itosha

Nature

Park

V

Contents

1. Park’s History

2. Cultural And Historical Heritage

3. Geological Development And Relief

4. Natural Habitats

5. Plant Diversity

6. Fauna

7. Water

8. Bosnek’s Karst

9. Bistrishko Branishte Biosphere Reserve

10. Peat Branishte Reserve

11. Tourism

12. VitoshaAsAPlaceForEducation

13. NatureProtectionCenters,Museums,SportsAnd InformationAlleysInThePark

14. Towns And Villages

15. InstitutionsInCharge

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VitoshaisthefirstparkinBulgariaandontheBalkanPeninsula.

TheideaofcreatingprotectedareasinBulgariaappearedasfarbackasthebeginning of20thcentury.AnimportantstepinthisdirectionwasthecreatingoftheUnionfor ProtectionofNativeNaturein1928.Itwasestablishedbythebotanical,naturalhistorian,geologicalandspeleologicalsocieties,andthesocietiesofforesters-academiciansand ofBulgarianforesters,theBulgarianTouristUnion,theYouthTouristUnion,theBulgarianHuntingOrganizationandtheBulgarianFishingUnion.Consequently,theMinistryof AgricultureandStatePropertyjoinedtheUnion.

In1931onthegroundsofaUnion’sproposal,acommissionfromtheMinistryof AgricultureandStatePropertywasappointedtosuggestalistoftheplantspeciesand territoriesunderprotection.TheinitialideawasaNationalparkinRilaMountaintobe created.Twoyearslater,thecommission,reviewingtheexistingideas,putforwardat thePermanentWoodCouncilasuggestionforestablishingVitoshaNationalParkand thereservesParangalitsainRilaandGornaElenitsa-SilkosiainStrandgamountains. With a protocol of the Permanent Wood Council from 1933 the proposal was accepted for promulgatingtheNationalParkatthehighpartofthemountainwhichwaspossession ofthestate.ThemotivesoftheCouncilstatedthatVitoshawasthemountainthatis nearest to the capital and visited by tourists and it had an unarguable importance for the developmentofscience.Thecouncilappointedtoacommissiontodefinemoreaccuratelythe borders of the park and the reserves within its territory and also to prepare a cultural plan for its development.

ByadecreeoftheMinistryofAgricultureandStatePropertyfrom1934VitoshaNationalParkwiththereserveswithinitwasproclaimed,itstotalareabeing6410hectares.

In1935thefirstspecializedadministrationofprotectedterritoryinBulgariawascreated-theadministrationofVitoshaNationalPark.Itincludedadirectorwithhighforestry education,assistantforester,threesupervisorsonforestationandfourrangers.Working outofamapoftheparkofthescaleofonetofivethousand,creatingoffourforest-treenurseriesandforestationofthedeforestedterrainaroundAlekohutandBoeritsawood-housewereamongthefirstactivitiesoftheadministration.Duringthefirstfiveyears750hectaresnewforestswereplanted,roadswerebuiltfromBoyanatoPlaninetshutand fromDragalevtsitoAlekohut,22kmtouristpathsweremade,equippedwithdirection signs,benchesandshelters.

In1936byproposaloftheUnionforProtectionofNativeNatureadecree-lawwas preparedandpromulgatedforprotectionofnativenatureaccordingwhichtheparkwas nolongerNational,butPeople’s.

Park’s History

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In1939rulesformanagingandadministrationoftheVitoshaPeople’sParkandthereserveswithin it were published. In the rules the borders of Bistrishko and Torfeno (Peat) Branishte reserves weredefinedandaterritorywasdifferentiatedwheretheconstructionofpublicbuildingswas permitted.Therulessetskiwaysandrouteswherepassingonhorsesandtransportvehicleswas allowed.Intherulestheallowedandprohibitedactivitieswithinthebordersoftheparkwere pointedout.Theseruleshadbeenworkingtill1August1952whenbyadecreeoftheCouncilof MinistersVitoshaMountainwasproclaimedPeople’sParkwithareaof22725.8hectares.WiththisbroadeningthefoothillsofthemountaintothesideofSofiawereincludedintheparkaswellas partsofthelandbelongingtothevillagesKladnitsa,Rudartsi,Marchaevo,BistritsaandZheleznitsa.

In1981withanorderbytheCommitteeforEnvironmentalProtectiontheareaoftheparkwaschangedto 26 547 hectares as territories from the land belonging to Jarlovo and Bosnek were included.

In1991withanorderoftheMinistryofEnvironmentitwasexpandedto26606.6hectaresby includingterritoriesintheregionofthewayZheleznitsa-Yarema.InMarch2004withanorderof theMinistryofEnvironmentandWaterthepark'sareawasexpandedtotoday's27079,114ha.

InJuly2000withanorderoftheMinistryofEnvironmentandWaterPeople’sParkVitoshawas re-categorizedintoNatureParkwiththesamename.Thechangeisinaccordancewiththe requirementsoftheProtectedAreaAct.

1923, Aleko hut

1925, Boyana Waterfall

1938, Aleko hut

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SinceantiquitythevillagesaroundVitoshahavebeengivingsheltertomanytribesof ThracianandSlavicorigin.Goths,Huns,Avars,Tatars,Pechenegs,Magyarspassed fromhere.IntheMiddleAgesthemountainwasknownascenteroftheBulgarianLittleMountAthos.DuringtheSecondBulgarianstateVitoshaanditssurroundingareas werestrewnwithfortressesandabout40bigandsmallmonasteries.InthetimesoftheOttomaninvasionmostmonasterieswereburnedout.Theirreconstructionwasabsolutelyprohibitedbysultan’sdirectivesfromtheSublimePort.Duringthefivecenturiesof OttomanslaveryVitoshawaskindofprotectorofBulgarianpeople.In1918here,inthefoothillsofthemountain,theSoldiers’uprisingwasrouted.

ThefollowingMedievalculturalandhistoricalmonumentshavebeenreserved:

DRAGALEVTSI “ASSUMPTION” MONASTERY is part of the group of monasteries that appearedtowardstheendofXIVcenturyaroundSofiaandwerecalledLittleMount Athos. Historical information about the monasteries was found in the royal decree of Tsar IvanShishman,thelastTurnovotsar.IntheVitoshadeed,astheycalltheroyaldecree IvanShishmancalledthemonastery“VitoshaimmaculatecustodianofGod”andnotes thatfounderanddecoratorofthemonasterywashisfather,TsarIvanAleksandar(1331-1371).NowthedeediskeptintheZographMonastery(MountAthos).Itwasgiventothemonasterybefore1328,i.e.beforethefallofSofiaanditssurroundingareasunderTurkishrule.IntheroyaldecreeIvanShishmangavefullautonomytothemonasteryandordered:“Nooneshoulddaretointerfereinthismonastery...andnoauthorityatallshouldventureto be obstructive to the people from the Vitosha immaculate custodian of God and all such tobechasedawayandthisroyaldecreefromourkingdomtobeshown.OnlytheFather Superioralone...andnooneelseshouldnotventuretodareortotouchahairoftheheadsofthesemonasterypeople...”.ItisthelastwrittendocumentfromShishman’stime.

Oftheoldmonasterycomplexonlythechurchisnowpreserved,decoratedwith noticeablefrescos.Oftheinitialwall-paintingonlyfragmentsstay-thescenesof“Pilate’s trial”,“Judasreturnsthepiecesofsilver”,“ThehangingofJudas”,“Peter’sdenial”,the facesofSt.RomanSweet-singer,St.Peterandothersandinthenarthexofthechurchitisfully preserved. The greater part of the walls is covered with frescos of later times.

Here,onthewesternwall,oldtestimonyscenes“ThehospitalityofAbraham”,“Abraham’ssacrifice”,“ProphetElijainthecave,beingfedbythecraven”andauniquemoralizing scenefrommonasterylife-thesendingofamonkinthesinfulworldoutsidethe monasterytofighttemptations.Thewholevaultarch,theeastern,northernandsouthernwallsofthenarthexareoccupiedbythelarge“Doomsday”composition.

Cultural And Historical Heritage

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InitChristispresentedinradiance,surroundedbyapostlesandangelsin natural,freeandeasyposes.Itisshownhow,attheLastJudgementthe earthandtheseathrowoutthedead,howtheskytwistsasaroll,how angelstrumpetandgathertheresurrecting,howthethroneisprepared forChristandthesupremejudgedividesthejustmenfromthesinners, renderingtothejustmenthekingdomofheaven.Thesignsofthezodiac overtheunfolded“roll”intheskyandthepersonificationsofthewinds (inheritedfromantiquity)arecuriosandraredetails,thatdistinguishthe Dragalevtsi composition. The viewer’s interest is attracted not only by the scenesofthesinners’torturesbutalsobythesalvationofthejustmeninwhose faces (especially those of the holly women) links with real life can be caught,facialfeaturesofpopulartypes,recreatedbythepainter.

Thewesternfacadeoftheoldmonasterychurch,devotedtoVirginMary wasdecoratedalittlelaterwiththeimagesofVirginMaryandofthreeofthemostpopularwarriorssaints-riders.AlsosceneswiththemiraclesofSt.George,St.DimitriandSt.Mercuryeacharepresented.

ThenextstageofrenewalactivityinthemonasterycontinuedduringXVII century. It is then that frescos on the outer northern wall of the church were createdincludingthefacesoffamousmonksoftheEastOrthodoxamongwhichSt.IvanRilskiandSt.PetkaTurnovska.In1932totheoldchurchan extensionandaroundgallerywerebuiltsothatthesefrescosaretodayin theinteriorofthesecondmonasterychurch,adjoinedtotheoldone.

DragalevtsiMonasteryisaplacethatkeptBulgarianculture,traditionsandlanguage during the five centuries of Turkish slavery and in the years of fightingfornationalliberation,oneofthemostactivecentersofthefightforfreedom.ThemonasteryhadoftenbeenvisitedbyVasilLevskiduring1871-1872.

DragalevtsiMonasteryisapreferredtouristsiteduetoitsproximitytoSofia,the automobile road to it available and the beautiful nature.

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KLADNITSA “ST. NICHOLAS” MONASTERY is situated east of Kladnitsa village. The church is in the yard of the monastery. It was reconstructed upon old foundation in 1841. Itisbuiltofstoneandplastered,thereareoldrockswalledinwithimagesandpatterns onthem.Thereisonealtar.ThemetropolitanofSamokovconsecratedit.In1890BishopParteniiconsecratedit.Church-donorwasSpasBurnovfromMarchaevo.Hewas slaughteredinthechurchbySofia’spashawhowasagainstitsbuilding.Therearefrescosfrom1883,someofwhicharesignedbythepainterKostoAnticarovofSamokov.Onlyon the“St.VirginMary”iconthereisasignaturefromtheyearofthechurch’serection.Intheyardofthechurchisthegraveofthechurch-donor.Therearebuildingsforgueststothemonastery.

BOYANA “ST. PANTELEYMON” CHURCH is situated at the border with the park. It is a uniquemonumentofBulgarianspirit,anexceptionalexampleofmedievalBulgarianicon-panting and architecture from that period. As a landmark of world importance it was listed asaworldheritageUNESCOsite.Thischurchisnotanisolatedphenomenon,butisin connectionwithachainofmonumentsinBulgaria,manyofwhichweredestroyedby Ottomaninvaders.

Architecturallythechurchisveryinteresting,itsdesigndatingbacktoV-VIcentury.The complexconsistsofthreesuccessivelybuiltparts,astheoldestchurch,theeastone,wasbuiltinXandXIcenturies.Thetwo-flooredchurch,whichwasaddedtoitinXIIIcentury, is very well connected in architectural aspect with the first one. The third part was built ofstoneinXIVcenturyanddoesnothavearchitecturalandartisticvalue.Itistheworld- famousBoyanachurchfrescosillustratingtheachievementsofBulgarianicon-paintingschoolfromtheMiddleAgesthatisofgreatvaluefortheBulgarianculturalheritage.Theywerepaintedin1259byorderofSebastocratorKaloyan.

Theoldestpart,theeastone,datesbacktothetimeoftheBoyanafortress.Itisbuiltofbricks.Itslayoutisthatofacrosswithequalarms.Itscupolastandsonfourarchesover the cross’s arms. The apse has a semicircular form and one window.

BoyanachurchisfamousbothinBulgariaandabroadmainlyforthehighartisticqualities ofthe1259frescos,whichfollowthedecorativesystemandiconographyofByzantineartfromXI-XIIcentury.Intermsoftheirstyleandmixedfresco-temperatechniquetheBoyana churchwall-paintingsareveryclosetotheXIIIcenturyonesinTarnovo.Theywere createdbyanunknownpainter,aBulgarianwhoworkedinthestyleoftheTarnovoartisticschool.Withtheirvital,humanerealismtheyareaRenaissancephenomenon,atthatinitsculmination phase for the whole European art. They take one of the first places in medieval XIII century European painting.

Cultural And Historical Heritage

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TheBoyanamasterhassucceededtoputinexceptionalforthetimerealism andnewfortheMiddleageshumaneaesthetics.Manisinthecenterof attention-wise,gentle,andcompassionate.TheimagesofJesusaremany. Heispresentedindifferentroles,conditionsandage-ChristAll-powerful, ChristBenefactor,12-year-oldChristinthetemple,etc.IntheBoyanachurch 89differentscenescanbeseenwith240humanimagespainted,together orseparately.TheheightintheBoyanamaster’sworkarethefourchurch- donors’portraits,thoseofSebastocratorKaloyanandhiswifePrincess DesislavaandBulgarianTsarKonstantinAsen(1257-1277)andTsaritsaIrina. Theimagesareaccuratelyindividualizedandthedressanddecorationgive usexactimpressionfortheformalcourtdressinXIIIcentury.Kaloyanis presented with the model of the church he built in his hands.

Thewritingonthechurchsays:“Itwasraisedfromitsfoundations...withthemeans,careandthegreatloveofSevastocratorKaloyan,cousinofthetsar andgrandsonofStefan,Serbianking.ItwaspaintedintheBulgariankingdom atthetimeofthegoodandfaithful,devoutandpiousTsarKonstantinAseninindex7,year6764/1259”

TilltheendofXIXcenturyherehadbeenkeptmanyOld-Bulgarianbooks.Foragesandages,atliturgiesherethenamesofBulgariantsars,patriarchsand boyarshadbeenmentioned,whichkeptthenationalconsciousness.

From 1968 the Boyana church is a national monument of culture.

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Today’s appearance of Vitosha had been formed in the remote past about 80 million years agointheendofthemesozoicera.Wherenowthemountainraisestherehadbeenasea.Onitsbottomhadbeendepositinglayersofsands,limestoneandclay.Theslowrhythm of these processes had been interrupted by intense tectonic activity accompanied by mountainformingmotions.Theearth’slayershadbeenfolding,crushingandsplitting. During upper Cretaceous period in the region of Vitosha began strong active volcanic activity.Underthewatersoftheseagreatamountoflavahadbeenflowing.After implanting of magma in the earth’s crust a rising began of the earth’s surface. As a result a plutonicbodyformed(Vitosha’score),whichstayedunderthesurfaceofthesea.

OntheplaceofVitoshaintheendofthemesozoicandthebeginningoftheneozoiceras adeepcrackhavingnorth-northwest-south-southeastdirectionappeared.Init,atfour successiveimpulsesmagmaimplanted,formingthefourupperlayersoftheplutonicrock:gabbro,monzonite,quartzandgranite.

Vitosha’s plutonic rock after its getting completely cool started ousting upwards. It tore the andesite cover of which only the frame stayed. It raised mostly in its southeast parts where are the high peaks of the mountain as the northwest part descended and covered with Tertiary layers of the Pernik hollow.

ThehighestcentralpartsofVitoshawherearemountsabove2000meters,togetherwithCherniVruh(thehighestpointofthemountain,2290m),aswellasagreatpartofits westernside,arebuiltofVitosha’splutonicrocks.Ithaswedge-shapedform,13kmlong andupto9kmwide.Itiswrappedbykindofanandesitering,tornonlytothesideofthePernikplain,andcoveredwithsediments.Theseandesitesformthesteepnorthernside ofSofiadistrictsKnjazhevo,Bojana,Dragalevtsi,BistritsaandZheleznitsa.Intheplutonic rockaresituatedmountsKamenDel,theKupens,BoyanaWaterfallandothers.Inthe southernpartsoftheplutonicrockarelocatedtheDuhlataCaveandZhivataVodaSpringnearthevillageofBosnekintheStrumaRivervalley.

Nowadays’reliefofthemountainisaresultoftheweathering,erosionandtheactivity of water. Vitosha in its shape stands out as a heap (which differentiates it from our othermountains),withalmostequalsizesatlength(23km)andwidth(18km).Duetothemountain’sheap-likeshapemountsdonotstandoutclearlyfromitsoverallsilhouette. Within the park there are 9 peaks which are above 2000 m high.

Geological Development And Relief

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Actually,whenseenfromSpace,themountainconsistsofseveralconcentriclevelings,oneabovetheother,andofdifferentgeologicalage, formed at the repeated raisings of the earth layers during the mountain’s formation. These levelings correspond to the periods of repose which followed each of Vitosha’s raisings. Active processes of destroying and leveling up of the earth’s surface at which the four Vitosha’s surfaces wereformedaccompaniedtheperiodsofrepose.Thefirstandoldestleveling,formedafterthefirstraisingofVitoshaistheridge’ssurfaceabove 2000mabovesealevelthesecondonestandsoutatthebeltaround1800-2000mabovesealevelthethirdonewasdevelopedat1400-1600mthefourthoneisfoundatabout1200-1400m.Onthelastlevelsurfacesthepeatandbogscameintobeing,keepingupthewatersofVitoshariversallthroughthesummer.HerearemostofVitoshaplateaus,too.Definedinsuchaway,theselevelsdetermineaterracedlandscapeandshowthat themountainhadbeenraisingatstages.Tosomeextentthesestepscorrespondtotheclimateandplantzonesinthemountain.

Asaconsequenceofthesecontinuousrisingprocessesandthecharacteristicbulbouscrackingofthebasicrock-sienite,theunique“stonerivers” of Vitosha were formed which do not have anything in common with the glacial moraines known. Researches made so far relate their formation abovealltothetypeandstructureofthebasicrock.Thesurface’sroundingofarockblockisexplainedontheonehandasaresultofthewater penetratingintothecracks,andontheother-theprocessofthenormalmechanicalweatheringofthebasicrockwhichalsoleadstoasuperficial destroyingparticularlyofribbedpartsofthestoneblocks.Thegravitationprocessesplaymajorrolefortheaccumulationandmovementofthe sieniteblockstothelowerpartsofthevalleys.Themorainesarecharacteristicwithexpressivenessandlargenesswhicharerarelyseeninother Bulgarianmountains.Indifferencefromtaluses,stoneriverscanbefoundnotonlyontheswathsbutalsoonthedifferentsurfacesofthesteps.On VitoshatherearetalusesaroundCherniVruh,theRezens,theBigKupen,SivaGramada,ChernataSkala,etc.

LowmountainsandhollowssurroundVitosha.Withthenearerandlowermountains(LozenskaMountain,Plana,Verila,Ljulin)itisconnected

by saddles. The rest of the mountain ranges that surroundthemountainarethefollowingones:Rila

Mountain(tothesouth-east),RuiMountain(tothewest),StaraPlanina(tothenorth,behindSofia’shollow)andSrednaGora(tothenorth-east).

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Overtheterritoryofthepark61maintypesofhabitatshavebeendistinguished.Because of this variety it was included in the list of places that keep natural values with European importanceontheCORINEBIOTOPESProgram.

The main types of natural habitats are distributed into several main groups. Abiotic componentsoftheenvironment(rivers,waterfalls,caves,rocks,etc.)comprise7ofthem.Foresttypenaturalhabitatsare19andincludethevarietyofbroad-leaved,coniferous andmixedforests.Communitiesofbushesandscrubsaredistributedin8typesofnaturalhabitats. Fourteen are related to the grass communities. Anthropogenic habitats include twotypesofarableland,woodculturesare8types,andtheurbanizedterritoriesare distributed into 3 types.

Fromthenaturalhabitats,listedinAnnexIoftheBiologicalDiversityAct,18types have been specified in the park’s territory. This makes Vitosha Nature Park particularly importantinbuildingtheNationalEcologicalNetworkandrequiresitsdesignationasa protectedarea.HabitatsincludedinAnnexIofDirective92/43oftheEuropeanUnionare of special importance. Within the nature park’s borders 32 types of natural habitats from theAnnexarespecified.Theycover66%ofthepark’sterritory.Mostvaluablearethe foresttypehabitats,steppeandgrasscommunities,moraines,cavesandpeatcomplexes.

Thenaturalspruceforests,beechforestsandripariancommunitiesareofgreatestnatureprotection interest. There are little remains of preserved old coniferous forests along the Vladaiskariverandinthe“BistriskoBranishte”Reserve.Thegreatestpartofthebeech forestsareofoffshootorigin.Smallspotsofoldtreesofmixedorigin(nearDragalevtsi Monastery)remindfortheoncemagnificentbeechforests.Ofripariancommunitiesthe habitats of Common Alder along the rivers in the southern part of the park are particularly interesting.

In the southern parts of the mountain the appearance of the grass vegetation differs from that in its northern parts. The karst base in the area around the village of Bosnek has createdpreconditionsforformationofsteppecommunities,ofwhichamajorspeciesis the European Feather Grass. In this region caves are also concentrated representing a uniquenaturalcomplex.Morethan30cavesareknown,thelongestcaveinBulgaria- “Duhlata”beinghere.

Stoneriversandtalusesareanotherspecificnaturalhabitattype.Atthemtherearea number of representative species from the lower plants (lichens and mosses) and some rare and endemic higher plants.

Natural Habitats

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ThebiggestpeatcomplexinthecountryisbeingpreservedinVitoshaNaturePark.Thepeatcomplexes areprovidedwithwaterindifferentwaysandthepresenceofcertainplantspecies,particularlypeat mosses(Sphagnumgenus)isquitecharacteristicforthem.Thesemosseshavespecialhyaline(dead)cells,which keep the water. In such a way a plant can hold up to 25 times more water than its dry weight. In the conditionsoflowtemperatures,limitedquantityofoxygenandhighacidityofwater,thedecayofplantsis veryslow.Thisleadstoaccumulationofpeat(semi-decomposedorganicmass).Thepeatcanreachsuch thickness that plants on the surface to become fully isolated from underground waters and atmospheric precipitationtobetheonlywayforprovidingmoisture.Peat’sthicknesscanreach7-8mbutinVitoshait doesnotexceed2meters,asthelivingpartoftheplantcovermostoftenisfrom30to50cm.Peatareasin thesouthernpartsofEuropecanbetreatedas“pieces”fromthearctictundra,thathavesurvivedonlyinthehigh mountains after the glacial epochs when they were much more widely spread. The age of Vitosha peat areasvariesinaverywidescope.Theoneconsideredoldestisthepeatareasituatedeastfrom“Kumata” hutwhichdatesbackto1000-1500yearsago.Theyoungestoneisthepeatareabelow“Ostritsa”hutandis about 150 years old.

Forestpeatareasareararelymethabitat.InBulgariatheyoccupylimitedareasinthehighmountains-Rila,RodopiandVitosha.TheyarerarityinEurope,too.Theyhavebeendefinedaspriorityonesforprotection also because of their relict nature. With the warming of the climate after the glacial epochs they have been replacedbyforests.Atplaces,however,theyhavesurvivedamidstforestvegetation.InVitoshatheyoccupysmall areas among spruce forests where through leveled terrains and terraces in the forests come down mountain springs and little rivers.

Forestpeatareasareoftenincomplexeswithmountainripariangrasslands.Theyformstripsalongsprings andlittleriversintheforests.Thewaterisshallow,oftenrunsfastandisdeficientinnutrativesubstances.Thesecommunitiesconsistofbigherbs,oftenwithwideleafswhichisasignthattheygrowunderthe shadowofforests.InBulgaria,includingVitosha,theyarespecificforsomeBalkanendemicscanbeseen inthem.Exceptscientific,thesecommunitieshavealsoestheticalvaluebecauseofthepresenceofsome plants with particularly beautiful flowers.

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ThevegetationofVitoshaNatureParkisextremelyrichanddiverse.Itsformationhas started millions of years ago and it is a result of the specific geological conditions in the mountain and climate changes as well as the active human intervention during the last couple of centuries.

The mountain is a habitat of a great number of higher and lower plant species. This variety canbeobservedallovertheopengreenmeadows,intheriversandcoolforests.

OvertheterritoryofVitoshaNaturePark,about500algaespecieshavebeenencountered in the flowing rivers or permanent calm bodies of water. The open grass area and forests providehabitatforthemushrooms,whicharepresentedby805species.Rarespecies ofmushroomsidentifiedinVitoshaare15,4oftheminhabitingonlythepark’sterritory. Lichensarealsonumerous–over360specieswith22ofthemgrowingonlyinVitosha. Themountainisrichinmosses,too.Threehundredtwentysixspecieshavebeenfound overthepark’sterritory,whichformsabout47%ofthemossflorainBulgaria.Mossesarespreadacrossallmountainbeltsandoccurinvarioustypesofhabitats.Thereare13rare, 8 vulnerable and 7 endangered moss species.

Onethousandfourhundredeightyninehigherplantspecieshavebeendescribedforthe territory of Vitosha which is about half of the higher flora of Bulgaria and one third more than the whole flora of Great Britain. Ten of these species are distributed only in Bulgaria (Bulgarianendemics)whiletheBalkanendemicsaremuchmore.Fifty-nineoftheplant species that inhabit the nature park are listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria.

The diversity of tree and shrub species (about 150) is not smaller than that of flowering plants.Manyofthemareofextraordinaryconservationimportance.Somerelicttree species,whichsurvivedformergeologicalepochs,occurinthepark’sterritory,such astheMacedonianpine (Pinus peuce) -Tertiaryrelictthatisdistributedonlyonthe Balkanpeninsula.OneofthebiggestareascoveredbyanotherTertiaryrelict-theYew (Taxus baccata) is located in Vitosha and is a remainder of even wider formation largely devastated by the human interference. There are about 100 trees in the territory of VitoshaNatureParkofathirdrelictandendemicfortheBalkanPeninsulaspecies-the Heldreich’sMaple(Acer heldreichii). Willow family (Salicaceae) includes a species which isprotected-theBayWillow(Salix pentandra). This species is listed in the Red Data Book under“endangered”category.ThelastsurvivinghabitatoftheBayWillowinBulgariais locatedinVitosha-neartheHutofArtists.

Theroundyellowflowersofoneoftherarefloweringplants,includedinBulgarianRed Data Book can be seen high in the mountain in the open areas. This is the Globe Flower (Trollius europaeus),knownalsoasVitoshaTulipwhichperiodofblossomingstartsinthe beginningofJune.Anotherrareplantwithbeautifulyellowflowers,fromtheButtercup family (Ranunculaceae) is the Gold Columbine (Aquilegia aurea). It is endemic species for theBalkanPeninsula.OneofthemostbeautifulandrareflowersinVitoshaistheFairy Flower (Lilium jankae).Unfortunately,itsnumberisdecreasingasaresultoftheinterest that it raises among the uninformed visitors of the park. The Fairy Flower is included in the lists of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats which indicates its decrease at European level.

Plant Diversity

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HalfofthespeciesofOrchidfamily(Orchidaceae) growing in Bulgaria are also found in Vitosha. The Traunsteinera (Traunsteinera globosa) and European Lady’sTresses(Spiranthes automnalis) are representative species of this family listedintheBulgarianRedDataBookunderthecategory“rare”.Allspeciesof Orchidaceae are listed in and protected by the Convention on the International TradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora(CITES).Aseldom occurring species of Listeragenusbelongstothisfamily.Localpeoplecalltheseplantswiththecommonname“shelter”,probablybecausetheirflowersare sheltered between two big leaves. In the spruce forest along the upper reach of VladayskaRiver,thefamousBulgarianbotanistBorisKitanovfoundin1938averyrare Listera species.

In the high and open parts of the mountain two insectivorous species can be found:theCommonSundrew(Drosera rotundifolia) and (Pingicula vulgaris). Pingicula vulgaris is encountered in not too damp places in the peat reserve “TorfenoBranishte”whiletheSundrewgrowsonthewetmicro-loweringsinthepeat bogs.

Balkan endemics that inhabit Vitosha Nature Park are the Bulgarian Gentian (Gentianella bulgarica)whichiswidelydistributed,particularlyalongthetouristtrails in the upper parts of the park and Iris reichenbachii which has beautiful flowers and therefore is often gathered illegally by tourists. Bulgarian endemic species which grow over the territory of Vitosh Nature Park are also interesting. Mostcharacteristicofthemare Jasione bulgarica, Minuartia bulgarica and the Wood-rush species Lusula deflexa.

The nearness of Vitosha to the capital city makes the mountain resources very vulnerable.Letushaveresponsiblebehaviorthatdoesnotspoiltheharmonyandbeauty which nature has created for us.

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TherichanddiverseinvertebratefaunaistypicalforVitoshaMountain.Themountainis arepresentativespothostinguniquecommunitiesofinvertebrateanimals.Accordingto itsnumberofendemic,rareandendangeredspeciesVitosharangesatsecondplacein Bulgaria.Onehundredfortyeightendemicspecies(BulgarianandBalkan),threehundred rarespeciesandeighty-fivespeciesofrelictinvertebrates,eighteenofwhichtypical Arcto-Alpineglacialrelicts,arespreadhere.Theundergroundinvertebratefaunainthe regionofBosnek’skarstisparticularlyoriginal.Somecrustaceanspeciesarefoundonly in Vitosha caves and thus known for the science. Cave dwelling organisms are adapted to specificmicroenvironment,whichmakesthemextremelyvulnerabletoitsdeviations,andtherefore these organisms are protected by the law.

Typical insects of the mountain are the Great Capricorn Beetle (Cerambix cerdo),the cerambycid beetle Morimusfunereus,variousspeciesofwoodants(Formicasp.)and others.Asaresultofhabitatchanges,andprobablyotherreasons,oneofthemost beautifulandpopularbutterflies–theRedApolloButterfly(Parnassius apollo) has become extinctinVitosha.Accordingtosomeresearcherssimilardestinyhasbefallenalsothe diurnal butterfly Colias caucasica balcanica which is Balkan endemic.

Vitosha is deficient in fish diversity. The middle and upper reaches of the rivers are mainly inhabited by the Brown Trout (Salmo trutta fario).Inthepast,almostallofVitoshariverswere planted with artificially bred Brown Trout but also with untypical of the mountain alien species such as Charr and Rainbow Trout. Currently the fish populations are reduced in number. Aiming at improving their state Vitosha Nature Park Directorate planted two of the rivers in the park with Brown Trout.

Twentyfourreptilesandamphibianshavebeendistinguishedinthepark,amongwhich theFireSalamander(Salamandra salamandra),CrestedNewt(Triturus cristatus),CommonTree Frog (Hyla arborea),andAesculapianSnake(Elaphe longissima).

Duringdifferentseasonsoftheyearapproximately200speciesofbirdscanbeobserved inVitosha,120ofwhichbreedhere.Oneofthemostcharacteristicinhabitantsofspruce forests is the Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). This bird often reveals its presence byitsspecificcrack.SpruceforestsarealsoinhabitedbytheGoldcrest (Regulus regulus),Coal Tit (Parus ater),Crossbill(Loxia curvirostra),Siskin(Carduelis spinus),Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)andothers.OftenGreatSpottedWoodpecker (Picoides major) and Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) can be seen. The Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Buzzard(Buteo buteo),Long-leggedBuzzard(Buteo rufinus),Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and others are among the predatory birds encountered in Vitosha Nature Park. Inthemixedwoodlandsofseldomvisitedareas,theHazelHen (Bonasa bonasa) can be observedthoughrarely.Theopensub-alpinebeltisinhabitedbytheBalkanHornedLark (Eremophila alpestris balcanica),WaterPipit(Anthus spinoletta),RockThrush (Monticola saxatilis),Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra),AlpineAccentor(Prunella collaris),andRingOuzel(Taurus torquatus).

SomenocturnalbirdsofpreythatoccurintheareaaretheTawnyOwl(Strix aluco),Long-earedOwl(Asio otus),LittleOwl(Athene noctua),arareowlspecies-Tengmalm’sOwl(orRough-leggedOwl)(Aegolius funereus) and others.

ThesmallmammalsofgreatestdistributionaretheEuropeanWaterShrew(Neomys fodiens),Miller’sWaterShrew(Neomys anomalus),BicolouredWhite-toothedShrew (Crocidura leucodon),CommonDormouse(Muscardinus avellanarius),ForestDormouse(Dryomys nitedula) and others.

Fauna

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Uptonow,13speciesofbatshavebeenencounteredinVitosha,some ofwhichare:LesserHorseshoeBat(Rhinolophus hipposideros),Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumeqinum),GreaterMouse-earedBat (Myotis myotis),LesserMouse-earedBat(Myotis blythi),ParticolouredBat(Vespertilio murinus),GreyLong-earedBat (Plecotus austriacus),CommonBent-wingBat(Miniopterus schreibersii) and others. Greatest is the number of bats in the caves of Bosnek’s karst area. As a result of the enormous interest inthispartofthemountain,thequantityofbatcolonieshasbeengreatlyreduced.Batsare particularly vulnerable and very often suffer unscrupulous attitude. All bat species are protected by the Biological Diversity Act.

Somelargemammalscanstillbeencounteredintheundisturbedplacesofthemountain. These are Red Deer (Cervus elaphus),RoeDeer(Capreolus capreolus),WildBoar(Sus scrofa),BrownBear(Ursus arctos) and Wolf (Canis lupus). As a result of poaching and disturbance,thenumberofthesespecieshasdecreasedimmenselyinthelastyearsand currently they are slowly recovering. The mountain provides shelter for the European Hare (Lepus europaeus),RedFox(Vulpes vulpes),CommonOtter(Lutra lutra),CommonWildCat (Felix silvestris)andothers.Somenon-nativespecieshavebeenimportedintheparksuchas FallowDeer,Mouflon,SikaDeer,Marmot,Elk,Ibex,AmericanMinkandBlackGrouse.Allofthem have disappeared immediately or shortly after their introduction in the mountain.

The recovery of the population of the Balkan Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balkanica),aspecies whichhasbeenextinctinthemountainsincemorethan100years,wasinitiatedin2002intheterritoryofVitoshaNaturePark.TheprojectisimplementedbyVitoshaNatureParkDirectorateinpartnershipwithBalkaniWildlifeSocietyandStateGameStation“Vitoshko-Studena”andwiththefinancialsupportoftheNationalTrustEco-fund,NationalForestBoard,FrankfurtZoologicalSocietyandOperationalProgrammeEnvironment2007-2013.AfterthesuccessfulcompletionoftheprojectaspeciesthreatenedatEuropeanlevelwillreturninthemountain.

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Vitoshaisextremelyrichinwaterresources-springs,rivers,streamsandwaterfalls. The main Balkan Peninsula’s watershed passes at the ridge of the mountain dividing AegeanfromBlackSeacatchmentbasins.AllriversrisingfromVitoshaarefeedersof theIskarorStrumaRiversandasbothbigriversbelongtodifferentcatchmentbasins- theBlackSeaoneandtheAegeanoneVitoshariverscanbedividedintotwogroups- thosethatflowawaytotheBlackSeaandthosetotheAegeanSea.Riversbelongingto theBlackSeacatchmentbasinarethefollowingones:Palakaria,Kurtova,Zheleznishka, Ljava,Bistrishka,Janchevska,Simeonovska,Dragalevska,Boyanska,Vladayska.Rivers belongingtotheAegeancatchmentbasinarethefollowingones:Struma,Matnitsa, Tanchovitsa,Rudarshtitsa.

TheStrumaRiver,thelargestoneinsouthwesternBulgaria,risesfromVitosha.Itslength totheBulgarian-Greekborderis285kmanditstotallength-415km.

OtherbigVitoshariversaretheonesVladayska,Boyanska,Dragalevska,Bistritsa, Zheleznishka(Iskar’sfeeders)andKladnishkaandMatnitsa(Struma’sfeeders).

MostofVitosharivershavetheirbeginningfromthepeatswampswhicharevastbogs in the alpine part of the mountain. The peat on Visokoto plato (or the High Plateau) is the biggestone.ThisisalsothemostessentialalpinepeatcomplexinBulgariawhichwas pronounced Torfeno (Peat) Branishte Reserve with a total area of 783 hectares. With its specificstructurepeathasexceptionalwaterretainingqualities.Itsthicknessreaches2 meters depth at places. Rain waters as well as water from melting snow penetrating into thepeat’scoverdrainveryslowlyandsustaintheexistenceofdampmeadowsandbogs all year round. Capacity of the springs and rivers that rise from the reserve and provide drinkingwaterforthecityofSofiaisconstant,too.Thatiswhythewholeareaofthe reservehasbeenincludedinthewater-providingzoneofthecity.

ExceptforthecapitalcitythemountainismajorsourceofdrinkingwaterforthetownofPernik.Vitoshawatersarebeingusedforthewater-supplyofBankja,Radomir,DolnoDragitchevo and towns and villages from the entire foothills area. Territories in the park withsanitary-protectiveimportancefordrinkingwatersupplysurpass60%ofthepark’s area.

Nowadays Vitosha lacks natural mountain lakes but there are historic data that confirm the presence of two of them till the middle of 19th century. According to some authors (Prof.Deliradev)thosenaturalVitoshalakesweredriedatthetimeoftheOttomanrule for the needs of mining. The site where the two lakes had been located is now called “SuhotoEzero”(ortheDryLake).TherearenonaturallakesinVitoshabutartificialwater areashavebeencreatedinreturn.StudenaDamLake,thebiggestone(itsareabeing 1416decares),issituatedinthewesternpartofthemountainandwasbuildwiththeaim tosupplyPernikwithwater.AnotherartificiallakeisBoyanaLake,locatedneartheroundpathDragalevtsi-Boyana.Ithasbeencreatedontheplaceofalargewetzone.

Vitoshaisextremelyrichinsprings.Theiroverallnumberexceeds40,about33are appropriatefordrinkingwatersupply.Greatpartofthemarecaughtforlocalneeds, mainly leisure and tourism spots as well as wayside fountains (about 240). The water of Vitosha’sspringsandwellsisfamousforitsnicetaste.ThesuperbqualitiesofVitosha water are thought to be related to the conditions of their running through the cairns.

Water

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Vitoshaspringsaredividedintothreegroupes:thermal,undergroundandkarstones.

Thermalspringsarelocatedatthefoothillsofthemountain(Rudartsi, Knjazhevo,Zheleznitsa,Pancharevo).Thesemineralspringsarewarm,of temperatures between 28° and 32°C,slightlymineralized,properforhealing and drinking purposes. Vitosha springs are in contact with the depths under Vitosha from which they receive their warmth. Temperature as well as their mineralizationvariesaccordingtotheirundergroundrouteandtherockand mineral layers that they go through. It can be seen that the closer the springs aretothemassif,thelowerthetemperatureoftheirwateris.

Karst springs are situated in the southwestern limestone parts. The site called ZhivataVoda(3kmwestofChuipetlovo)consistsofdeeplimestoneand dolomite layers. The whole Bosnek’s karst region to which the site belongs aboundsincaves,undergroundstreamsandrivers.Thepulsatingkarstspringnamed“ZhivataVoda”(orLivingWater)whosepulsationisexplainedwithits oddinterconnected-vesselsstructureisparticularlyinteresting.Vreloto,near thevillageofKrapets,isthebiggestkarstspringintheregionandisasourceofdrinking water for the town of Radomir.

Underground springs appear throughout the mountain.

ThefamousBoyanaWaterfallisinVitosha,too.ItissituatedonBoyanskaRiver at1200mheightabovesealevel,fallofthewaterbeing15m.

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OnthesouthernsideofVitosha,onareaabout30km2thatincludespartoftheterritoryaroundthevillagesofBosnekandChuipetlovo,issituatedBosnek’skarstregion.Almost all of its territory is within the borders of Vitosha Nature Park. The karst rocks occupy an area of 23 km2. The district’s relief is mountainous with about 900 m average height above sealevel.Karstregionshavespecificsuperficialrelief-sharpgroovesandedgesclosed negativeforms-whirlpoolsandhollows,dryvalleys,withoftensteepslopesandniches inthemisolatedrocksandheightsaswellasthemostpopularundergroundforms-cavesand abysses.

Karstformsintheregionaredevelopedintorocks-limestoneanddolomites.Thewaters oftheStrumaRiverplayanimportantroleintheserocks’karstingandinformingthe underground hydrographic network. Precipitation is second in importance. Rainfalls and meltingsnowquicklypenetrateunderthegroundandgooutinthelowestpartsaskarstsprings.Thesewatersarethemainfactorforcave,abyssesandsuperficialkarstforms formation.

TherearetwomajorandunconnectedkarstsystemsalongStrumariverbed:thatof DuhlataandtheoneofVreloto.ThezonearoundZhivataVodaSpringsistreatedasa separate system.

ThefirstwritteninformationaboutcavesinBosnek’sregiondatesbackto1900.Since 1964theregionhasbeenasubjectofsystematicspeleologicalstudieswhichprovethat undergroundkarstintheregionisverywelldeveloped.Over40cavesandabysseshave become known.

ThelongestandoneofthemostbeautifulcavesinBulgaria-Duhlataishere.Itisa complex,multi-flooredlabyrinthcavewith6undergroundrivers.Thetotallengthofthe undergroundgalleriesexceeds18km.PartofthecaveisdevelopedunderthemodernbedoftheStrumaRiver.Thevarietyofundergroundkarstformsandcavecrystalsisgreatas well as that of different types of cave sediments. Part of the cave galleries widen into large underground halls.

VrelotoCaveisthesecondlongestoneintheregion(5,3km).Itisacomplextwo-floored cave with internal abysses with underground rivers running through it. The cave’s total displacement is +90 meters. The underground river has been studied along 1600 m of its length. The galleries discovered are enormous in their volume and arefilledwithmoonmilk,crystalsandformations.Alargecemeteryofprehistoric animals has also been discovered.

ThebiggestundergroundhallinBulgariaislocatedinVrelotoCavecalled“Myfriends”(230/40/30m),aswellasthe“smaller”“Hallofmagicians”(62/25/35m)and “Hallofthebigtaluses”(60/50/10m).Despiteitsbigsize,VrelotoCaveishardtoget

Bosnek’s Karst

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inforitisawaterone,demandsalongstayundertheground,onehastopassthroughmany unstableblockades,semi-siphons,etc.

“PPD”caveisthedeepestabysscaveintheregionwitha125-mdisplacementand1020m galleries’ length. Great part of the galleries’ walls and floor is covered with a cave clay layer. ItisthesecondmostdifficultcaveinBulgaria.Afterasequenceofhorizontalgalleriesand abysses an underground spring is reached which is connected to the system of Vreloto Cave. Thecavesystem“PPD-Vreloto”hasatotallengthofabove30kmandtotaldisplacementof -180m.

IntheregionnearZhivataVodaSpringsthreecavesareknown.Theoneofthesamename “ZhivataVoda”is240mlong.Itisahorizontalcave,wherefragmentsofceramicshavebeen foundclosetotheentry.Mostinterestingisthepulsatingkarstspringnearit.

VodnataCave(orTheWaterCave)isashortspringcave(downfloorof“ZhivataVoda”)about 30mlong.“SuhataPeshtera”(ortheDryCave)representsadevelopedundergroundhall50-60mlongandmaximum7-8mhigh.

“Akademic”isahorizontalwatercave320-mlong,partoftheundergroundhydrologysystemof“Duhlata”.Exceptionallybeautiful,itendswithabighallabout60mlongand5-6mhigh.Oneofthe longest pipe stalactites in the region can be seen here.

Visitors of the underground world often encounter the mysterious bats. In Bosnek’s karst region 10batsspecieshavebeendiscovered,astheLesserandGreaterHorseshoebatscanbe seen all year round. Because of the intense cave tourism the once popular bat colonies have disappeared.

InVitosha13batspecieshavebeenencounteredor45%ofthetotalof29inthecountry. All species are protected under the law.

Caves are sources of diverse information about the development of material and spiritual cultureofmankind,animalsandplantsthathaveinhabitedtheplanetinprehistoricandhistoric time.Cavelayers(sediments)containmaterialremainsfromthelifeofmanfromtheStoneAge tillMedievaltimesaswellasbonematerialfromanimalsthatlivedbeforeandafterthe appearanceoftherationalman(Homosapiens).Usually,theseremainsarewellconservedin thelayersfortheyhavenotbeenexposedtotheouterenvironment’simpact.Becauseofthe specificityofthecavesedimentationallmaterialsinthelayersareinchronologicalsequence. Everybreakofthelayers’sequenceleadstoanimpossibilitytodatethefindings.

Theundergroundworldisveryvulnerableandweshouldnotbreakitsfragileequilibriumbyourpresence.

Through Bosnek’s karst region pass important hiking routes connecting the southern parts of the mountain with Cherni Vruh and the northern parts.

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Bistrishko Branishte Reserve is one of the first Bulgarian reserves. It was established in 1934 together with the promulgationofpartofVitoshaMountainforaprotectedarea.Theideaofpreservingthisvaluableterritoryis reflectedalsointhenameofthereserveas“branishte”,comingfromawordinBulgarianwhichmeans“toguard, toprotect”.

Theobjectiveofdesignatingthisterritoryasareserveistopreservethenaturalanduntouchedstateofthehighmountainspruceforests,sub-Alpinegrasscommunities,rockformations,andstonerivers.

In1977thereservewasdeclaredasanUNESCOBiosphereReserveundertheProgramme“Manandthe Biosphere”–MAB.Underthisprogrammepatternsofpreservednaturalsitescharacteristicwiththeirimmense diversityofplantandanimalspeciesareidentified.Togetherwith16otherreservesinBulgaria,Bistrishko Branishte is part of the global network of Biosphere Reserves.

BistrishkoBranishteBiosphereReserveislocatedonthenortheasternslopeofVitoshaMountain.Thehighest pointinthereserveis2,286maboveseelevelandthelowestis1,430maboveseelevel.Itslocation,alongwith thecharacteristicsofthemountain,resultsinthepresenceofvariouslandscapes.

Forestsarethewealthofthereserve.Theycover52%ofitsterritorywhiletherestofitiscoveredwithmeadows,sub-Alpinegrassformations,rocksandstonerivers.

Spruces(Picea abies)arethemaintreespeciesandtheyarerepresentedby7formsandvarieties,which classifiesthereserveasaterritoryofEuropeanconservationimportance.Therearepreservedsingle140-150 sprucetrees,withadiameterof1.3mandaverageheightof25m.FragmentsofapreviouslylargeMountainPinelayer (Pinus mugo)alsooccurhere.SomewidespreadspeciesinthespruceforestsaretheCommonJuniper (Juniperus communis),EuropeanHazelnut(Corylus avellana),MountainCranberry(Vaccinium vitis-idaea), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) etc.

Thesub-Alpinezoneofthereserverepresentsamotleymosaicofgrassandbushcommunities,rocks,stone riversandriverbogs.Thatistherichestinspeciesvegetationzone.

Inthereserveaswellasinthepark,themostremarkablearetheStoneRivers-uniquegeologyphenomenafor VitoshaMountain.WithintherangeofBistrishkoBranishteReservetworockstreamscanbenoticedwhichare found along the valley of Bistritsa River. These are disorderly piled enormous pieces of rock different in their shapeandsize.

The relatively small area of Bistrishko Branishte Reserve impresses mainly with its great diversity which includes large number of endemic and relict species.

Thereisaremarkablediversityofplantspeciespreservedinthereserve-about500speciesofalgae,more thanhalfofthe360speciesoflichensidentifiedintheparkandmorethan500mushrooms.Ninety-ninemosses representedindifferentecologicalgroupsandabout450vascularplantspecieshavebeenexplored.

Amongthesignificantplantswithnatureconservationvalue,21specieshavebeenlistedinBulgaria’sRedData Book.SomeofthemaretheGlobeFlower(Trollius europaeus),Anemone(Anemone narcissiflora),YellowGentian(Gentiana lutea),Bearberry(Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi),Round-leavedWintergreen(Pyrola rotundifolia),the distribution of which in Bulgaria is limited only to Vitosha.

The Balkan endemics are presented in the reserve with the Crocus (Crocus veluhensis),GoldColumbine (Aquilegia aurea),aswellastheFairyFlower (Lilium jankae) which locality in the reserve is one of the several placesinthecountrywherethisspeciesgrows.ABulgarianendemicistheWood-rushspeciesLuzula deflexa. It is a rare and globally endangered species.

Therearemorethan25speciesfromtheOrchidfamily(Orchidaceae)inthereserve.ExceptionallyrareforVitoshaMountainamongthesespeciesistheGlobeOrchid(Trausteinera globosa) which in Bulgaria can be seen only in Vitosha and Pirin mountains. This species is listed as globally rare plant.

Bistrishko Branishte Biosphere Reserve

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Theconiferousforestsandsub-Alpinevegetationinthereserveareapre-conditionforgreatdiversity in the animal world. The conservation of many of the species is not only of national but also of European importance.

Abouttwo-thirdsoftheInvertebrates(804speciesandsubspecies)identifiedintheparkhavebeenfoundhere.Thehighestnumberofrare,endemicandrelictspeciesisthatoftheSpiders(Aranea) and Butterflies (Lepidoptera).

ThenumberofsmallRodentsisalsohigh.TheSnowVole(Chionomys nivalis) is an interesting representativeoftheMicefamily,beingararespecieswhichcamehereduringtheIceAgeandstillliving in the reserve surviving several geological periods. The Nannospalax leucodonisinhabitantofthesub- Alpinezone.ThespecieislistedintheEurope’sRedDataBookandthelistsofgloballythreatenedspecies.

The world of birds is also rich and varied. We can find all species typical of coniferous forests. Among them are the Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes),Goldcrest(Regulus regulus),Siskin (Carduelis spinus),Bullfinch (Pirrhula pyrrhula),andsomespeciesofWoodpeckers’family.TheCrossbill(Loxia curvirostra) and Rough-leggedOwl(Aegolius funereus) are also typical representatives of the coniferous forests and glacial relicts.

MostofthepredatorsandungulatesinhabitingVitoshaandtherestofBulgarianmountainsare encounteredinthereserve.ListedattheEuropeanRedDataBookandtheRedDataBookofBulgariaare the Wolf (Canis lupus),CommonWildCat(Felis silvestris),BrownBear(Ursus arctos),andthePineMarten(Martes martes).

BistrishkoBranishteReserveisexclusivestateproperty.Theconservationofthisnaturalecosystem requiresstrictregimeofprotectionwhichstipulatesallkindsofactivities.Theregimeandconservationof thereservearesetwithProtectedAreaAct.Visitswithresearchandeducationpurposesareonlyallowed, as passing of tourists is permitted only along the marked trails.

Endemic species-aspeciesoccurringonlyinaspecific geographic regionRelict species -aspeciespreservedfromoldergeologicalepochsGlacial relicts-speciesofArcticorigin,whichsettledonthe present-dayterritoryofBulgariaduringtheIceAge

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The Peat Branishte Reserve preserves the largest highmountain peat complex in Bulgariaalong with the moisture loving vegetation related to it. The reserve was designated in 1935. Todayitstotalareais783hectares.ItissituatedonthenorthernslopeofVitoshaMountain,ataltitude from1,750 to2,290mabovesea level. It includesa largepartof theso-called VitoshaPlateau,fromwhichtheVladayskaandtheBoyanskaRiversrise.

Peat forming in the reservebeganmore than1,500years ago. Presently thedepthof the peat cover is up to 2 m and continues to increase by about 1 mm annually.

Peat is formed mainly by Sphagnum mosses. The specific characteristic of the species of this genus is that every year the lower part of the stem decays and the higher continues to grow.Undertheconditionsofrelativelylowtemperatures,highhumidityandlackofoxygen,the decayed stems are not completely decomposed and form the peat.

The history of the development of park vegetation in the mountain is recorded in the peat layers. The pollen from the surrounding forests fell into the peat layers. Each pollen mote hasa firmcoverandcan remain fora long time,even for thousandsofyears in theearth sediments and peat bogs. It was found that most of the pollen identified recently in the peatbelongs to specieswhichare the sameaspresent-day species in theVitosha forests:Spruce, Scots Pine, Silver Fir and Beech. This proves that the forest structure in the highpart of Vitosha has not changed since the glacial epoch.Only the quantitative proportionamong the species has changed. This gives us grounds to assume that the principal changes in plantassociations resultednotonly fromchanges in theclimaticconditions,butalso from human activities.

With its specific structure, peat possesses exceptional water-retaining properties. The rainfalls and the melting snow waters drain very slowly and thus maintain the wet grasslands and swamps all year long.

A specific vegetation complex has been formed in the reserve, connected with the peat andexcessivelywetterrains.Fourbushyand14grassassociationshavebeenidentified.

Thereisaremarkablediversityofplantspeciesinthereserve.Some100speciesandvarie-ties of mosses and more than 200 algae species occur in the peat lands and other wetlands. Thepeat-formingspeciescomprise9representativesofthepeatmosses(Sphagnum genus) and 12 of the green mosses (Bryum genus). Thousands of drought-resistant mosses are typical for the dry and rocky territories in the reserve.

Higher plants widespread in the wetlands are the Red Avens (Geum coccineum), Grass- of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris),SnowGentian (Gentiana nivalis),Round-leavedSaxifrage(Saxifraga rotundifolia), White-flowered Veratrum (Veratum lobelianum), Marsh Marigold(Caltha alpestris),MountainButtercup(Ranunculus montanus),StarSedge(Carex echinata),Bird’s-eyePrimrose(Primula farinosa),etc.

Vast areas of the well developed Sphagnum cover are occupied by the low bushes of LaplandWillow(Salix lapponum),GoatWillow(Salix caprea) and other representative species ofhigh-mountainouswillows.

Among the rare vascular plants there are two insectivorous plants - Pinguicula balcanica and Common Sundrew (Drosera rotundifolia). Here one can also find the beautiful gold-en-yellow round flowers of the Globe Flower (Trollius europaeus) which is also known as Vitosha Tulip.

Peat Branishte Reserve

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In the reserve can be observed some species that occur today only on the Balkan Peninsula (Balkan endemics). These are the Angelica pancicii and the Senecio pancicii. The latter impresses with its bright orange blossoms.

Atotalof12speciesincludedintheRedDataBookofBulgariaareidentifiedinthePeatreserveas“rare”plants.

Thesub-Alpinewetmeadows, swampsandpeatlandsaswell the rockcomplexes in theReserveare suitablehabitats for the rich and diverse animal world. The invertebrate fauna is presented by more than 200 species and about 20 families.

The largest number of rare species, specieswith local distribution (endemics), and species frompast geological epochs (relicts) is thatoftheSpiders(Aranea). Four species of spiders could be seen only in Bulgaria (Bulgarian endemics).

Morethan110speciesofdiurnalbutterfliesgivebrightnessandcolourtotheVitoshanature.About33fromthesespeciesarelistedasglobalandEuropeanendangeredbyextinctionspecies.

There are not many Amphibian and Reptile species that inhabit the cold peat land. The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is the only Amphibian that survivesthelongwinterinthesevereconditionsintothepeatandthesprings.ViviparousLizard(Lacerta vivipara) also inhabits wet meadows and peat anddominatesintheupperzonesofVitosha.ThelizardaswellastheCommonFrogispreservedfromearliergeologicalperiods(glacialrelict).Thetwospecies are protected under the Bulgarian legislation.

Foravianrepresentatives thiszone isan important trophicbase,especially forsomerepresentativesofFalconidae family,whichhuntontheground. The sub-Alpine zoneof the reserve is important for theexistenceof theendemicBalkan subspeciesof theBalkanHornedLark (Eremophila alpestris balcanica) and the subspecies of Alpine Accentor (Prunella collars subalpina).

Peat lands and wet meadows provide shelter for the remarkable Rodent Regnum. The dense grass cover and moss tufts are the place where the Vole (Microtus arvalis) and the Micromys minutus raise their offspring. SnowVole (Chionomys nivalis) is also a representativeof theMice family andhas survived several geological epochs. Typical for the highest part of the reserve is also the Nonnaspalax leucodon,threatenedwithextinctiononaglobalscale.

Rocks and bushes are the favorite places for the Weasel (Mustela nivalis)andtheBeechMarten(Martes foina).

The Wolf is also one of the inhabitants of this mountain world. It is listed as endangered species in the European Red Data Book. The Roe Deer and Red Deer are other representatives of the large mammals.

ThePeatBranishteReserve is exclusive stateproperty. The strict regimeofprotectionof the reserve stipulates all kindsof activities. Themovement oftouristsisallowedonlyalongthemarkedtrails.VisitsforresearchpurposesshouldbemadewiththepermissionoftheMinistryofEnvironmentandWater.

Endemic species-aspeciesoccurringonlyinaspecific geographic regionRelict species -aspeciespreservedfromoldergeologicalepochsGlacial relicts-speciesofArcticorigin,whichsettledonthe present-dayterritoryofBulgariaduringtheIceAge

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VitoshaNatureParkisthemostvisitedprotectedareainBulgariawithover2,5million visitorseveryyear.Thislong-termtendencyhasitsbeginningfromtheyearsintheendof19thcentury.Atthetime,righthere,inVitosha,Bulgarianorganizedtourismwasborn.

ThepathpassingthroughthevillageofZheleznitsaandCherniVruhtoVladayaand Knjazhevoisoneofthemainroutesinthemountain.AlongitAlekoKonstantinovrealizedthefirstclimbingofCherniVruhon24July1889.Onhisfirstexcursionheandagroup offriendsstartedfromSofiaandthroughGorubljane,GermanMonastery-Pancharevo,KokaljaneMonasteryandthevillageofZheleznitsamadetheirwaytoCherniVruh.AtthesitecalledUrvichtheydecided,charmedbythebeautifulnature,tocreateatouristclub thatresembledEuropeanalpineclubs.Itsexistencecontinuedfor7yearsandincluded hikingnotonlyinVitoshabutalsoinRilaandRodopiMountains.

In1895,on12August,AlekoKonstantinovextendedaninvitationthrough“Zname” newspaperforanexcursiontoCherniVruh.Theparticipationof300peoplefromSofia andthesurroundingareaspeaksforthesuccessofthisexcursionwhichtookplaceon27 August.ThatnoticeableeventputthestartoforganizedtourisminBulgaria.

ThefirstBulgariantouristsociety“AlekoKonstantinov”wascreatedon20July1899bythearchitectGeorgiKozarevandsixothertouristsduringtheIlindenfairinKnjazhevo.ItwasthenthatAlekoKonstantinov’sphrase“Gettoknowyourcountrysothatyoucometoloveit”becamealsothemottoofBulgariantourists.

In1901intheregionofDragalevtsiMonasterythefirsttouristsignificationinthecountrywas put directing the way to Cherni Vruh.

Exceptwithhikingtourism,Vitoshaisalsoconnectedwiththefirsteventsinalpinismand ski sport. Practicing alpinism in the park dates back to 1929. That happened in the region of theKominiteandRezenМounts.ThereSofiacitizens’firstrockclimbingstookplace.

SkiinginBulgariabeganin1915intheareabelowCherniVruhandin1918thefirstski- groupwascreatedattheSofia“Vitosha”divisionoftheJuveniletouristunion.Nowadays17%ofthepark’svisitorsgoskiingatthetwoskicenters,“Aleko”and“Vetrovala- Konjarnika”

The increased visits of the park in the beginning of 20th century called for building of touristhutsandshelters.In1905nearthespringsoftheStrumaRiverthefoundations werelaidofthefuture“Aleko”hut.Initiatorswerethemembersoftouristsociety“Aleko Konstantinov”.Unfortunately,lackofresourcesinthebeginningandthewarsafterwardsstopped the nice initiative. In 1922 the idea was reborn and in the summer of the same yeartwotouristdug-outswerecreated,“Aleko”and“HristoKostov”,andconstruction of“Aleko”hutbegan.In1924thenewhutwasopened.Thesmallone“Fonfon”(1926) followed,aswellas“Kumata”hut(1926),“Vulchataskala”shelter(1929),“Selimitsa”hut(1930),“Kamendel”hut(1931).

The date 24 December 1923 is considered to be the starting date of mountain rescuing. Itwasthenthatthebesttouristsfrom“AlekoKonstantinov”societycreatedaspecial group.ThatdecisionwasmadeafterthedisappearingofPetarDimitrov-PetretoduringanexcursioninVitosha.InDecember1933onBulgarianAlpineClub’sinitiativetheMountainRescueServicewasalsocreated,itsfirstpermanentpostsbeinglocatedinVitoshahuts.

Tourism

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VitoshaNatureParkisbirthplaceoftouristorientationinourcountry,too.Intheautumnof1954near“Aleko”hut28instructorsandtouristsgatheredinordertowritedowntherulesofthissports-tourist discipline.

Nowadays the overall length of paths and alleys leading the park’s visitorstothetouristcentersisover300km.Theyjoin14townsand villages from the foothills to the ridge parts of the mountain. The alleys network consists of radial and round alleys. In their greater part the alleys are marked with band signification in different colors according to the routs set. In the open Vitosha areas metal poles signification has been provided for orientation during the winter months of the year. Possiblesnow-slipplaceshavebeenmarkedwithsignsreferringtotheborder with the dangerous sections.

Since the fall of 2009 the Directorate of Vitosha Nature Park has been atworkonaprojecttitled“Completionof Priority Activities from the VitoshaNatureParkManagementPlan”,which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Bulgaria'snationalbudgetthroughtheEnvironment2007-2013operationalprogram.Themajorityoftheproject'sfundsaredirectedatthe repair of the path network of seven of the Park'smost-usedtouristroutesandrestorationofthemarkingsonfiveotherroutes.Throughthisprojectover60kmoftrailposts have been installed.

PartofEuropeanTouristRouteE-4,connectingthePyreneeswiththeAlps,RilaandPeloponnese,passesthroughthepark.ItleadstouristsfromCherniVruhtoVerila,RilaandPirin.

Visitors in Vitosha Nature Park are helped in their choice of places for rest and recess. Along the main routs and in tourist centers conditions have been created for short time stay and rest. There are tables and benches,fountains,safefireplaces,sheltersandbowers.

Inordertofacilitatepassingthroughthebogs,dampareasand moraines wood grilles and bridges have been placed.

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Education in ecological awareness and attitude towards our environment is increasingly includedineducativeprograms,fromkindergartentouniversityones.

VitoshaNaturePark’sproximitytoSofiaandPernikdeterminestheuseofthepark’s territoryasaplaceforlearning,too.Thesupportofusingtheterritoryoftheparkasa placeforeducationandinterpretations/illustration/isoneofthemainaimsinthepark’smanagement plan.

Vitoshaisapreferredplaceforcarryingoutgreenschools,students’practicesandsportsholidays for children from kindergartens and students from primary and secondary school. Foruniversitystudentswhostudyecology,landscapearchitecture,forestryandtourism Vitosha offers a wonderful opportunity for interpretation of their knowledge.

Vitoshaisalsoaplaceforpracticingvarioustypesofsports.Exceptski-sport,traditional duringwintermonths,anincreasingnumberoffollowersgetsomeextremesports,such asalpinism,delta-gliding,para-gliding,mountainbiking,etc.

Vitosha As A Place For Education

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PartoftheNaturePark’schallengesareitscaves,whichareaboutfortyinnumberand are located in Bosnek’s karst region.

Excepttraininginthedifferentkindsofsports,teachersofferandmoreinformationabout Vitosha Park and other protected areas in Bulgaria.

For those especially interested in the park’s nature and environmental protection NatureProtectionInformationCenter“Vitosha”wascreatedinDragalevtsi district.IntheterritoryoftheparkalsofunctiontheMuseumofBearin Dendrariumalocality,theOwlmuseumandDragonflyMuseumintheBelite Breziarea,informationalleyaboutpeatintheregionofOfeliite,dendrologyalleyandInterpretationChildren’sCenterinIglikiniPoljanilocalityintheregionof Dendrariuma.

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Vitosha Visitor Centre

Sports and information alley for people with locomotory system damages

Bear Museum

VitoshaisthemostvisitedmountaininourcountryanditsproximitytoSofiapredeterminestheenormousinterestinthemountainofbothchildrenandgrown-ups.Itisapreferredplaceforcarryingoutpracticalactivities,relatedtoscienceandsport.Thatiswhy theinstitutionsinvolvedinthemanagementoftheNaturePark,initsprotectionandin control on the activities in its territory make efforts for turning Vitosha Nature Park into an accessible and desired place for everyone.

NATURE PROTECTION INFORMATION CENTER “VITOSHA” is the first one from the chain of information and education centers at protected areas in Bulgaria. The center was created on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the oldest park in southeastern Europe,Vitosha,andopeneditsdoorsinMay1998.Theprojectwasimplementedwith thejoinedeffortsofMinistryofEnvironmentandWaterandtheUnitedStatesAgencyfor International Development. The nature protection information center is situated at about 1kmfromDragalevtsidistrictneartheDragalevtsiMonastery.

During the last several years many tourist routs orientated to disabled people have been built.

Inthesummerof2000asaprojectof“Agrolesproekt”andwiththevolunteerlaborof students from over 10 nationalities BOTANICAL ALLEY FOR BLIND MEN was created. It is situatedinproximitytotheroadtoZlatniteMostove(GoldenBridges)intheDendrariuma locality.Itslengthis610m,thenumberofpresentedvegetationspeciesis26andforeach ofthemdescriptionhavebeengiveninBrailletangiblewriting,too.

SPORTS AND INFORMATION ALLEY FOR PEOPLE WITH LOCOMOTORY SYSTEM DAMAGES was built in the same locality near Iglika hut. The alley is a round route with 285mlength,2mwidth,maximumdisplacements5%andsmoothcurves.Specialsports facilitieswerebuiltonthealleyfordisabledpeopleaswellasotherparkfurniture.On nine boards information is offered for the biological diversity and cultural and historical heritage in Vitosha Nature Park and the parks in Bulgaria. The information is richly illustratedandofferedinBraillewriting,too.Theimplementationoftheprojectwas realizedwiththefinancialhelpoftheNationalEnvironmentalProtectionFundatMoEW,“DaimlerChrysler”AD-traderepresentationofficeinBulgariaandCanadianInternationalDevelopment Agency.

CHILDREN INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER at the Dendrarium locality was built at the end of the year of the 70th park’s anniversary on an area of 20 decares. It offers information for Vitosha biological diversity and the impact of ecological specifics on it. This information is combined with the possibility for diverse games and entertainment on 3 playgrounds with children’s facilities and a playground with labyrinth.

THE BEAR MUSEUMwascreatedinproximitytotheDendrariumlocalityontheplace ofhalf-destroyed,abandonedroadman’slodgewhichVitoshaNatureParkDirectorate repairedandrebuilt.Initispresentedlife,ecologyandbiologyofthebiggestEuropean predator-theBrownBear.Traditionalbeliefsrelatedtothebeararepresentedaswell.

Nature Protection Centers, Museums, Sports And Information Alleys In The Park

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In the Owl Museum

The OWL and DRAGONFLY MUSEUMS are located next to one another in the Belite Brezi area. You can reach them by taking the road from Boyana to Zlatnite Mostove. The Dendrarium is roughly two kilometers from these museums. The surrounding vicinity is a very pleasant recreation area for small children,which includes a playground with a slide,monkey bars and swings. Nearby there is parking space for cars and buses.

The OWL MUSEUM presents the ten species of owl that are found in Bulgaria. Information signs acquaint visitors with the unique characteristics of Bulgarian owls,including their size,habitat and diet as well as the dread that they aroused in people in the past who encountered them and the superstitions tied to these nocturnal creatures.

At the very entrance of the DRAGONFLY MUSEUM we are greeted by a model of this beautiful insect. A total of 68 species of dragonfly have been identified in Bulgaria,30 of which can be found at Vitosha. The mountain's reservoirs,rivers and bogs create a hospitable environment for them.

CHILDREN’S ECO-TRAINING CENTER was built in the area of“Belite brezi”,near the Dendrariuma place,and next to the Museums of the owls and the dragonfly. The building is made of natural materials-clay,stone and wood. The funding of the Centre is provided by the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM) within the framework of the project "Revival and preservation of traditional building techniques and skills used in Bulgaria",implemented in partnership with NHU (Norwegian Crafts Development)-Norway. Part of the project activities were directed towards training young craftsmen who continued to develop the old construction techniques applied in Bulgaria.

The KARST PATH was built in 2008. It is a loop ten km in length. This path begins on the outskirts of the village of Bosnek,ascending to the north opposite the flow of the Dobri Dol River,which is a tributary of the Struma River,then continues west and later south,returning to the village of Bosnek. The path opens up to beautiful vistas of Vitosha's southern slopes. Ten informational signs are posted along the route that serve to familiarize tourists with the region's natural and cultural wealth as well as the specific natural habitats located in the Bosnek karst region.

The BOG INFORMATIONAL PATH islocatedintheOfeliitearea,roughlyonekmfromthe lower Vetrovala area. Here visitors can obtain information about the significance of the Park'sbogsandmarshesasdrainagezonesandimportantsourcesofrawmaterialsused in industry and medicine.

The CHILDREN’S INFORMATIONAL and RECREATIONAL CENTER occupies 20 decares in the Dendrarium area. It provides a wealthofinformationaboutVitosha'sbiologicaldiversitycombined with opportunities for an array of games and activities on three playgrounds with playgroundequipmentandafourthwithalabyrinth.

For the curious nature lovers NATIONAL PARK INFORMATION CENTERfunctionsinSofia, onVazrazhdaneSquare,sincethesummerof2002.Itoffersinformationforprotected territories in Bulgaria and around the world. Here tourist maps can be bought as well as specializedpublicationsdedicatedtothediversityofvegetationandanimalsinBulgarian national and nature parks.

Botanical alley for blind men, in the Dendrarium locality

Owl Museum and Dragonfly Museum in the Belite Brezi area

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Bistritsa villageSituatedat860mabovesealeveland15kmfarfromSofia,Bistritsaisoneoftheoldest andbiggestvillagesbelowVitosha.ItwasfromBistritsaRiverthatthevillage,whichit passesthrough,tookitsname.Nearthevillagetherearetwomonasteries,“St.St.JoakimandAnna”(IX-Xcentury)and“St.Petka”(Xcentury).In the field of intangible heritage, The Bistritsa Babi–archaic polyphony,dances and rituals from the Shoplouk Region was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Bosnek villageAmidstamazinglydiversevegetationandplantlife,at940mabovesealevelinthevalley oftheStrumaRiver,thevillageofBosnekissituated.Thevillagehasgivenitsnameto theregioninwhichitislocated,Bosnek’skarstregion.Landmarkstobeseenheremake BosnekoneoftheexceptionallyinterestingplacesnotonlyinBulgaria:avenerableoak morethan6centuriesold,remainsofaThracianmoundandsanctuary,oldromanroadareonly part of the tourist attractions. The caves and abysses discovered in the Bosnek karst regionareover30,thelongestcaveinBulgaria,“Duhlata”(17,5km)whichisdesignatedanaturemonument,beinghere.InVrelotolocalityisthebiggestkarstspringandinthecaveofthesamename-thebiggestcavehallinBulgaria.ZhivataVodalocalityattractspeoplefromcenturieswiththemagicofdifferentbeliefsrelatedtothe“Fountainofhappiness”asthe once famous traveler Evlia Chelebi called the spring.

Boyana districtInBoyanadistrictisoneofthegreatestlandmarksinBulgaria-BoyanaChurch “St.Panteleymon”builtin1259bySebastocratorKaloyan.TheBoyanamasterhasmouldedthefacesof240humanfigures.ThechurchislistedasaWorldHeritagesitebyUNESCO togetherwithSt.Peter’sBasilicainRomeandNotre-DameCathedralinParis.Fouranda half kilometers up in the mountain is the biggest Vitosha waterfall (40 m fall of the water).

Vladaya districtLittlemorethanacenturyagoVladayawasaprettyVitoshavillagewhereabout450peoplelivedandmanySofiafamiliesspenttheirholidays.FromherestartsitslaytheriverwiththelongestflowthroughSofia,VladayaRiver.Thepathfromthecenterofthevillagebeside “St.JoanBogoslov”churchhasbeenafavoritewaytoZlatniteMostoveTouristCenterformorethanacentury.ThefirstwritteninformationforVladayaexistencedatesbackto1576inaTurkishtaxregistersbutthestrategicpositionofthewaytoSofiasuggeststhatthe place had been populated even earlier. Nowadays there are 5000 people living in Vladaya.

Dragalevtsi district“Dearlions”,or“Dearfighters,myfaithfulwarriors”.PerhapsthisisthewayTsarIvan Alexandaraddressedhisloyalfighters,defendersof“Sredets”fortress,sothatthename oftheVitoshavillagestayedsince1345untilpresentdaysDragalevtsi/from“drag”, meaning“dear”,and“lev”meaning“lion”/.Historiansmakethissuggestiononthe basisofauthenticmedievaldocuments,oneofwhichthe“Vitoshagold-sealeddeed”of TsarIvanShishman.Situatedat1,5kmaboveDragalevtsi(XIVcentury)“Assumption” monastery was pronounced a cultural monument. Tsar Ferdinand personally endowed “HollyTrinity”churchwithtwoicons.ThetemplekeepsalsotherelicsofSt.John Chrysostom,St.Trifon,andSt.Panteleimon.In1901nearDragalevtsithefirsttourist signification in our country was put to direct the way to Cherni Vruh.

Zheleznitsa villageAt950mabovesealeveland23kmfarfromSofia,Zheleznitsawasfoundedseveral centuries ago thanks to the abundance of iron ore of which its name speaks. In the beginningoflastcenturyitspopulationwas1000people.Localpeoplebuiltatempleof theirown,“Assumption”whosewoodenbelltowerevokesthevisitors’interest.NearbyistheKokaljaneMonasteryandabout10kmfarfromthevillageis“HollyGhost”Monastery.Thereareabout12-13mineralspringsintheregion.Theirwatertemperatureis30°C and in the 40’s of the last century it was bottled and sold around the country.

Towns And Villages

Chuipetlovo village

Marchaevo village, Petar Danov’s house-museum

Bosnek village

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Kladnitsa villageThe history of the pretty little Vitosha village is ancient. To this testify the ceramic remains and mortar found nearthefortress3kmfarfromthevillage.AgreatlandmarkofKladnitsaisthestillfunctioning“St.Nikolay” monastery(XIIIcentury).Manyofthehousesherearehistoricalmonuments,theschoolhasa120-yearhistoryand the dance and musical ensembles make famous the local Graovo folklore.

Knyazhevo districtTraders’caravans,militarycolumnsandsettlershavebeenpassingfromhereforcenturies.Situatedat650mabovesealevelonthetwoshoresoftheVladaiskaRiveramidstthickpineforests,Knyazhevohasitsown typicalclimate-coolsummerbutalsocolderwinter.ThefiveKnyazhevomineralspringswereknownfrom Romantimes.“St.Iliya”churchstandsstillinaquietgreenyardbuttwoweeksbeforeSt.Iliya’sDayone-monthlongcelebrationsstarthereontheoccasionofthetemple’sholiday.In1635AhmedPashabuiltinKnyazhevoa biginn-caravanseraglio.Ithad50roomsfortravelers,45shopsandahandicraftschool.AftertheLiberation KonstantinIrechekfoundithalf-destroyed.TheoldestnameofKnyazhevowasEleshnitsa.Thenitbecame

Klisura,BaliEfendiandfrom1881inhonorofKnjazAlexandarBatembergitwaschangedtoKnyazhevo.Since1958itisadistrictofSofia.

Marchaevo villageAboutthepicturesquelysituatedonthemountainslopesvillagethereiswritteninformationfrom1576Turkishtaxregisters.Andtheremainsofa Thracianfortresswestofthevillagespeakforitsevenmoreancienthistory.Mainoccupationherewhereore-mining,coalproductionandstone cutting.Ofinterestisthestillfunctioning“HollyTrinity”Monastery(XIII-XIVcentury).ItwasinMarchaevowherePetarDunovspentthelastmonths ofhislife.Herehesummarizedhisphilosophicalideasandhisstudentstookthemdowninshorthandandturnedthemintoabookpublishedunderthetitle“TheSpringoftheGood”.NowtheTeacher’shouseisturnedintoamuseum.

Rudartsi villageWithitswonderfulposition,inthesouthwesternfoothillsofthemountainat750mabovesealevelandtheexistenceofmineralwaterthatisproper bothforbathsanddrinking,thevillagehasalwaysattractedtourists’interest.TheremainsofamedievalnecropolisintheTsurkvishtetolocality testifytoitsdistanthistoricalpast.TodayRudartsiisasparesortwithasportscomplexincludingthreeopenswimmingpoolswithmineralwater (oneofthemOlympicsized),acoveredswimmingpoolwithsauna,footballstadium,basketballandvolleyballplaygroundsandatenniscourt.The developmentofthevillageiscloselyrelatedtothemountain,thecleanairandmineralwater.

Simeonovo districtIn1878GeneralGurkopresentedtheloudname“TsarSimeontheGreat”totheyoungestpopulatedareanearVitosha.ItspreviousnamewasBeiler Chiflik.Today’sSofiadistrictkeepstracesofancienthistory.Behindthe“St.ArchangelMikhail”churchremainswerefoundofaone-timefortress frombeforeOttomanslaverytimes.InproximitytoSimeonovoistheinitialstationofthecabinliftto“Aleko”hut.

Chuipetlovo villageOnlythecrowingofcocksshowedthattherewasavillagenearby,thatiswherethenamecamefrom.Itisalmostthesameeventoday-itiswhen youseetheboardthatyourealizethatyouareinChuipetlovo-thehighestlocatedvillagebelowVitosha,at1300mabovesealevel.Thisisalsothe onlypopulatedareafullysituatedintheterritoryofthepark.Theone-timesettlerswhocamehereabout300hundredyearsagoweresearchingfor salvationandsecurity.Theplacewassuitable-hidden,inthelee,atthesouthernsideofthemountain.NotasinglemandiedintheBalkanWar.The villagereceivedabellforthe“St.Paraskeva”church-apresentfromthemenforthefactthatallofthemreturnedalive.

Yarlovo villageIntheendofXIXcenturyYarlovowasoneofthebiggestvillagesbelowVitosha,itspopulationbeingabout1800people.ThePalakariariver,which isthelongest44-kmVitoshafeederofIskar,passesthroughthevillage.ThewatersofthePalakariariverwerepannedoffforgoldandthatiswhy theycalledit“thegold-bearingriver”.Todaytheresidentsofthevillagenumberabout600.Herethe“StPetka”chapelinBabinaKorialocalitydraws tourists’attentionaswellasthehealingspringnearthevillageandforthosewhohavesetouttoRilaYarlovoisasuitablestartingpoint.

Yarlovo village

Knjazhevo district, “St. Iliya” church

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Vitoshawasdeclaredaparkin1934.Sincethen,thepreservation of its natural integrity has been the highest priority initsmanagement.Overtheyears,variousinstitutionshavebeenresponsible for that task as well as the development of theterritory'sinfrastructurewiththeaim of increasing the park'stourismpotential.

Today,responsibilityforthenaturalpreservationofVitoshaNatureParkrestswiththeMinistryofAgriculture andFoodandtheMinistryofEnvironmentandWaterandtheir departments.

TheMinistryofAgricultureandFoodisresponsibleforpreservationofthePark'sforestandgrassland ecosystems. Protection and oversight of all forested territories is carried out by theExecutiveForestryAgencyandtheSofiaandKyustendilRegional Forestry Directorates. Management,utilizationandpreservationoftheregions'state forests is carried out by the SouthwesternStateEnterprisethroughitsunits:theSofiaStateForestryReserveandthe Vitoshko-StudenaStateGameReserve.

The Directorate of Vitosha Nature ParkisaunitoftheExecutiveForestryAgencyoftheMinistry of Agriculture and Food and is primarily responsible fortheimplementationofthePark'sManagementPlan.Asanadministration,thoughunderadifferentname,ithasbeenoperating since1935,oneyearafterVitoshawasdeclaredaprotected territory. From 1954 to 1996 the Directorate of Vitosha Nature Park was an institution of the Capital municipality. In 1996 by order of the Forestry Committee the Administration of VitoshaNationalParkwascreated,whiletwoyearslater by orderoftheNationalForestryAdministrationoftheMinistryofAgriculture and Forests the name of the administration was changed to the Directorate of Vitosha Nature Park in accordance with thecategoriesofprotectedterritoriesadoptedbytheLawforProtected Territories.

TheDirectorate'sareasofactivityincludethefollowing:conductingstatepolicythroughtheexecutionoftheManagementPlan,organizationalprojectsandprogramsintheterritoryofthepark;organizingandcarryingoutmeasuresforpreservingandrestoringbiological and scenic diversity; conducting educational and interpretive activities; building andmaintainingthepark'sinfrastructure for the needs of tourismandrecreation;organizingandparticipatingincarrying out tourism and recreational activities; implementing scientific and practical activities in the territory of the park and creating and maintaining a database and collecting and distributing information about the park and the territoriesadjacenttoit.

TheMinistryofEnvironmentandWater,throughtheSofiaRegionalEnvironmentandWaterInspectorate,carriesoutthemanagement,oversightandprotectionofthetworeservesinthe Park'sterritory:BistrishkoBranishteandTorfenoBranishte.TheSofiaRegionalEnvironmentandWater Inspectorate conducts oversight related to the preservation of environmental components inthePark'sterritoryaswellasadministrativeadherencetothePark'sManagementPlan.

Vitosha Nature Park lies within the territories of four municipalities:thoseoftheCapital,Pernik,SamokovandRadomir.Thesemunicipalities,asownersoftheforestsandlandinthePark,aredirectlyresponsiblefortheirmanagement,whileassocialinstitutions they care for the development and cleanliness of the Park'sterritorywiththeaimofincreasingitstourismpotential.

Asiswellknown,organizedtourisminBulgariahasits beginnings at Vitosha and this tradition continues today thanks toorganizationssuchastheBulgarianTouristUnionandtheMountainRescueService.TheseinstitutionsareresponsibleforthesafetyandsecurityoftouristsinthePark.

Institutions In Charge

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ОPportunitiesforbetterlife

national strategic

reference framework 2007 – 2013EUROPEAN UNION

EUROPEAN REGIONALDEVELOPMENT FUND

The"ActivitiesforSustainableManagementofNaturalPark"Vitosha"isfinancetbytheEuropeanRegionalDevelopmentFund andthestatebudgetoftheRepublicofBulgariathroughtheOperationalProgramme"Environment2007– 2013"

www.ope.moew.government.bg

VITOSHANATUREPARKDIRECTORATE1303Sofia,17AntimIstr.,tel.9895377,9885841

e-mail:dppvitosha@iag.bgwww.park-vitosha.org,www.bg-parks.net

Photos:B.Asiov,D.Dinkov,H.Sabev,P.Ivanov,I.Yanev,G.Popov,J.Damyanov,J.Mihaylova,I.Pandurski,RIEW-Sofia,VNPDTranslation:IntegratedLtd.

SOFIAREGIONALINSPECTORATEOFENVIRONMENTANDWATER-SOFIASofia1618,POB332,136TzarBorisIIIblvd.,tel:9406498.fax:9559362,Greentel.:8565152;

e_mail:riosv@riew-sofia.org

VITOSHAVISITORCENTREtel:9673140www.vitoshacentre.org