The Impossible Interview with Elisaveta Karamihailova

The project focuses on the life and achievements of Professor Elisaveta Karamihailova — Bulgaria’s first woman physicist, a pioneer in nuclear physics and one of those figures who prove that scientific curiosity, persistence and courage can overcome the limits of their time.

Through a contemporary digital format, the project creates an imagined conversation with Karamihailova — not as a reconstruction of the past, but as a chance to place her ideas, her choices and the course of her life in dialogue with the questions of the present. It is an attempt to come closer to the person behind the historical figure and to understand what lies behind pioneering thought — curiosity, discipline and the willingness to follow your own path, even when it looks impossible.

Presenting the project at the forum opened an important conversation about the place of women in science, public life and leadership. It showed that the stories of the people who changed the world around them are not always the most told, yet they often carry the strongest messages for the generations that follow.

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Yotova, gave particular attention to the story of Elisaveta Karamihailova, underlining the significance of her example and her strength of spirit — a figure who proves that talent and the pursuit of knowledge know no borders.

At the event, the founder and director of The Face of Sofia, Maria Tchakarova, shared the thinking behind the project:

“Projects like this one set out to show that women have always been part of the scientific and public elite — even when history gave them too little space. For us to have the opportunities of our own time, there were other women before us who cleared the way — often quietly, but with remarkable courage and persistence.”

The story of Elisaveta Karamihailova is an example not only of the role of women in science, but of the strength of a person beyond society’s expectations. It shows that a society develops through people who contribute in different ways — scientists, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs and leaders, whatever their gender. Every advance is the result of the joint efforts of people who widen the boundaries of the possible.

With this project, The Face of Sofia continues its work of creating new forms for presenting historical figures — through approaches that connect the past with people today and make knowledge more accessible, more personal and more inspiring.

Because some stories should not remain in textbooks alone.

They deserve to be heard.