history of Germany and Austria, the Lusatian Sorbs, and Slavonic and Ugro-Finnic studies in general. It houses the Bain Graffy Film Collection of films from and about Russia and Central and Eastern Europe. Building In May 2004 the foundation stone of the school's new building on Taviton Street, Bloomsbury, was unveiled by the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, in the presence of The Princess Royal, Chancellor of the University of London. The school moved to the building in the summer of 2005 after almost 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. After Klaus's address, the Princess Royal unveiled a stone to mark the formal opening, on the occasion of the school's 90th anniversary. The building was designed by the architects Short and Associates. The design aims to be "environmentally friendly" not simply with solar panels, but by facilitating the draught of cool air round the building, to avoid a need for air conditioning or other energy-using solutions – a first for the "central London heat island". Notable alumni and staff Acija Alfirević, academic and writer Anthony Bailey (BA Eastern and Central European Studies, 1991), interfaith campaigner Robin Baker (BA), former Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University George Bolsover (Director of SSEES, 1947–1976) Michael Branch (BA; PhD, 1967; Director of SSEES, 1980–2001) Jamie Bulloch (MA, Central and East European History, 1993; PhD, 2002), literary translator Sir Roger Carrick (Bulgarian, 1962), diplomat and former UK High Commissioner to Australia Robert Conquest (Bulgarian, 1943), historian and poet Norman Davies (lecturer then Professor of History, 1971–1996) Peter J. S. Duncan (Honorary Associate Professor of Russian Politics) Robert Fico (Masaryk scholarship), former Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert I. Frost (PhD History), historian Julian Graffy (Emeritus Professor of Russian Literature and Cinema, and founder of SSEES's Bain-Graffy Film Collection) Titus Hjelm (lecturer in Finnish Studies), member of the power metal band Thunderstone Sir Robert Hodgson (Chair of SSEES Council, 1943–1945), diplomat Clare Hollingworth (Croatian), journalist Geoffrey Hosking (Chair and Leverhulme Research Professor of Russian History, 1984–2007), academic and co-founder of Nightline Lindsey Hughes (Reader then Professor of Russian History, 1987–2007) Andres Kasekamp (PhD History, 1996), Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute and Professor of Baltic Politics at the University of Tartu David Kirby (former Professor of Modern European History), historian