Location: Sofia Province Map
Area: 27 079 hectares
Directorate of the Vitosha National Park:
1303 Sofia City, Vazrazhdane residential section
Tel. 359 2 98 5841
359 2 989 53 77
Email: dppvitosha@dag.bg
Vitosha National Park is covering much of the Vitosha mountain that
overshadows the Bulgarian capital of
Sofia below. Vitosha National Park a nature reserve that covers
most of Vitosha mountain that towers over Bulgarian capital of
Sofia. First trails through the Vitosha mountain were made in the
19th century by private organizations and their volunteers. On 27
October 1934 Vitosha National Park was officially established and
thus making it is the oldest park in Bulgaria and on the Balkan
Peninsula. Today it covers an area of 27 079 hectares. In addition
to Vitosha National Park, parts of Vitosha mountain are also
protected by Bistrishko Branishte (Bistritsa Forest Reserve) on the
North- East slope of Golyam Rezen Peak (2,277 meters above sea
level) and Skoparnik Peak (2,226 meters above sea level) and
reservation Torfeno Branishte (Turf Forest Reserve). Bistrishko
Branishte is of particular value. It was established to protect
virgin broad- leaved forests and in 1977 it was declared a biosphere
reservation by the UNESCO.
Some of the most prominent
destinations on Vitosha mount include Boyana waterfall, which is the
highest in the park, Samokovishteto waterfall on the river Bistrica,
declared a natural landmark. Additionally Vitosha contains the
Duhlata Cave near a village of Bosnek on the left bank of the Struma
river. Its natural underground tunnels stretch for 18 km thus making
it one of the longest cave systems in Bulgaria.
Vitosha
National Park is a favorite place for tourism among international
and domestic tourists alike. During summer months a network of
hiking trails allow visitors to venture in all areas of Vitosha
National Park. In Winter Vitosha mountains is open for skiing and
snowboarding. Aleko chizha (mountain inn) which offers ski and
snowboard rental is located in the extensive ski resort.
Vitosha National Park is located just miles from a
Bulgarian capital of Sofia it is easily accessed by public
transport. Most popular starting points for hiking are villages of
Zheleznitsa and Bistritsa or Northern suburbs of Sofia, Dragalevtsi,
Simeonovo and Boyana. Unlike other protected reserve mount Vitosha
is doted by more than 40 lodges and small hotels as well as several
shelters. Some of the larger hospital on mount Vitosha include Aleko
(named after Aleko Konstantinov) located in the area Aleko on a
Black Peak, Kupena hut (Academic) at Mount Golam Kupen, hotel Kamen
northwest of Mount Kamen Del, Hotel Bor North of Mount Cherna Skala
(Black Rock), hut Selimitsa west of Mount Selimitsa and many others.
Additionally you might be interested in visiting ruins of hotel
Fonfon. It was constructed in the 20th century to house people who
are deaf. Unfortunately an accidental gas explosion destroyed much
of its structure. Today only ruins of the former beautiful building
are hidden in the vast forest of Vitosha.
Some of lodges on
Vitosha National Park offer room for overnight stay, while others
serve food and drinks for tourists. Soups like Bob Chorba (bean
soup) or Shopska salada (type of salad) are worth a try. Shkembe
chorba is probably the best soup you will try on Vitosha or anywhere
in Bulgaria. It is made of lamb intestines, but despite it is worth
a try. It tastes much better than it sounds.
Tourist routes
on Vitosha National Park are numerous. You might spend weeks hiking
on Vitosha and still won't see most of them. However some of the
more popular routes include trailes between Dragalevci to Aleko hut
and Black Peak (marked with red paint). Zheleznitsa village to Black
Peak (marked with blue paint), two trails from Bistritsa to Aleko
hut (marked with gree paint), from Knyajevo to Golden Bridges
(marked with yellow paint) and Black Peak to Bukapreslapski passage
(marked with red paint).
Vitosha Mountain is famous for many
features, however its stone rivers also known as moraines are of
particular interest. These natural formations track the movement of
former glaciers that broke the cliffs of Vitosha mountain into
smaller boulders. These rocks range from a size of a football to a
size of compact car. Particularly famous moraines are those found at
the Zlatni Mostove or Golden Bridges located at an elevation of
1,390 meters above sea level. It gets its name from bright golden
lichens that grow on boulders making it appear as golden.
In
addition to natural beauty Vitosha National Park contains several
historic sights. One of the most popular and most visited is the
Dragalevsky Monastery of Saint Mary of Vitosha. First monastic
community of Eastern Orthodox monks settled this desolate are in the
14th century. Over time it grew in size and complexity. Another less
impressive, but notable Orthodox Kladnishki Monastery of Saint
Nikolas Miliyski the Miracle Maker was established in the 19th
century. The Boyana Church of Saint Nikolas (wonder worker and one
of inspirations for Santa Claus) and Saint Panteleymon (protector of
doctors and medical workers) date back to the 10th century. It is
located within borders of Vitosha National Park and is included in
the UNESCO List of Global Cultural Inheritance.
Regarding the rock base and the folding of the
earth's crust, Vitosha together with the surrounding territories is
part of the Viskyar-Vitosha synclinorium or the Sofia synclinorium.
As a result, many fault processes can be traced on its territory.
The main areas in which these processes take place are the Bosnian
fault, the Railway Shear Zone and others.
Vitosha is built of
powerful monzonite (syenite) plutonium in the core of the mountain,
located among the Upper Cretaceous volcanics - andesites, andesite
breccias, tuffs, tuffs, on which in places on the northern periphery
lie Tertiary conglomerates and sandstones. At its northern foot,
Pliocene lake sediments are deposited, overlain by
alluvial-proluvial deposits of Quaternary age. The mountain itself
was formed during the Neogene and the Quaternary as a result of
tectonic uplift on the above-mentioned faults and faults located on
its periphery. Mineral springs - Pancharevo, Zheleznitsa, Rudartsi
and Knyazhevo - gush along some of these still active faults. There
are karst springs in its southern part, the most famous being the
Living Water in the Vreloto area, above Bosnek.
The shape of
the mountain is domed and it is not characterized by deep relief
formations such as valleys, etc. This is due to the fact that
Vitosha is a relatively young mountain. For easier description, the
mountain is divided into four main parts, with the dividing lines of
all four starting from Cherni Vrah and ending at the foot of the
mountain.
During the Quaternary, the ridge parts of the
mountain fall into the periglacial climate zone and then the
characteristic stone rivers (often incorrectly called moraines due
to their visual resemblance to them), snowfields, scree and
landslides are formed. The stone rivers are large accumulations of
rounded rock blocks, formed as a result of running water and
weathering, which gradually smoothed their edges. They are a major
tourist destination in the mountains.
The Bosnian karst
region is interesting not only for tourists but also for science.
This is the largest area with karst forms in Vitosha. Its area is
about 30 km2 and almost all of it is included in Vitosha Park.
Climate and water
The climate of Vitosha is typically
mountainous with a large rainfall of 1250 mm. In its lowest parts
the annual rainfall reaches 700 mm, and in the higher parts this
value exceeds 1000 mm. At Cherni Vrah the precipitation is 1050 mm.
Solid snowfall and hail represent over 50% of the total annual
precipitation. The average January temperature for the mountain is
-4 ° С, and on Cherni Vrah it is -8 ° С. Summer temperatures are
also not very high. The average July temperature is 13 ° С, and on
Cherni Vrah 8 ° С. The absolute maximum temperature of Cherni Vrah
is +24 ° С, and the absolute minimum is -27.4 ° С. Main for the
mountain are the southwest winds. Often the winds in the higher
parts reach high speeds and as a result of their actions remain
extensive winds. On the ridge of Vitosha the average annual wind
speed is over 10 m / s. The total time of sunshine is relatively
short, as for the middle parts of the mountain it is 2400 h, and for
Cherni Vrah it is less than 2000 h.
There are a large number
of small water sources in Vitosha, but the only large river that
springs from the mountain is the Struma River, which flows south,
passes through Bulgaria and Greece and flows into the White / Aegean
Sea. The other, smaller rivers, forming relatively deep valleys are
Palakaria, Zheleznishka, Bistritsa, Dragalevska, Boyanska,
Vladayska, Matnitsa and others. All of them, with the exception of
Matnitsa, belong to the basin of the river Iskar. There are also 6
underground rivers on the territory of Vitosha, in the galleries of
Duhlata Cave, near the village of Bosnek.
Soils
The great
variety of geographical conditions and the great differences in the
altitude of different parts of Vitosha are a prerequisite for great
soil diversity. Soil formation occurs mainly over the products of
weathering of rocks of acidic nature. The specific Vitosha flora
also participates in the formation of the soils. The largest areas
cover brown forest, mountain-meadow, peat and peat-swamp soils.
There are also cinnamon forest soils, which are often leached.
Flora
Forests occupy over 50% of the entire mountain
area, pastures - 25%, and the remaining areas are occupied by rock
massifs, stone screes and areas that due to relief features can not
be afforested.
On the territory of Vitosha are found about
1500 species of higher plants, which is nearly 50% of all described
in Bulgaria. Among them there are 24 Bulgarian and Balkan endemics
and 52 species included in the Red Book of Bulgaria.
The
flora in Vitosha Park is a result of climate change, as well as
human influence. Near the mountain was a settlement from more than 2
millennia ago. This has greatly affected the plant species that grow
in the park. For example, in the 20th century, due to the
uncontrolled felling of timber, the centuries-old beech and oak
forests, which covered the foothills and the lower parts of the
mountain, were severely damaged. At the same time, the highest parts
of Vitosha were deforested in order to find free pastures.
For several years, a new natural regeneration of the forest has been
noticed. An example in this respect is the area around Venetsa Peak
(east of Belchova Skala Peak), among which grow young 4-5 year old
white pine trees (as of spring 2007), afforested by the nearby
artificially planted old pine forest. On the spacious and long
southern slope between Yarlovski Kupen peak and Palakaria river,
young coniferous trees, reaching about 1800 m above sea level, are
also naturally afforested. The situation is similar in other places
in the mountains. Breccia is found in the lower and middle belt,
which is considered a criterion that this is an authentic old
forest.
Alpine belt
Despite the high altitude of the
mountain, Vitosha lacks a real alpine vegetation belt. This is
partly due to the discovery of areas and the creation of extensive
pastures, which has erased the characteristic vegetation. In the
highest parts there are communities made up of plants characteristic
of the alpine vegetation belt, but they are only separate groups and
do not form a whole system. The main representative of the plants
characteristic of this belt is the mountain thrush. In Vitosha this
plant is also found in the lower parts of the mountain, although it
is not so common there.
Subalpine belt
The subalpine plant
belt is relatively extensive and well defined. It is characterized
by shrub vegetation and individual conifers, as well as individual
areas covered with grass vegetation. In the upper parts of this belt
there are dwarf pine and common spruce, and the spruce is
represented only by individual trees. The dwarf pine does not occupy
as large areas as it occupied in the past, but it is still one of
the characteristic plants of the higher parts. It is most common in
the areas above the Aleko hut and in the Bistrishko Branishte
reserve.
In places where dwarf pine grew in the past, groups
of Siberian juniper have formed secondarily. In addition, in the
subalpine zone there are bush species of bilberry, feverfew,
blueberry. In some places you can see bearberry. In the subalpine as
well as in the alpine vegetation belt, the grass species are
represented mainly by fescue, voles and others.
Coniferous
belt
The most extensive for the mountain and occupying the
largest area of the nature park is the coniferous plant belt. In
its higher parts the forests are made of spruce and with decreasing
altitude they start to mix with white pine, white fir, fir and
others, and in the lowest areas - with beech and birch. The border
with the subalpine belt is lower than the usual altitude. This is
due to the artificial increase of pasture areas. Larger groups of
white pine or small forests of this species can be observed in a few
places. Groups of white fir can also be observed, but the
distribution of this species is relatively limited. White fir is a
relict species and a Balkan endemic, which is why many attempts are
being made to expand its range. The plant species in this part of
the park are complemented by blackberry, raspberry and blueberry
bushes. The grass vegetation is not highly developed, but there are
endemic species of medium pyrrole and Bulgarian bitterness.
Mid-mountain belt
The upper parts of this belt are dominated by
mixed forests of spruce, white pine, beech and oak. In the belt
there are also hornbeam, birch, aspen, maple, ash, linden and
others. The most common are beech forests, which in some places
occupy an altitude of over 500 m. These forests are one of the best
preserved and unaffected by human intervention. Beech trees have a
relatively high average age, and in some places there are
centuries-old beech forests covering large areas.
Along the rivers and in the places located in the
immediate vicinity of water basins, there are groups and individual
trees of mountain willow and alder. The lowest parts of the belt are
covered with birch and hazel, as well as many shrubs. This is
because a large part of these areas have been turned into clearings
and the characteristic forest plants have been destroyed.
Low
mountain belt
This belt covers the territories between 1000 and
1400 m above sea level. The main representatives of the plant world
in the belt are oaks and beeches, but in some parts there are also
groups of some coniferous tree species, characteristic of higher
altitudes. In some places the vast oak forests are mixed with trees
of maple, aspen, maple and others.
In some areas there is a
gradual natural replacement of beech with hornbeam, as the first
species is gradually replaced by the second. In these lower parts of
the mountain a great variety of flowering herbaceous plants began to
be observed.
Fauna
Vertebrates
Mammals
Large mammals
are few. This is mainly due to illegal hunting. As a result, only a
few species of these animals remain - red deer, roe deer, wild boar,
brown bear and wolf, and their number is not very large. In addition
to these species, there are also water shrews, white-bellied
white-toothed, common rabbit, common dormouse, fox, otter and
others. There is also a wild cat, but the number of representatives
of this species is extremely small.
Attempts have been made
to import several species of foreign mammals, but none remain in the
park. Of particular importance are the identified 11 species of
bats, which is a very large number for such a small area. The
greatest variety of bats is in the Bosnian karst region. All species
of bats are protected by the Nature Protection Act, but their number
has decreased in recent years. This is due to the development of
tourism and the transformation of caves, which are the natural home
for bats, into tourist sites.
Birds
236 species of birds
have been identified, of which 120 nest on the territory of Vitosha.
The most common is the sokerica, which is found mostly in spruce
forests. There are also the yellow-headed king, the crossbow, the
pine tit and others. Of particular importance are the species of
great hawk and small hawk, black woodpecker, spotted woodpecker,
which are rare species.
Other birds that can be observed are
the Kerkenes, the White-tailed Buzzard, the Great Hawk and others.
In the highest parts there are Balkan lark, water kidney, variegated
rock thrush, gray stonecrop, house red-tailed deer, white-throated
thrush and others. In the lower parts, in the broad-leaved and mixed
belt, hazel is found.
Of the nocturnal birds there are forest
owl, forest eared owl, domestic owl, feathered owl. From the larger
living rooms - birds of prey such as bald eagle, small bald eagle,
snake eagle, osprey and others. They are very rare during the
breeding season, mainly in the southern and southwestern parts of
the mountain.
Fish
Fish are not very common. This is due
to the small number of water basins and their nature, which is
mainly of the mountain stream type. The most common species is the
river trout, for which the fast cold river currents are a
characteristic habitat. In the past, attempts have been made to
stock Vitosha reservoirs with the Balkan trout species, but at the
moment this type of fish is almost non-existent.
Invertebrates
The number of invertebrates is huge. Vitosha has
been declared a territory of great importance for the protection of
invertebrate species. There is a large number of endemic and relict
species - nearly 150 Balkan and Bulgarian endemics and 85 relict
species. There are about 300 species of invertebrates present in the
lists of rare animals. Vitosha is the second most diverse endemic
endemic species. Local endemics are three species of cave
crustaceans and here is the only place where information about them
can be extracted. Almost all cave invertebrates are placed under the
protection of nature protection law due to their inadaptability to
habitat change.
The most common of the insects are the
species Big oak cutter, Beech cutter and others. In recent years,
the number of the Apollo butterfly has dropped dramatically, and
scientists predict that if no measures are taken to protect it in
the coming years, it will disappear completely.
Tourism on
Vitosha
Vitosha is located near Sofia and Pernik, and as a
result the mountain has changed more than other Bulgarian mountains.
On the territory of the mountain is Vitosha Nature Park, the oldest
on the Balkan Peninsula. It is a favorite place for tourism of Sofia
and Pernik.
Starting points. The most popular tourist routes
for the high parts of Vitosha start from the northern surroundings
of the mountain near the Sofia districts of Dragalevtsi, Simeonovo,
Boyana and Knyazhevo and the villages of Bistritsa, Zheleznitsa and
Vladaya. Asphalt roads lead to them, they also have a connection
with regular passenger bus lines from Sofia.
Chalets. In Vitosha
there are more than 40 chalets and small hotels and over 10
shelters. The larger ones are: Aleko hut (named after Aleko
Konstantinov - The Lucky One), located in the Aleko area below
Cherni Vrah; Kupena hut (Academica) at Golyam Kupen peak; Kamen del
hut northwest of Kamen del peak; Bor hut - north of the Black Rock
peak; Selimitsa hut west of Selimitsa peak; Kikish shelter in the
area of the same name; shelter Blue Arrow over the Railway and
others.
Tourist routes. The most famous tourist routes are from
Dragalevtsi to Aleko hut and Cherni Vrah (marked in red); from
Simeonovo to Aleko hut (marked in yellow paint); from Zheleznitsa to
Kupena hut and Cherni Vrah (marked with blue paint); from Bistritsa
to Aleko hut - 2 paths (marked with green paint); from Knyazhevo to
the Golden Bridges (marked in yellow paint); from Vladaya to the
Golden Bridges (marked in blue) and from Cherni Vrah to
Bukapreslapski Prohod (marked in red).
In the mountains there are
good conditions for winter sports - skiing / snowboarding, sledding
and others, and among the most famous slopes are the Wall, Blue
Trail, Green Trail, Vitosha Tulip 1 and 2, Vetrovala and
"Konyarnika".
In 2011 the routes of the slopes are 45 ha.
There are fourteen lifts and the length of the slopes is eleven
kilometers. In 2012 the slopes Stenata, Sinya pista, Zelena pista,
Vitoshko Lale 1 and 2 are closed.
At the foot of Vitosha is
the Boyana Church, which is one of the cultural symbols of Bulgaria
and a cultural monument in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural
Heritage List. On the territory of the park is also the Dragalevtsi
Monastery, which has great historical significance.
The
transport from Sofia is carried out by buses, minibuses,
Simeonovo-Aleko gondola lift and Dragalevtsi chairlift.
The
mountain is among the Hundred National Tourist Sites with its leader
- Cherni Vrah.
