Central Balkan National Park

Central Balkan National Park ; Национален парк Централен Балкан
Location:	Bulgaria
Next city:	Gabrovo , Karlovo , Kalofer , Trojan , Sopot
Surface:	71,669.5 ha
Length:	80 km
Founding:	1991
Visitors:	60,000 (2010)
Address:	Gabrowo, Bodra Smjana Str. 3, email: [email protected]
	National park map
	The Levski summit in the Central Balkans
	The Echo mountain hut and the Jumruka mountain
	i3 i5

The Central Balkan National Park ( Bulgarian Национален парк Централен Балкан / National Park Central Balkans, German Central Balkan National Park) is one of three national parks in Bulgaria , next to the Pirin National Park and the Rila National Park . The Central Balkan National Park is the only national park in the Balkan Mountains . It occupies its central and highest part. 21,019 hectares of the national park's core zone are certified as a so-called “ European Wilderness Society wilderness area” and belong to the network of European wilderness protection areas. The entire area of the park is part of the Natura 2000 network.

Centuries-old forests of beech , spruce , fir , hornbeam and sessile oak occupy a large part of the park. Over half of the plant species found in Bulgaria grow in this national park. Of these, 10 plant species and 2 subspecies are endemic and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. More than 130 higher plant and animal species that can be found in the national park are included in the Bulgarian and international Red List of Endangered Species . The park area includes extensive summit and ridge meadows, vertical rock faces, abysses, deep gorges, waterfalls and numerous peaks, around 20 of which are higher than 2000 meters.

location

The Central Balkan National Park occupies the central and highest part of the Balkan Mountains . It is located between 500 and 2376 meters above sea level . The lowest part is near the town of Karlovo . The highest part is Mount Botev . The following 9 nature reserves with a total area of 20,000 ha are located on the territory of the national park : Boatin (Bulgarian Боатин), Zarichina (Bulgarian Царичина), Kozja stena (Bulgarian Козя стена), Steneto (Bulgarian Стенето), Steneto (Bulgarian Стенето) Bulgarian Северен Джендем), Peeschti skali (Bulgarian Пеещи скали), Sokolna (Bulgarian Соколна), Dschendema (Bulgarian Джендема) and Stara reka (Bulgarian Стара) рек.

The park occupies areas of eleven parishes. These are located on the territory of the following five provinces / oblasts: Lovech Oblast , Gabrovo , Plovdiv , Stara Sagora and Sofia Oblast .

Key data and limits

The Central Balkan National Park was founded in 1991 and encloses an area of 71,669.5 hectares , of which 44,000.8 hectares are forests. 70 percent of the area are natural ecosystems. The park is approx. 85 km long and approx. 10 km wide. In the park is the Usana region , which is the geographical center of Bulgaria.

Administratively, the park is divided into seven areas, with the park administration located in Gabrovo . In addition, the park is divided into five zones:

Zone for tourism
Zone for reservations
Zone for buildings and other installations
Zone in which human influence is limited
multifunctional zone

Waters

The Balkan Mountains and the ridge form a border between the drainage areas of southern and northern Bulgaria. Some of the largest rivers in the country have their origins in the national park: including the Wit , the Ossam and the Rossiza from the northern part and the Topoliza , the Strjama and the Tundscha in the southern part of the mountains. Furthermore, many smaller rivers, streams and other tributaries have their origin in the mountains before they merge with the larger ones in the lower parts.

Characteristic for this part of the mountains are the rapids that form many of the waters. On the territory of the national park there are also some of the largest and longest waterfalls (bulg. Водопад / wodopad) in Bulgaria, which in this part of the mountains are nicknamed praskalo (bulg. Пръскало). This nickname is derived from the local dialect of the Bulgarian language , which is spoken in the central part of the mountains. Some of the waterfalls are the Rajsko praskalo (Bulgar. Райско пръскало) with a fall height of 124.5 m, the Karlovsko praskalo (Bulgar. Карловско пръскало) with a fall height of 120 m, the Widimsko praskalo (Bulgar from 80 m and the Kademlijsko praskalo (Bulgarian Кадемлийско пръскало) with a fall height of 72 m. The Rajsko praskalo waterfall, which is located at the foot of Mount Botew, is the longest on the entire Balkan Peninsula.

flora

The flora in the Central Balkan National Park is diverse. Approx. 2350 types and subspecies of plants have been documented, 170 of them are so-called medicinal plants . There are also 229 moss and 255 types of mushrooms .

Woods

The forest areas take up 55 percent of the area of the national park and represent 1 percent of all forest areas in Bulgaria. They are located equally on the north and south sides of the mountains. 97 percent of the forest areas in the park are naturally grown forests with an average age of 115 years.

fauna

The large area of the national park, as well as its relief, climate, and plant diversity contribute to the fact that there is a great diversity of living beings in the park.

2390 species and subspecies of invertebrates are documented on the territory of the national park . 260 of them are among the most endangered in the world, 85 are only found on the Balkan Peninsula and 50 are endemic . Of the invertebrates, a particularly large number of beetle species are endangered, 35 of them are on the Red List. In addition to the invertebrates, special measures are taken to protect the vertebrates in the park.

Mammals

In the national park, 19 species of bats , 17 smaller and 16 larger mammals have been inventoried. All bat species are endangered species in Europe. The most common species of animals include the southern white-breasted hedgehog and the European mole . Other mammals that are found in the national park and included on the Bulgarian Red List are the snow mouse , the European ground squirrel , the squirrel , the tree dormouse and the dormouse .

Ungulates , including deer and chamois, are common in almost all parts of the park . However, their number has decreased in recent years. Eleven species of predator live in the national park: wolf , jackal , fox , brown bear (in the entire park with the exception of the alpine zones), weasel , tigeriltis , stone marten , pine marten , otter , European badger and wild cat . Of particular interest is the otter, whose distribution in Bulgaria is very limited. The otters are included in the Bulgarian Red List and are considered endangered. The wildcat population living in the park is the largest in Southeast Europe.

Amphibians

There are 8 species of amphibians in the national park. The fire salamander , agile frog and common toad are characteristic of the park, as it is of the entire Balkan mountains . In some parts, the green toad and the European tree frog can also be found.

summit

The highest mountains in the Central Balkan National Park are:

Botew (2376 m)
Triglaw (2275 m)
Weschen (2198.1 m)
Goljam Kupen (2169 m)
Levski (2166 m)
Malak Kupen (2100 m)
Paskal (2029 m)

Tourism and mountain huts in the national park

The park offers several hiking trails . The mountain hiking trail Kom-Emine , which is part of the European long-distance hiking trail E3 , runs in an east-west direction on the ridge of the Balkan Mountains through the national park. In recent years, 10 horse trails and some mountain bike trails have been set up. The paths and paths have been laid out by the park management in such a way that you can use them to reach the historical, cultural and ecological sights of the park and the surrounding area. The right of public access is restricted in the park area and completely revoked in some zones, making a fire and camping is only permitted in the marked areas. The fishing in the waters is prohibited.

On the territory of the national park and in the immediate vicinity there are several mountain huts and shelters, as well as mountain inns and hotels that offer a total of over 1400 beds. The following 22 mountain huts, with a total of 250 beds, are located within the national park and are managed by the Bulgarian Tourist Association:

Ambariza, 1503 m
Benkowski, 1540 m
Balkanski Rosi, 1100 m
Chubawez, 964 m
Chajduschka pesen, 870 m
Dermenka, 1530 m
Dobrila, 1750
Echo, 1700 m
Komizki walog, 1800 m
Kosja stena, 1560
Mazalat, 1520 m
Momina polyana, 1740 m
Pleven, 1504 m
Raj, 1560 m
Rawnez, 1250 m
Russalka, 1110 m
Sokolna mountain hut , 1400 m
Sweschen, 1050 m
Switschi plaz, 1580 m
Tascha, 1520 m
Wassil Levski, 1450 m
Weschen, 1650 m

Individual evidence

↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
^ Action plan for the Brown bear in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, Sofia 2007 PDF