Belene (island)
| Belene | ||
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| Waters | Danube (middle course), Belene Canal |
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| Geographical location | 43 ° 47 ' N , 25 ° 11' E | |
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| length | 13.9 km | |
| width | 4.9 km | |
| surface | 68.970 3 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 23.9 m | |
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The island of Belene [ ˈbelene ] ( Bulgarian Белене ) is located in the north of Bulgaria in the Danube , immediately north of the small town of Belene . The island is also known under the name Persin (Bulgarian Персин).
geography
The island is located 18 km west of Swishtow , on the Danube kilometer 560 to 575, northeast of the small town of Belene. Belene Island is the largest island in Bulgaria with a length of 13.9 km and a width of 4.9 km. Belene is the fourth largest Danube island. Belene Island is surrounded by 5 much smaller islands. Belene Island is wholly state-owned and covers an area of 6,897.03 hectares .
The Danube has a total of 132 islands in the section between Romania and Bulgaria. Of these, 81 islands belong to Bulgaria and 51 islands to Romania. The three largest Bulgarian Danube Islands are Belene, Kozloduj (Козлодуй) and Wardim (Вардим).
Labor camp
The island gained fame above all for the labor camp of the same name , which was established there after the Bulgarian Communist Party and the "Fatherland Front" seized power . From 1949 to 1989, during the rule of the communists, many opponents of the regime and counter-revolutionaries were deported to the island and murdered there.
- See main article: Belene (labor camp)
Nature reserve
There is an internationally significant wetland habitat on the island of Belene. It is a flood forest, which mainly consists of old willows and white poplars .
In the eastern part of the island is the nature reserve "Persinski blata" (Bulgar. Персински блата; translated: the Persin Marshes), which covers an area of 390 hectares. It was established as a protected nature area in 1981 ("natural attraction", Bulgarian природна забележителност) to preserve populations of rare water birds such as the red-necked grebe , the white-bearded tern , the black-headed gull and the great cormorant . The island is home to 170 species of rare water birds, such as the Ibisart Glossy Ibis , the cormorant cormorant , the gray shrike or the red-breasted goose .
The visitor center of the Persina Nature Park, with exhibition rooms and a viewing platform, is located in the town of Belene. The symbol of the nature park is a gray stork. However, tourists are only allowed to enter the smaller islands.
The three freshwater swamps on the island of Belene (a total of 385.2 ha) are called:
- Pistschenko blato (Bulgarian Писченско блато) with 182 ha
- Martwoto blato (Bulgarian Мъртвото блато) with 122.6 ha
- Staroto blato (Bulgarian Старото блато) with 80.6 ha
See also
Persina Natural Park
The island is also part of the Persina Nature Park, which was established in December 2000 and, with an area of 21,762 hectares, includes the Danube archipelago Belene (Belene island with its minor islands), the four islands near Nikopol, as well as another 19 islands (near Dragash Voyvoda, Swishtow and Oresh ), 5 of which belong to Romania. The Persinski blata reserve is located on the island of Belene.
The neighboring islands of the island of Belene are called Milka (Bulgarian Милка) and Kitka (Bulgarian Китка). The nature reserve on Milka covers 30 ha and on Kitka 25.4 ha.
Persin
According to tradition, the name Persin for the island of Belene comes from the daughter of a former pasha from the city of Belene. The pasha locked his daughter Persin away on the island to prevent her from interacting with her unbelieving Bulgarian lover.
Web links
- Map of the Persin Nature Park ( Memento from July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive )