The Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre of Thracology ‘Prof. Alexander Fol’

The Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre of Thracology ‘Prof. Alexander Fol’ at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is a leading national research institution and a key coordinator of Balkan studies in Southeast Europe. The Institute was established by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria on January 15, 1964, under the auspices of UNESCO. The Centre of Thracology ‘Prof. Alexander Fol’ is the successor to the Institute of Thracology, founded in 1972, which functioned as an independent unit within the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences until 2010.

The Institute is a prominent research and educational center focused on the languages, history, culture, and contemporary development of the Balkans. In addition to its broad engagement with Balkan studies, it conducts interdisciplinary and comparative work in the fields of Thracology, Byzantine studies, Ottoman and Turkish studies, European studies, and political science. The research carried out at the Institute is grounded in a comparative approach and current methodologies, leading to new interpretations of historical facts and processes analyzed within the diverse ethnic and cultural landscape of Southeast Europe. These studies are of strategic importance for Bulgarian society and the state, while also transcending national boundaries to contribute to a deeper understanding of the place and role of the countries in the region within European and international relations.