site.btaAcademy of Sciences Receives Donation of Books from Former Sofia Mayor Ivanov's Collection

Books from the personal library of former Sofia mayor Ivan Ivanov were donated to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) on Friday, BAS reported. BAS Vice-President Emmanuel Moutafov received the valuable publications from Assoc. Prof. Snezha Rakova who is Ivanov's relative.

Ivanov, the second longest-serving mayor of Sofia, was a corresponding member of BAS in his capacity as a gifted hydroengineer. After his conviction by the People's Court in 1945, he was expelled from BAS, but in 1996 the Academy rehabilitated him and posthumously reinstated his membership. He donated his collection of hydrotechnical literature to BAS in 1964, as well as blueprints of the Rila water pipeline.

Ivanov was the designer of the Beli Iskar dam. Iconic buildings in Sofia were erected during his term that include the Palace of Justice, the Bulgarian National Bank, the Sts Cyril and Methodius National Library, public baths, 15 new schools, kitchens for the poor.

The Academy's archive is set to receive further donations of documents, records, designs, and collections related to Ivanov's legacy, BAS said.