Friendly warning!
Snakes are common even above a tree line. Watch your step. If you see a viper (above) stop and slowly retreat
Pirin National Park covers most of the Pirin Mountain, located in
southwestern Bulgaria. Pirin National Park is one of the three
national parks in the Republic of Bulgaria. The other two are Rila
and the Central Balkans.
The park occupies a significant part
of the Pirin Mountain. Historically, the boundaries and size of the
national park have undergone many changes.
Vihren National
Park was established on November 8, 1962 in order to protect the
forests located in the highest parts of the mountain. The park had
an area of about 6,200 hectares, which is a small part of its
territory today. In 1974, by decree of the Ministry of Forestry, it
was renamed Pirin National Park, and its territory was significantly
increased.
A separate directorate, which is responsible for
the protection and development of the park, was established in 1979.
The headquarters of this directorate is in the town of Bansko. It
was declared a National Park in 1998 after the creation of the
Protected Areas Act in the Republic of Bulgaria. The territory of
the national park is 40,332.4 hectares. The management of the park,
once it has adopted the status of a National Park, is the task of
the Ministry of Environment and Water.
The national park
borders the municipalities of Gotse Delchev, Bansko, Razlog,
Simitli, Kresna, Strumyani and Sandanski.
Within the national
park there are two nature reserves - Bayuvi Dupki - Djindjiritsa,
which is one of the oldest reserves in Bulgaria, and Yulen Reserve.
Bayuvi Dupki Reserve - Djindjiritsa is part of the network of
biosphere reserves under the Man and the Biosphere Program of
UNESCO.
In 1983, the park was declared one of the world's
most important sites in Europe.
Most developed part of the Pirin National Park is in the north around the highest peak of Vihren (2,915 m) that attracts hikers and climbers alike. There are two hiking paths that are most common with the tourists. One is marked by brown markers that takes from Mandrat base to the Sipanitsa Shelter. Another trail is marked by yellow markers that take goes from Mandrat base to the Black Water base. There is also a loop trail from Vihren hut to the top of mount Vihren, the highest mountain in Pirin National Park. It doesn't require any special mountaineering experience or equipment and takes about 3 to 4 hours. Additionally they are many other small trails that allow tourists to reach every corner of Pirin National Park, but these paths are often unmarked and have no clear direction. You can use them at your own risk.
This biologic reserve is easily accessible from Bansko, fairly large tourist city with hotels and restaurants. Other major cities in the area include Sandanki, Gotse Delchev, Kresna, Razlog, Strumuani, Simitli and many others. One of the major advantages of hiking and camping in the mountains of Bulgaria is little regulations that are in place and even less attempt to enforce them. Even if there is such a thing as ranger in Pirin National Park, which is doubtful they do not make their presence visible.
Name
When in ancient times the Slavs inhabited
the mountain, they likened it to their god Perun, whence its present
name.
Flora
The great diversity in terms of relief is the
reason for the exceptional diversity of the plant world. Pirin Park
is one of the most interesting botanical places in Bulgaria. The
first information about the flora of the area where today's park is
located is from the works of the botanist August Griesebach, who
were written in the first half of the XIX century. This is the first
written information in which the species of white fir is reported on
the territory of the Balkan Peninsula. The main studies of the flora
of Pirin were made in the late XIX century and early XX century.
About 1300 species of higher plants have been identified on the
territory of Pirin National Park, which represents more than 30% of
all higher plants found on the territory of the Republic of
Bulgaria. In addition to these higher plants, more than 300 species
of mosses and a large amount of algae have been found.
The
national park is of particular interest with the large number of
endemic species that can be seen here. 18 species of local endemics,
15 Bulgarian and many Balkan endemics have been identified. The
local endemics of the national park are Pirin poppy, Pirin meadow,
Urum and fur oxitropis, maple trap, Pirin thyme, David mullein,
Pirin fescue and others. Of the Bulgarian endemics, the species
Ferdinand Goose, Urum Krivets, Bulgarian Wind, Bone Fat, etc. are of
interest. The Balkan endemics that are found here are several dozen.
Such species are the white fir, the golden chandelier, the
small-skinned carnation, the Balkan newt and others.
There is
a large number of species protected by the Nature Protection Act or
included in lists of protected or rare animals. A typical
representative of these species, which is found in the park, is
edelweiss, which over time has become a symbol of the Pirin
Mountains. The total number of species protected by law is nearly
60, and the number of species present in the Red Book of Bulgaria -
126.
On the territory of Pirin National Park there are three
plant belts - forest, subalpine and alpine. This is due to the
relatively high altitude of the entire park.
Forest
vegetation belt
The vegetation in the forest belt is composed of
some of the most typical for Bulgaria coniferous forest species,
such as white pine, black pine and fir. In the lower parts of the
park, as well as in some places on the higher ones, there are beech
trees, but unlike other places, here the beech does not build real
forest massifs, but participates mainly as an impurity species in
other forests.
Forests, composed mainly of fir, spruce and
beech, cover mostly wetter areas, areas, as well as parts of the
mountain slope, with more limited sunshine. White and black pine
cover opposite regions, where the soil is drier and temperatures are
higher. The best communities of white and black pine are located on
the southern and eastern slopes of the mountain.
This plant
belt is characterized by many different plant communities. In
addition to the forest communities characteristic of this altitude,
there are also meadows and rocks. This is mainly due to the
diversity of the terrain, as well as some climatic features.
Subalpine plant belt
The vegetation in the subalpine vegetation
belt largely resembles the corresponding vegetation in the Rila
Mountains. Typical for this belt plants are mainly dwarf pine and
Siberian juniper. Of interest to botany are the large number of
grass species that are represented in the meadows located here.
Large areas are covered with typical pasture vegetation, which is
more typical of the higher alpine belt.
Also of interest are
the communities made up of hooded, powerful fescue and others. These
species are endemic and this is one of the places where information
about them can be obtained. In the subalpine vegetation belt are
located a large number of water basins - mostly lakes and small
streams. This is a prerequisite for good development of algae.
Around the water basins there are also representatives of the genus
Oystercatcher.
Alpine plant belt
In the Pirin Mountains
this belt is very well defined and is one of the most diverse in
terms of vegetation for the whole country. As in the whole national
park, many endemic species are found here. The largest areas are
covered with grass vegetation and those with rock cover.
Fauna
The great diversity of the relief, as well as the
fact that the mountain has a meridional orientation, is a
prerequisite for a great diversity of the animal world. Another
important prerequisite for this diversity is the fact that the
mountain is located in the southern parts of Bulgaria. The national
park preserves a huge number of animals, many of which are typical
of much southern regions.
Invertebrates
About 2,090
species and subspecies of invertebrates have been identified,
including nearly 300 rare species, 214 endemic species, 175 relict
species, and 15 animals included in international lists of
endangered species. The fauna of Pirin National Park is still being
studied, and it is estimated that only half of all animals found
here have been found in invertebrates.
Pirin National Park is
one of the most important places for taxonomy development in
Bulgaria. Of the endemic species found here, 39 are local endemics.
It is important for these species that 100% of their population is
limited to the mountains. This places these species in the category
of animals of world importance. The Bulgarian endemics are 67
species, and the Balkan endemics - 123. The number of relict species
is huge for this territory - 27 preglacial relics and 149 glacial
relics.
Vertebrates
6 species of fish have been identified
on the territory of Pirin National Park, which represents about 6%
of all freshwater fish species that can be seen in Bulgaria. Of
particular interest are the species of rainbow trout and gray trout,
which are not typical for Europe. These species are mainly found in
North America, and in the territory of the national park they are
imported artificially by means of stocking material.
It is
not certain that mountain mullet is found in the park, as this
species has been observed more than once, but the information has
not been confirmed. One of the species that inhabited the waters of
the national park years ago - the common eel, is considered to be
completely extinct in the park. It is included in the Red Book of
Bulgaria in the category of missing.
From the classes of
amphibians and reptiles in the national park there are a total of 19
species, of which 8 species are amphibians and 11 - reptiles. The
relict species of amphibians and reptiles found here are the
mountain water frog, the live-bearing lizard and the viper. The
Macedonian lizard is a Balkan endemic.
There is a large
number of birds that can be seen in the park - nearly 160. This is
an extremely large number, as it represents about 40% of all bird
species found in Bulgaria. There are relict species of owl,
white-backed woodpecker and three-toed woodpecker. There is a large
number of Balkan endemic bird species. Among them are the
white-backed woodpecker, the Balkan lark, the alpine woodpecker, the
hooded tit, the rock mason and others. Nearly 150 is the number of
birds that are a segment of the main part of the park management
plan. This is due to their conservation status.
Of the
mammals, 45 species of terrestrial mammals have been identified,
which represents nearly 50% of all terrestrial mammals found in the
country. In addition, there are 12 species of bats, all bats are
protected by the Nature Protection Act. Of particular interest is
the snow vole, as it is a glacial relict species. The chamois, which
is a Balkan endemic, is also of interest. 5 species of mammals are
included in the Red Book of Bulgaria. The brown bear and chamois
have been declared species in need of special protection measures.
A large number of vertebrates are defined as animals in need of
special protection and conservation measures. The largest number of
such animals is among birds. Some of these birds are the Lesser
Spotted Eagle, the Lesser Eagle, the Bald Eagle, the Peregrine
Falcon, the Peregrine Falcon, the Capercaillie, the Mountain Shark,
the Wood snipe, the Holly Dove, the White-backed Woodpecker, the
Three-toed Woodpecker and others. The reason for the creation of
special measures for the protection of certain species of animals is
that the number of their populations in the park is gradually
decreasing. 31 species of birds from those found here are included
in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
Historical heritage
Pirin, as a small part of the former ancient
Macedonia, preserves the traces of many ancient and majestic
cultures - Thracian, ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Slavic and
Proto-Bulgarian. Probably that is why the people in this area
zealously preserve their Revival architectural, ethnographic,
pictorial and folklore richness.
Part of the unique atmosphere of
Bansko is due to the churches "Assumption" and "Holy Trinity", the
houses and museums of Neofit Rilski and Nikola Vaptsarov.
Razlog
is distinguished by many preserved ancient customs, such as the
mummer's procession on January 1 and the folklore festival "Pirin
sings".
The town of Melnik itself has been declared a historical
and cultural monument. Some of its landmarks are the Kordopulova,
Paskova and Byzantine houses, and 4 km from Melnik is the Rozhen
Monastery.
Beneath today's town of Sandanski lie the remains of
an ancient city. Spartacus originated from the Thracian tribe of
Medes, who inhabited its surroundings.
Near Simitli is the church
of St. Archangel Michael.
Management
In the past, the park
was managed by various government organizations. Until 1998, the
park was managed by the Central Forest Department. Later, after the
adoption of the Protected Areas Act at the end of 1998, the
management of the park became the task of the Ministry of
Environment and Water. A directorate responsible for the park at the
Ministry of Environment and Water has existed since the beginning of
1999. The main tasks of the Pirin National Park Directorate are the
protection and management of the park. The seat of the formed
directorate is in the town of Bansko. Later, the Park Directorate
became directly subordinate to the National Parks Directorate.
The park is divided into several zones with different modes. The
zones are:
Territories with a strict regime - these are the
territories occupied by reserves. They represent over 15% of the
entire territory of the national park.
Territories with temporary
protection status. These areas are about 3% of the park area.
In
the other territories, which are nearly 82% of the total area, human
intervention is allowed. They include areas with tourist and
protective functions.
To facilitate the management of the
park, it is divided into the following park areas:
Vihren Park
Area
Bezbog Park District
Bayuvi Dupki Park Area
Kamenica
Park Area
Sinanitsa Park Area
Three Rivers Park Area
Park areas
Vihren Park Area
Vihren Park Area is the park area
of Pirin National Park with the most developed tourist network.
This is due to the close proximity of the park area with the town of
Bansko. The city itself has a highly developed tourism, which
further contributes to the number of tourists in this park area. The
main tourist attractions in the park area "Vihren" are the rivers
Demyanitsa and Banderitsa and the lakes Vasilashki lakes, Tipitski
lakes, Dalgoto, Ribnoto and other lakes, as well as various rock
gates.
In this area is one of the largest natural landmarks
of the national park - Baikushevata mura, which with its age of over
1300 years is one of the oldest trees in Bulgaria. Baikusheva fir is
a type of black fir.
Within the park area "Vihren" is Vihren
peak, which is the highest peak in the Pirin Mountains - 2914
meters. The peak attracts many tourists and climbers.