site.btaNovember 12, 1945: Higher Technical School Founded in Ruse

In 1945, the municipal administration in Ruse set up a special commission to study the feasibility of establishing a university in the city, according to writer and former Ruse University lecturer Zhivodar Dushkov’s research published on the university’s website. It was decided that the future higher education institution in the city should not compete with the one in Varna, on the Black Sea, but instead have its own distinct profile focusing on industrial chemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering.

The results of the investigation were positive, as the conditions in Ruse were favourable: the city was located at the centre of a large region with a well-developed industrial base. There was also the fact that nearly 100 enterprises could provide for students' practical activities and also required specialized personnel. A delegation consisting of Stoil D. Mishev, Georgi Tokushev, and Dimitar Ikonomov visited the capital, where they met with Regent Venelin Ganev and other statesmen. The purpose of these talks was to reaffirm the strong desire of the people of Ruse to establish a polytechnic institute.

The decree for the establishment of a higher technical school in Ruse was approved on November 12, 1945. The Higher Technical School officially began classes on December 15, 1945, with the 1945/46 academic year continuing into the summer of 1946. While a suitable building for the school was being constructed, classes were held in the former German high school building in Ruse, which later became a music school. Most of the first teachers were recruited from the State Polytechnic in Sofia. Initially, there were 158 students and 17 teachers, a number which doubled the following year.

In 1954, the Higher Technical School in Ruse changed its name to Higher Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture when it merged with the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization and Electrification at the Georgi Dimitrov Agricultural Academy. In 1956, the first class of this new Institute graduated, consisting of 26 agricultural mechanization engineers.

On June 21, 1995, the name of the institute was changed to Angel Kanchev University of Ruse by a decision of the National Assembly.

Today, it is a member of several leading international organizations such as the Association of the European universities (ЕUА), the Balkan University Association (BUA) and the Visegrad University Association (VUA) and is the only university in the Ruse, Razgrad, Silistra and Vidin regions.