Location: Borovets, 73 km from Sofia, Sofia Province Map
Borovets resort is the oldest resort in Bulgaria. Situated 72 km
from Bulgarian capital of Sofia it is about hour, hour and half from
the city. Borovets was initially designed as a private hunting
grounds for Bulgarian tsars in 1894. In fact Borovets Royal hunting
lodge is still preserved in the lower part of the the resort. It is
not very big, but it certainly kept the old charm. If you want a
enjoy half day hiking trip through the pine woods don't miss it. An
interesting feature of the mini castle is a star of David that is
visible on a floor of one of the rooms. It was made on the orders of
Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria who was apparently interested in the
ideas of Judaism and Kabbalah.
Borovets is all year long
resort. In winter you can enjoy skiing, both downhill and
cross-country, snowboarding and etc. It is probably the best ski
resort in Bulgaria with its breath taking views, pure snow and
fairly short lines. The resort is split between lower cluster of
hotels, restaurants and rentals and a upper cluster of lifts and ski
trails with a beautiful view of Musala peak and alpine landscape.
You can get to the top via a gondola lift. From a personal
observation the Upper Borovets looks better. Additionally it has
shorter lines, less people and more snow. The only exception is
during bad weather. Open alpine areas became really unwelcoming to
skiers. Dense fogs don't help the situation either. In that case
lower part of Borovets becomes more suitable. Surrounded by tall
virgin pine trees it will protect you from wind and ice.
In
summer months you can take numerous hiking trails all the way to the
Balkan's tallest mountain Musala (2,925 meters). Additionally you
can take a horse and a guide for a stroll through the trails on the
mountain.
The best time to visit this resort is in late January, February and March. Miracles do happen and you can come in December and early January, but you have to be very lucky to see good skiing or snowboarding conditions. Additionally the place might be packed for Christmas and New Year. Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on 25th of December (Gregorian Calendar) and on 7th of January (Julian Calendar).
The place dates back to 1896, when
General Tantilov, then a lieutenant colonel, built the first holiday
villa, and later Prince Ferdinand built the Tsarska Bistrica Palace.
Following the example of the Bulgarian prince and tsar, a number
of other wealthier Bulgarians (mostly bankers and entrepreneurs)
from the capital and the big cities began to build villas in
Borovets for rest and relaxation. As a ski resort Borovets was
formed in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, when it grew with the
construction of the first hotels in alpine style and facilities for
winter sports.
The resort has twice hosted competitions for
the Alpine Ski World Cup (1981 and 1984), and in 1993 the World
Biathlon Championships were held in Borovets.
Borovets is the closest winter resort to
Sofia and is preferred as such by the residents of the Bulgarian
capital. It is located at 1350 m above sea level on the northern
slopes of Rila, 68 km from Sofia, 83 km from Blagoevgrad and 125 km
from Plovdiv. The nearest town is Samokov, 9 km. distance.
The climate in the resort is temperate, the winter is mild and with
a lot of snow. The average temperature in January - the coldest
month, is about minus 4.8 ° C. The ski season usually lasts from
mid-December to April.
The resort offers excellent conditions
for mountain tourism and sports: alpine skiing, snowboarding,
cross-country skiing, mountain biking. In addition, in the high
parts of the Rila Mountains - Markudjik ski center, in the height of
the season, the snow cover reaches 2 m, which provides exceptional
opportunities for extreme alpine skiing and snowboarding.
Ski information
Altitude of the resort: 1300 m.,
Highest ski point: 2560 m.,
Marked ski slopes: 58 km,
Longest
track: 12 km,
Slope directions: N, NW, W,
Cross-country ski
trails: 35 km,
Biathlon facilities,
Ski-jump chance - Central
Borovets,
Phone code 0750.
Elevator stations
Yastrebets
lift (intermediate station - gondola, capacity 1200 people per hour,
route length 4827 m);
Martinovi Baraki Express lift (six-seater,
capacity 3000 people per hour, route length 1209 m, night riding);
Sitnyakovski lift (the so-called Sitnyakovski express - four-seater,
capacity 2400 people per hour, route length 2050 m);
Yastrebets
Express lift (four-seater, capacity 2400 people per hour, route
length 2050 m);
lift Markudjik 2 (four-seater, capacity 2400
people per hour, length of the route 950 m).
Ski lifts
Sitnyakovo ski lift (length of the route 226 m); Rila ski lift
(length of the route 180 m, night riding);
Iglika ski lift
(length of the route 196 m, night riding);
Rota ski lift (length
of the route 500 m, night riding);
ski lift Markudjik 0 (length
of the route 500 m);
ski lift Markudjik 1 (length of the route
903 m);
ski lift Markudjik 3 (length of the route 1031 m).
A number of competitions are held in Borovets. He has
twice hosted Alpine Skiing World Cup competitions and twelve times
hosted the European Cup. The last race - giant slalom for women -
takes place before February 2016.
Borovets offers the
opportunity for mountain biking. In 2010, according to established
world standards, Borovets bike park was created here with over 20 km
of marked trails, suitable for beginners and advanced. The downhill
route was built with a length of 2400 m and 440 m displacement.
Here, lovers of extreme experiences will find jumps, turns and
technical lines with such a level of difficulty that makes
"downhill" a challenge for even the most experienced.
The
route is suitable for competitions of international and world level.
In Borovets there are also mountain bike tours along the routes.
The geographical features of Borovets determine ideal conditions
for rock climbing and mountaineering. There are a number of climbing
sites with difficulty levels, as well as technical sleepers -
different categories.
Natural landmark Black Rock
It is located near the resort of Borovets and is a
huge stone rock, whose walls rise impressively over the valley of
the river Golyama Slivnitsa. The distance from the top to its foot
is 135 m. In its upper part it is a flat rock platform, secured with
a metal railing, from where there is an incredible panorama to the
mountain slopes and the wooded precipice. The view is obscured by
the receding mists between the treetops and the rock massifs. It is
as if in a dream and from afar the murmur of the river is heard. The
place is easily accessible and does not require any special
training. The terrain is mostly flat and the transition from
Borovets to the Black Rock takes a little more than an hour of
leisurely walking. The starting point of the eco route is one of the
main streets of the resort, which leads to a horse base on the
outskirts of Borovets. From here you take a dirt road, just straight
ahead and reach the forest. Turn left onto a path that leads to a
T-junction. Take the right, after 30 m - again left on the path.
After 5 minutes it reaches the dirt road to the huts "Maritsa" and
"Zavrachitsa". Turn right and soon reach the deviation for the
natural phenomenon Black Rock. After 15 minutes of walking you reach
the rock.
The black rock also has a sad image. In this abyss
after September 9, 1944 without trial and sentence for killed 60 -
70 people / their exact number is still unknown / from Samokov, the
villages of Beli Iskar and Belchin. The writer Georgi Manov wrote a
book about the victims of the communist regime, entitled The Black
Rock. An iron cross was later erected at the place of death in
memory of those killed.
Development in perspective
Until
2009, Borovets was the largest and most important Bulgarian mountain
resort and center, but it was overtaken by Bansko, whose ski area
has a length of 70 km of ski slopes.
On July 30, 2004, in
order to preserve and develop the resort and the entire adjacent
area above the town of Samokov, the ski project Super Borovets was
promoted. The construction of the complex "Samokov - Borovets - Beli
Iskar" is planned, the implementation of which should start in 2005.
According to the plans, the resort is divided into three zones and
three different types of construction are carried out. The
neighboring villages of Beli Iskar and Raduil with the localities of
Byala Polyana and Gvardeyska Polyana are also included as starting
points for skiing.
As of 2015, ie 10 years after the
originally planned start of the implementation of the ambitious
investment venture, nothing of the planned project has been built
yet. Meanwhile, on October 8, 2007, the first sod of the project for
reconstruction and development of Borovets was ceremoniously made.
Super Borovets, as an investment intention, is the largest such
project in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans.