Pirin National Park. Pirin National Park in Bulgaria. Hiking routes, excursions
national park Pirin is located in the mountains of the same name in southwestern Bulgaria. It was created in 1962 and used to be called Vihren National Park. It was renamed in 1974 and then expanded to its present size.
Currently, the park covers an area of more than 400 km². Within its borders are two of the oldest biosphere reserves - Bayuvi Dupki-Jinjiritsa and Yulen. Add to list world heritage UNESCO Pirin was included in 1983.
The national park contains the most high point mountain range - the peak of Vihren, 2914 m high. Outwardly, the relief of Pirin resembles an alpine one. Rocky mountain ridges here coexist with deep karst depressions, sharp ledges, clearly defined valleys, caves, waterfalls and many glacial lakes. There are about seventy of the latter.
The park consists of several belts located at different heights. The lowest one is a forest mountain, where beech and fir forests grow, giving way to pine woodlands. The next belts are subalpine and alpine, with corresponding meadow vegetation.
The Mediterranean climate has contributed species diversity flora and fauna. Centuries-old Macedonian pines, beeches, silver spruces and firs coexist with endangered edelweiss and Pirin poppies. A special attraction of the park is the Baikushev pine, which is over a thousand years old. In Pirin, you can meet harmless herbivores - red deer, roe deer and chamois, as well as predators - foxes, badgers, wolves and brown bears. Several species of interesting birds nest here - golden eagles, eagles, alpine swifts, alpine ptarmigans and cranes.
The national park has all the conditions for a wonderful holiday. An unforgettable experience is guaranteed for every lover of untouched nature. Those who want to improve their health are attracted here by mineral springs that have a beneficial effect on the body. Fans of active pastime have a direct road to ski resorts, their routes are designed for both well-trained athletes and beginners.
Pirin National Park – PHOTO
Basic moments
Today, two reserves are included in the protected lands of the Pirin Park - Yulen and Bayuvi Dupki-Jinjiritsa. In these reserves, human activity is completely prohibited, so animals and birds feel absolutely safe. Visiting protected areas must be agreed with the park management.
Travelers come to Pirin National Park at any time of the year, but most tourists come here from late spring to early autumn, as well as during ski season. There are many marked trails in the park. On its territory, hunting is prohibited, illegal felling of trees, and fishing is not allowed on some rivers.
For comfortable accommodation of travelers, 8 recreation centers are open in the park, where you can stay for the night, as well as 4 shelters. The directorate of the park is located in the city of Bansko, at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, on Bulgaria Street, 4. An information center has been created here, in which educational lectures about the nature of the Balkan Mountains are held for children and adults. The park management is open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 13.00 to 17.30.
History of Pirin Park
In 1962, the Bulgarian authorities created the Vihren National Park in the highest part of the mountains. At first, the territory of the park was 62 km², which was less than 1/6 of its modern area.
After 12 years, the park was renamed, and its boundaries were significantly expanded. In 1983, UNESCO included the unique highland landscapes of the Pirin National Park in the World Heritage List. The last expansion of the park area was carried out in 1998.
Pirin Mountains
The Pirin mountain ranges lie between the Mesta and Struma valleys and stretch for 75 km. The highest point of the mountain range - Mount Vihren - rises to 2914 meters, being the second highest peak in Bulgaria. More than 40 Pirin peaks have a height of over 2600 m.
In ancient times, these mountains were called differently. The inhabitants of Thrace spoke of them "Orbelus", which translates as " snowy mountains". The ancient Slavs fixed the name "Yudenitsa", and the Turks - "Beride". The Slavic tribes who came here at a later time began to call the mountain ranges "Pirin". It is believed that this name came from the name of the deity Perun, who in ancient times was considered the master of thunder and lightning. According to ancient legends, the god of thunder spent his days on the highest of the mountains, the top of which is often hidden in the clouds.
The Pirin Mountains are made up of granite and marble. As a result of glaciation, they acquired characteristic alpine forms. It is dominated by steep scree slopes, rocky watersheds and sharp peaks.
Pirin has an alpine climate, so the air temperature and precipitation directly depend on the altitude. In the lower mountains, at altitudes up to 1000 m above sea level, the weather is milder, and in the highlands, which starts above 1600 m, the climate is much more severe.
The weather is greatly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, as well as southwestern and western winds. Most a large number of precipitation in the Pirin Mountains falls in November-December, and in winter months heavy snowfalls are common here.
Vegetable world
The first descriptions of the flora of the Pirin Mountains were made in the first half of the 19th century by the German florist and geobotanist August Grisebach. More large-scale botanical research took place at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century.
Up to an altitude of 2000 m, mountain forests grow in the Pirin National Park. The lowest belt is occupied by oak forests, beech and hornbeam forests. Above them are pine forests, consisting of Balkan and whitebark pines. At the highest level, in front of the alpine meadows, there is a zone of pine-juniper elfin.
Curiously, some of the trees on the slopes of the Pirin Mountains are over 500 years old. A long-lived tree also grows here, the age of which has exceeded 1300 years. This is a huge Baikushev pine or Bosnian pine, which is considered one of the oldest trees preserved on our planet. The unique pine tree rises to a height of 26 m and has a diameter of 2.2 m near the butt. You can see it along the road that leads from the city of Bansko to the foot of Mount Vihren, not far from the Banderitsa camp site.
Due to the mild Mediterranean climate, local flora very varied. In the mountains there are 18 local endemics, 15 species endemic to Bulgaria, and a large number of endemics of the Balkan Mountains. The discreet edelweiss flowers and the bright yellow Pirin poppy are considered the symbols of Pirin. On the mountain slopes there are over 300 species of mosses and over 160 species of algae. Biologists discovered 1,300 species within the protected zone higher plants.
Animals
Pirin National Park is home to over two thousand animal species, many of which are rare or endangered. In mountain lakes, rivers and streams there are 6 species of fish.
Dense forests have become a haven for 160 species of birds. The rarest of them are considered several species of owls, alpine conjurers, peregrine falcons, rocky nuthatches and crested tits. In addition, rare species include golden eagles, falcons, lesser spotted eagles and Balkan larks. In favorable conditions isolated from humans, 45 species of mammals are found. Pirin Park has created comfortable conditions for brown bears, wolves and foxes. Jackals, squirrels, hedgehogs, wild boars, deer and chamois can often be found here.
How to get there
Pirin National Park is located in the southwestern part of the country, about 100 km from the Bulgarian capital - Sofia. The cities of Simitli, Bansko, Gotse-Delchev, Razlog, Sadanski, Kresna and the village of Strumyani are located on its territory. All of them belong to the Blagoevgrad region.
The city of Bansko, where the directorate of the park is located, can be reached from Sofia by bus E81.
Pirin National Park - nature reserve, which occupies a vast part of the Pirin Mountains in Southwestern Bulgaria. Within the park - seven settlements, which are subordinate to the administrative regional center of Blagoevgrad - Bansko, Razlog, Gotse-Delchev, Strumyani, Kresna and Simitli.
Story
Pirin National Park was founded in 1962 and at first was called Vihren People's Park (after the highest peak of Pirin). Initially, the park covered an area of about 6,212 hectares, but over time, the territory of the park expanded, and today it is more than 40,000 hectares. Since 1983 Pirin National Park has been under protection World Organization UNESCO.
One of the oldest reserves included in the Pirin National Park is the reserve "Bayuvi dupki - Jinjiritsa". The decision to create a protected area was made at the government level in 1934. The main goal of creating the reserve was to preserve the virgin forests in which Balkan and whitebark pines grew, as well as to save the rich flora and fauna of this unique region.
In 1977 the Bulgarian national reserve"Bayuvi dupki - Djindzhiritsa" was included in the list natural objects under the protection of the UNESCO World Organization under the program "Man and the Biosphere". In 1994, another one was founded on the territory of this reserve, called Yulen.
nature reserve
More than 180 types of medicinal herbs grow on the territory of the Pirin National Park; 1315 species of higher plants have been described (this is about a third of the entire Bulgarian flora); there are about 320 species of mosses and 165 species of algae.
It is also extremely varied and animal world reserve; more than 2000 species of invertebrates and over 200 species of vertebrates live here. Among the inhabitants of the Pirin National Park are those listed in the Red Book International Union nature conservation common tree frog and Balkan tortoise. On the territory of the Pirin Reserve, ornithologists have discovered 159 species of birds, which is about forty percent of all species living in Bulgaria.
The Pirin National Park consists of several protected park areas - Sinanitsa, Bayuvi Dupki, Bezbog, Vihren and Kamenitsa, which also includes the Three Rivers Reserve.
There are two tourist routes in the protected area of Sinanitsa; both lead from the Mandrata area, where the Vlahinska Reka information center is located.
The international route E4 Pyrenees - Alps - Rila - Pirin - Peloponnese is laid through the park area of Bayuvi dupki. The second tourist route starts in the town of Razlog; here in the local Historical Museum you can learn about the history of the creation of the reserve.
Park area Vihren is named after the highest peak of the Pirin Mountains with a height of 2914 meters - this is the second highest peak in Bulgaria after Musala peak in the Rila Mountains. Vihren Peak is included in the List of 100 National Tourist Sites. Tourists who have conquered this peak at the Vihren camp site are issued a special, sealed, document certifying the act of climbing. The information center of this part of the Pirin National Park is located in the town of Bansko.
The park reserve area Bezbog includes part of the Yulen reserve; Polezhan peak and Polezhansky lakes are located here. The information center of this corner of the Pirin National Park is located in the village of Dobrinishte.
The area of the Kamenitsa National Park unites another area - the Three Rivers. The total length of the hiking trails is about 35 km. Several hiking trails. The Information Center of the Kamenica Park is located in the town of Sandanski.
For convenience, all tourist routes of the Pirin National Park are marked different color. Eight camp sites and four shelters are equipped for tourists on the territory of the Pirin protected area.
The main information center of the Pirin National Park is located in the town of Bansko; the Pirin Forests exposition has been created here, which is represented by 22 interactive modules designed to help tourists learn a lot useful information and interesting facts about the flora and fauna of the reserve. The center is equipped with an auditorium for 30 seats with a large screen; The film library contains more than 150 popular science films about the nature of this unique protected area in Bulgaria. On the basis of the Information Center, lectures are held for different age categories; special cognitive lessons are organized for children in nature.
Information for tourists
Opening hours of the Pirin National Park Visitor Information Centre: daily from 9.00 to 17.30: Saturday and Sunday - days off.
In the Information Center you can purchase various educational literature.
The Pirin National Park Visitor Information Center is located at the address: Bansko, st. Bulgaria, building 4.
Phones: +359 749 88 204
+359 899 866 414
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Website: www.visitpirin.net
Page on the official tourist portal of Bulgaria: http://bulgariatravel.org/ru/obyekt/53/Nacionalen_park_Pirin
Founded in 1962 and occupies a significant part of the Pirin mountain range, it borders on seven municipalities, one of which is Sandanski. Pirin received his name from the god of the Slavs Perun. Unusually picturesque mountains, rising almost to a height of 3 km. The lower belt of mountains is covered with fir forests, alpine meadows lie above. The age of mountain pines reaches 500 years. In 1983, the reserve was included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. The fauna of Pirin consists of more than 2300 species of animals and birds, such as Brown bear, deer, roe deer, wild boar, chamois, fox, golden eagle, eagles and falcons, alpine swift, crane, ptarmigan.
Pirin is the second highest mountain range in Bulgaria after the Rila, it is not inferior to it in terms of its variety of beauties and captivates with an unusual blue expanse of lakes. These beauties can be admired by those who pass through. About 160 lakes with crystal clear water are hidden in the mountain gorges, which are located mostly in the high part of the mountain range. By the way, the highest point of the massif is Mount Vihren (2915 meters).
Flora.
At altitudes up to 2700m. dwarf pines and junipers grow. Scotch pine occupies mainly slopes from 1400 to 2000 m interspersed with white pine, spruce and white fir. When the trunk is damaged, pine resin flows out. This balm is called resin, the wonderful healing properties of which are legendary. The air in the pine forest has a pleasant aroma of phytoncides. They kill microbes, so many sanatoriums for pulmonary patients were built in these places. Black pine (Pinus heldreichii) - occupies the lower part of the Pirin National Park (400 to 1500 meters above sea level), mainly along the northern slope and covers 924 ha of forested area of the park. Beech (Fagus Sylvatica) - occupies a relatively limited area of the park, 1110 ha. Beech fruits have their own name "beechnuts". Many species of wild animals feed on them.
Fauna.
In addition, Pirin can boast of the richness of the fauna. AT national park Pirin is inhabited by 2091 invertebrates and 247 vertebrate species. This includes 6 fish species, 8 amphibian species, 11 reptile species, 159 bird species, 45 mammal species. The eel is included in the Red Book of Bulgaria, and mullet is also found in the lakes. The red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature includes 2 species of amphibians and reptiles - tree frogs and turtles. 31 species of birds are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature - a golden eagle, a boreal owl, a saker falcon, a wood grouse, a peregrine falcon, a dwarf eagle and a corncrake. Corncrake are part of this diversity and need special protection. The brown bear and the Balkan chamois are under special protection.
Pirin National Park* Pirin National Park** UNESCO World Heritage Country ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Pirin (meanings). Pirin ... Wikipedia
Pirin mountain range, located in southwestern Bulgaria; Pirin (mountain) Pirin (national park) Pirin (village, Bulgaria) Pirin (village, Bosnia and Herzegovina) Pirin football clubs: Pirin Bulgarian club from the city of Bansko. Pirin Bulgarian club from ... ... Wikipedia
- (Pirin Planina) a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria (southern spurs in Greece). Length 75 km, height up to 2914 m (Vihren). broad-leaved and coniferous forests; above 2000 m meadows. Pirin National Park (Vihren). Tourism… Big encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Pirin Planina), a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria (southern spurs in Greece). Length 75 km, height up to 2914 m (Vihren). Broad-leaved and coniferous forests; above 2000 m meadows. Pirin National Park (Vihren). Tourism. * * * PIRIN PIRIN (Pirin… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Jesuit missions in the lands of the Guarani Indians ... Wikipedia
The UNESCO World Heritage List in the Republic of Bulgaria includes 9 items (for 2012), which is 0.9% of total number(962 for 2012). 7 objects are included in the list according to cultural criteria, and 3 of them are recognized as masterpieces ... Wikipedia
World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Europe and North America regional division of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, created under the UNESCO program "Man and the Biosphere". European network biosphere reserves is the most ... ... Wikipedia
