Vitosha

Vitosha ; Витоша
	The Vitosha Mountains are located on the southern city limits to Sofia.
	Vitosha seen from Sofia
Highest peak	Tscherni Wrach ( 2290 m )
location	Sofia Oblast , Bulgaria
Coordinates	42 ° 34 ′ N , 23 ° 17 ′ E Coordinates: 42 ° 34 ′ N , 23 ° 17 ′ E
rock	Syenite, monzonite, porphyry, limestone
Age of the rock	Triassic, chalk
particularities	Stone rivers

The Vitosha Mountains [ 'vitoʃa ] (written after the English transcription Vitosha , Bulgarian Витоша ) rise at the gates of Sofia in Bulgaria . It occupies an area of 278 km² and is divided into four main sections. At 2290 meters, the Tscherni Wrach ( Черни връх - literally: Black Peak ) is the highest peak .

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The "local mountain" of Sofia : The Vitosha Mountains (video)

Location and geology

The mountains are south of Sofia. The foothills extend to the Sofia motorway ring, i.e. to the suburbs. The mountain silhouette defines the entire cityscape of the capital. The Vitosha Mountains are a popular destination not only for capital city residents, but also for numerous hikers and tourists. It offers a good panoramic view of Sofia and a distant view of the Rila Mountains, 60 km away . Sometimes the view extends to the Balkan Mountains to the north (approx. 50 km away). The highest peak is on an unforested bare rock plateau with the dimensions of around 2 × 2 km. The actual peak is only a relatively small hill on this plateau . In the northern section are the Slatni Mostowe (Golden Bridges), Knjashevo, Simeonovo. In the east, the Plana Mountains connect with the Resnjovete and Goljam Kupen mountains, the Bistrischko Branischte nature reserve and the Aleko winter sports resort .

Entrance to the Duchlata cave

In the southwest section there are at the foot of the southwest side near the village Bosnek ( Bulgarian Боснек) an entrance to the cave system Duchlata (Bulgarian Духлата). With its 17,600 meters total length, it is the longest cave in Bulgaria. The cave system is located in Triassic limestones and has not yet been fully explored, it is believed that it runs through the entire mountain and also has an entrance on the north side. However, this has not yet been discovered. The northwest section borders on the Ljulin Mountains.

From the south side (at the sources of the Struma river) drinking water for the capital is drawn off.

The basic shape of the Vitosha Mountains is domed, with a diameter of approx. 15 km, it represents a deeply eroded volcano core made of a complex sequence of plutonites ( syenite , monzonite ...) and volcanic rocks ( lavas and tuffs of andesitic composition as well as granite and diorite porphyry ), which penetrated the Triassic sediments of the western Srednogorie zone in the Upper Cretaceous . Deposits of gold and magnetite were used economically .

History and origin of name

The mountains were called Skomios , Skopios or Skombros by the first settlers . This name comes from the Greek and means "pointed, steep mountains". The name Vitosha first appeared in a document in the 11th century . The origin of the name is not clearly clarified, one version is based on an ancient Greek term that means “two-part” or “dividing” mountains. The second, more probable version is based on the derivation from a person named Vitosch.

The mountains are named after the Vitosha Saddle , a mountain saddle on Livingston Island in Antarctica.

The meteorological station "Cherni Wrach"

National park

The Vitoscha Nature Park ( IUCN Category V ), founded in 1934, covers around 27,079 hectares and thus 90 percent of the mountain area. Inside the park are the Uschite (ears) and Chernata Skala (black rock) nature reserves , which reach the Cherni Vrach peak, one of which has been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A weather station has also been located on the highest peak since 1935.

Although the mountain range is used intensively as a local recreation area , it is home to more than 2,700 species of animals and plants, more than any other European mountain range. The spruce trees in particular have settled here after the previously existing primeval forest was destroyed by humans.

"Stone river"

The karst spring "living water" (Shivata Voda) and the "stone rivers" are considered natural wonders: elongated block heaps made of up to 4 meters large, weathered rocks. The longest of these stone rivers - Slatni Mostowe ( Golden Bridges ) - is 2 km long and 50 m wide. The natural diversity is completed by raised bogs and waterfalls.

tourism

The winter with snow and ice lasts much longer here than in the Sofia Plain, temperature differences of almost 20 degrees Celsius are measured. The Vitosha Mountains therefore serve as a winter sports area. Because of these good conditions, Sofia was already running for the Vitoshar region as a venue for the Winter Olympics . In summer it is used for extensive hikes, climbing tours or down-hill bike tours. Occasionally hang-gliders use the Vitosha Mountains. The descent from Cherni Vrach to the foothills in the direction of Sofia takes about 4 hours. It is a 3-hour walk to the city center.