[size=55:16a2fsqf]BNR
The unknown Vitosha Mountain
The Vitosha Mountain near Sofia with its highest peak Cherni Vrah /2290m/ is the fourth highest mountain in Bulgaria. It is also the first nature park in this country and the Balkans. There are two nature reserves on Vitosha. These are the Bistrishko Branishte Reserve and the Torfeno Branishte Reserve. Vitosha appears dome shaped and its silhouette cannot be mistaken for another mountain. It offers to tourists interesting landmarks and great biodiversity.
Vitosha is close to the city and there are a number of tourists from the capital who think they know the mountain well. Actually, while Vitosha’s northern slopes are better known by people and more often visited, the southern slopes of the mountain can offer many surprises to tourists. There are neither lifts here, nor many chalets but the views that are revealed before oneself are breathtaking. In order to preserve the biodiversity 3 marked routes were created with European financing in this part of the mountain. Expert Simeon Rangelov of the park tells us it is important that there are places where the human presence is limited and that is why the routes were created, thus directing most of the tourists to specific parts of the mountain, while leaving others without much human presence. We asked him what the most interesting animals that can be seen there are.
“With more luck I would like to see a bear but probably not all tourists are interested in meeting one in the forest. Seeing a deer always creates strong emotions. It is important that tourists keep to certain rules in the mountain in order for the animals not to be chased away. They should not make noise or drive vehicles. On the southern slopes one could see deer and wild goats, but also eagles, hawks and other interesting birds.”
One could start their tour in the mountain from some of the small villages in its outskirts. The village of Chuipetliovo is situated highest on the slopes. It was established more than 400 years ago when people living in the valleys searched for a haven from the Ottomans. The Saint Petka church in the village was built in 1860. From Chuipetliovo one could start hiking towards the Cherni Vruh peak through the valley of the Struma River, which springs near the very peak of the mountain. From the village there is a marked route towards the Selimitsa hut, too.
There are a number of caves in the region, including the Duhlata Cave, which is the longest in Bulgaria with its 17.5 km. The cave has 7 levels and 6 underground rivers. It is considered one of the most interesting caves in Bulgaria. Another route starts in the nearby village of Bosnek, which leads to a spring called Jivata Voda. There is a legend that the spring lets only the virtuous ones drink from its waters. Middle age traveler Evliya Çelebi called it “The Spring of Happiness.”
“It is interesting that there is fountain built there in the shape of a dragon,” Slivia Yordanova, expert in the Vitosha Park says. “It is a karst region there and from time to time the water stops and then starts again. Legends say this water is good for one’s hеalth and if it suddenly stops while you are drinking from the fountain then you are a sinner.”
Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:16 pm
