people from older generation should take care of young people to know and remember their origin.

In one of the Museum halls

Acad. Vodenicharov suggested the exhibition to be also exposed in the fourteen academic BAS Centers and in the university centers in the country. “The exponents of exhibition should be seen and understood by most people”, said Acad. Vodenicharov to the Rector of UNWE who accepted the suggestion.

The attendees followed His Right Reverend Tiveriopol Bishop Tikhon who implemented the sanctification of the Museum halls.