The School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) is one of the world's leading specialist institutions ^{[citation needed]} and the largest national centre in the UK for the study of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia. It teaches a wide range of subjects including the history, politics, literature, sociology, economics and languages of the region. Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked salmon):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... History studies the past in human terms. ... Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies

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About the school

SSEES was inaugurated in London in 1915 by TomᚠGarrigue Masaryk, who later became President of Czechoslovakia. In 1999 SSEES merged with University College London (UCL). Today more than 60 academic staff work at SSEES, teaching and conducting research in the history, economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, culture, literature and languages of the countries of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia. In 2005/2006 the school had 150 graduate students studying taught MA degrees or undertaking PhD research. In addition the school has over 500 undergraduate students. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English) (March 7, 1850 - September 14, 1937) advocated Czechoslovak independence and became the first President of Czechoslovakia. ... This is a list of presidents of Czechoslovakia. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... University College London, commonly known as UCL, or simply UC is one of the colleges that makes up the University of London. ...

Along with its undergraduate and graduate teaching, the school enjoys an enviable reputation for the quality of its interdisciplinary research ^{[citation needed]}. It is a major international centre for training the next generation of regional specialists, through a combination of academic rigour and the skills and knowledge required by employers ^{[citation needed]}. It also specialises in analysing and disseminating information about changes in the region, publishing periodicals, papers and books, holding conferences, public lectures, seminars and briefings, and providing experts who can act as advisers to government, the media, and public and private institutions.

New Building

In May 2004 the foundation stone of the new SSEES building on Taviton Street in Bloomsbury was unveiled by the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal, Chancellor of the University of London. The school moved to the new building in the summer of 2005 after nearly 90 years at Senate House. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, delivered the keynote address of his visit to the UK at a ceremony to open the building in October 2005. Following Klaus's address, the Princess Royal unveiled the stone to mark the formal opening of the new building, on the occasion of SSEES's 90th anniversary. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bloomsbury is an area of central London between Holborn and Euston station, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into a fashionable residential area. ... Following are the successive heads of state of Poland. ... Aleksander KwaÅ›niewski ( ; born November 15, 1954) is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. ... The Princess Royal visits the USNS Comfort on July 11, 2002 while the ship was docked in Southampton, England The Princess Anne, Princess Royal, (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Laurence, formerly Phillips, née Windsor, later Mountbatten-Windsor, (born August 15, 1950)), is a member of the British Royal Family and... The University of London is a university based primarily in London. ... Senate House is a term frequently used to describe the main administrative building of a university. ... Václav Klaus (IPA: ) (born 19 June 1941) is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. ... This is a list of presidents of the Czech Republic. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The new building was designed by award-winning architects Short and Associates. As with other buildings by Short and Associates, the aim is not to be 'environmentally-friendly' simply by the addition of elements such as solar panels, but to make the very architecture itself a key part of the sustainability of the building. Thus the design, modelled by scientists at the University of Cambridge and elsewhere, facilitates the passage of cool air around the building and so avoids the need for air conditioning or other expensive, energy-using solutions. This is a first for the 'central London heat island'.[1 ] Sustainability is an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

Library

Comprising around 357,000 volumes of books, pamphlets and periodicals, the library is unique in the UK for the quantity of research material on open access and for the extensive collection of newspapers from the region. Its collections of books, periodicals and archives are consulted by scholars from all over the world, and it has recently developed an important role in the provision of electronic and audio-visual material relating to its area of study.

The library is one of the leading research collections in Britain for the study of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The main fields of interest are the languages, literature, history, politics, economics, geography and bibliography of Russia and the western Republics of the former USSR, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Subsidiary fields of interest are the arts in general, demography, ethnography and religion. Material is also collected on the former German Democratic Republic (history, political and economic life), the history of Germany and Austria, the Lusatian Sorbs, and Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian studies in general.

Notable Staff/Students

• Norman Davies (formerly)
• Geoffrey Hosking
• Lindsey Hughes
• Martyn Rady
• Jonathan Ross

External links

• http://www.ssees.ac.uk
• http://www.ucl.ac.uk
• http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/publicns.htm
• http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/videos/intro.htm
• http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/libguide/contents.htm
• http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/depts.htm
• http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/research.htm
• http://www.shortandassociates.co.uk