Sandanski–Petrich Valley ( bg, Санданско-Петричка котловина, Sandansko-Petrichka kotlovina) is situated in southwestern

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

along the river Struma and its right tributary Strumeshnitsa, with a very small part of the territory extending to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

. The valley is enclosed by several mountain ranges, three of them reaching heights of over 2,000 m, and is open to the Strumitsa Valley to the west and the Serres Valley to the south. Due to the proximity to the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans an ...

, the climate is continental Mediterranean, making Sandanski–Petrich Valley one of the warmest regions of Bulgaria. Administratively, it falls within

Blagoevgrad Province Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( bg, Пиринска Маке� ...

, where it occupies its southwestern-most parts in is divided in four

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

. It is named after the two most populous cities in the area,

Sandanski Sandanski ( bg, Сандански ; el, Σαντάνσκι, formerly known as Sveti Vrach, bg, Свети Врач, until 1947) is a town and a recreation centre in south-western Bulgaria, part of Blagoevgrad Province. Named after the Bulga ...

and

Petrich Petrich ( bg, Петрич ) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. According to the 2021 census, the town has 26,778 ...

. The mild climate, numerous mineral springs and the abundance of natural and cultural landmarks within the valley and in its proximity favour agriculture, tourism and related industries. Sandanski–Petrich Valley has a strategic location at the border with Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia and lies on the shortest route between the capital

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

Geography

Geology and overview

The valley is located between the mountain ranges of

Pirin , photo=Pirin-mountains-Bansko.jpg , photo_caption=Pirin scenery in winter , country= Bulgaria, , parent= , geology= granite, gneiss, marble, limestone , area_km2=2585 , range_coordinates = , length_km=80 , length_orientation= north-s ...

to the east, Maleshevo and Ograzhden to the west and northwest,

Belasitsa Belasica (Macedonian and Bulgarian: , also translit. ''Belasitsa'' or ''Belasitza'', Ottoman Turkish: بلش Turkish: ''Beleş''), Belles ( el, Μπέλλες, ''Bélles'') or Kerkini (, ''Kerkíni'';), is a mountain range in the region of M ...

to the southwest, Sengelska and Slavyanka to the southeast. To the north, along the course of the river Struma, it connects with the Simitli valley through the

Kresna Gorge Kresna Gorge ( bg, Кресненско дефиле) is a steep valley in south-western Bulgaria, stretching about 18 km. The gorge has been formed by the Struma River, which flows from the Vitosha mountains. Kresna gorge has a rich biodiversity, ...

between Maleshevo and Pirin. To the south it connects with the large Serres Valley in Greece through the

Rupel Gorge The Rupel () is a tidal river in northern Belgium, right tributary of the Scheldt. It is about long. It flows through the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Dijle and Nete, in Rumst. It flows into the S ...

between Belasitsa and Sengel. To the west it is wide open to the Strumitsa Valley in the

Republic of North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, along the course of the Strumeshnitsa river. Kozhuh-rupite-imagesfrombulgaria

Pogled kum prez gr Petrich kum gr Sandanski

The average altitude is about 200 m. The total area of Sandanski–Petrich Valley is about 550 km². Its maximum length is 42 km and its width reaches 13 km. It is divided into the larger Sandanski Valley to the east and the smaller Petrich valley to the west. Between these two sections is situated the eroded extinct volcano

Kozhuh Rupite ( bg, Рупите, ) is a village which includes a small mountainous protected area in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria, 10-12 kilometres northeast of Petrich, inside Petrich Municipality, on the right bank of the ...

, which raises nearly 200 m above the riverbed of the Struma. Geologically, the formation of the valley began in the early the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non- avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

by graben-like subsidence. During the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Quaternary. It is segmented by numerous small valleys and the extinct volcano Kozhuh. In its southern reaches is situated the small Marikostinovo Gorge formed between two elevations along the Struma. The extensive floodplain of the Sandanski–Petrich Valley is in some places swampy. The two main valleys along the rivers Struma and Strumeshnitsa have wide alluvial bottoms. In the northern part, at the foothills of Maleshevo mountain range there are deposits of

fluorite Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs sca ...

Climate and hydrology

The valley has continental Mediterranean climate and is among the warmest regions of Bulgaria. It has the highest average annual temperatures in the country — 13.9 °C in Sandanski and 13.6 °C in Petrich. The average January temperature in Sandanski is 2.4 °C and in Petrich — 1.6 °C; average July temperature in Sandanski is 24.6 °C and Petrich — 25.1 °C. The annual amount of precipitation is 534 mm in Sandanski and 670 mm in Petrich, with the maximum in winter, making the region among the driest in Bulgaria. The snow cover lasts only a few days. Sandanski–Petrich Valley is drained by the Struma river and its numerous tributaries from the surrounding mountain ranges, including left tributaries such as: Vlahina reka, Sandanska Bistritsa, Melnishka reka,

Pirinska Bistritsa The Pirinska Bistritsa ( bg, Пиринска Бистрица) is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Struma. The river is 53 km long; the last 7 km before its confluence with the Struma forms the border between ...

, and right tributaries, such as Tsaparevska reka,

Lebnitsa Lebnitsa is a village in the municipality of Sandanski, in Blagoevgrad Province Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), als ...

and Strumeshnitsa. Significant amounts of

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidat ...

are formed in the alluvial cones at the bottom of the valley. Numerous mineral springs gush along the surrounding faults, along which the valley has sunk — near

, Levunovo,

Marikostinovo Marikostinovo is a village in Petrich Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also kn ...

Rupite Rupite ( bg, Рупите, ) is a village which includes a small mountainous protected area in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria, 10-12 kilometres northeast of Petrich, inside Petrich Municipality, on the right bank of the S ...

and

Nature

Although most of the valley's territory is arable land under intensive cultivation, it is nonetheless an important biodiversity hotspot in Bulgaria due to the strong Mediterranean influence. The banks of the rivers Struma and Strumeshnitsa are dominated by hydrophilous trees, including some of the most significant natural woodlands of Oriental plane (''

Platanus orientalis ''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...

'') in Bulgaria, European black alder (''

Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations ...

''), silver poplar (''

Populus alba ''Populus alba'', commonly called silver poplar,Webb, C. J.; Sykes, W. R.; Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. IV. Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons. 4. Christchurch, New Zealand, Botany Division, D.S.I.R. si ...

'') and white willow (''

Salix alba ''Salix alba'', the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook No. 4. .Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain a ...

''). Sandanski–Petrich Valley is the only place of Bulgaria where plant species such as dragon lily ('' Dracunculus vulgaris'') or wild almond (''

Prunus webbii ''Prunus webbii'' is a species ''Prunus'' found growing around the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, from Sicily, through Greece, Crete and the Aegean Islands, the Balkans and Anatolia, and possibly as far as Iraq or Iran. A dense spiny shrub or sma ...

'') may be found. The fauna is diverse with many animal species. Mammals include

gray wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of ...

marbled polecat The marbled polecat (''Vormela peregusna'') is a small mammal belonging to the monotypic genus ''Vormela'' within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. ''Vormela'' is from the German word , which means "little worm". The specific name ''peregusn ...

and numerous bat species. The avifauna includes numerous nesting species, and in addition the valley is situated on one of the most important bird migration routes in the country. Typical birds of conservation importance include

Levant sparrowhawk The Levant sparrowhawk (''Accipiter brevipes'') is a small bird of prey. It measures in length with a wingspan of . The female is larger than the male, but the difference is not as marked as with Eurasian sparrowhawk. The adult male is blue-grey ...

short-toed snake eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus na ...

white stork The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...

pygmy cormorant The pygmy cormorant (''Microcarbo pygmaeus'') is a member of the Phalacrocoracidae (cormorant) family of seabirds. It breeds in south-eastern Europe and south-western Asia. It is partially migratory, with northern populations wintering further ...

, masked shrike, lesser grey shrike,

olive-tree warbler The olive-tree warbler (''Hippolais olivetorum'') is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus '' Hippolais''. It breeds in southeast Europe and the Near East. It is migratory, wintering in eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya south to ...

, many of them with restricted range in Southeast Europe. Sandanski–Petrich Valley is among Bulgaria's most important

herpetofauna Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...

regions, including all four land and freshwater turtles species in the country, as well as most of the autochthonous snake and lizard species. The area and its surroundings are Bulgaria's only habitat of four-lined snake, and hold important populations of other range-restricted species in the country, such as

European ratsnake The European ratsnake or leopard snake (''Zamenis situla''), is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Europe, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. Geographic range ''Z. situla'' is found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croa ...

, European cat snake, eastern Montpellier snake, Dahl's whip snake and European blind snake.

Settlements, economy and transportation

The valley is densely populated and has a dense network of settlements that includes three towns and 53 villages in four municipalities —

Kresna Kresna ( bg, Кресна ) is a town and the seat of Kresna Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria. It is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria. Geography The town of Kresna lies in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the north en ...

and

Strumyani Strumyani ( bg, Струмяни, ; also transliterated ''Strumjani'' or ''Strumiani'') is a village in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Blagoevgrad Province. It is the administrative centre of Strumyani Municipality, which lies in the southwestern ...

. The three towns are Sandanski (pop. 26,023 as of 2016), Petrich (29,395) and

(3,267). The region is served by several roads of the national network, as well as numerous local roads. The valley lies on the strategic route from the capital

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

on the Aegean Sea, which is served by a 32 km section of the

Struma motorway The Struma Motorway (, ) is a motorway currently under construction in Bulgaria. The motorway is located in the Yugozapaden area in South West Bulgaria, and follows the route Sofia- Pernik-Dupnitsa- Blagoevgrad- Sandanski to Kulata on the border ...

and 47 km section of the first class I-1 road between Kresna to the north and

Kulata Kulata ( bg, Кулата , , el, Κούλα or Κούλατα) is a village in Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria. it has 892 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Manolev. The village is a major border c ...

at the border with Greece to the south, both part of

European route E79 European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...

. The second most important road bisects the valley along 53 km from the Zlatarevo border crossing with the Republic of North Macedonia to the west, to the village of Katuntsi to the east, continuing to the town of

Gotse Delchev Georgi Nikolov Delchev ( Bulgarian/Macedonian: Георги/Ѓорѓи Николов Делчев; 4 February 1872 – 4 May 1903), known as Gotse Delchev or Goce Delčev (''Гоце Делчев'', originally spelled in older Bulgari ...

in the Mesta valley further east. Railway line No. 5 operated by the

Bulgarian State Railways The Bulgarian State Railways ( bg, Български държавни железници, translit=Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ or BDŽ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the co ...

runs in parallel to the I-1 road along the Struma river; a short railway branches off at the village of General Todorov at the direction of Petrich. The mild Mediterranean climate of the Sandanski–Petrich Valley favours intensive agriculture, with orchards, vineyard, vegetable gardens and greenhouses. Important commercial crops include grapes, peaches, kiwis, figs, peanuts, anise and tobacco. The manufacturing industry in centred at Petrich and Sandanski, the leading sectors being machine-building, food industry and textiles. The most important spa resort in the valley is Sandanski, whose 11 mineral springs with a total discharge of 1200 L/min and temperature of 33 °C to 83 °C have been utilised since Antiquity. The valley is among the gateways to numerous hiking trails in the Pirin mountain range to the northeast, as well as to the Melnik Earth Pyramids. The important ancient city of

Heraclea Sintica Heraclea Sintica, Heracleia Sintica, Хераклея Синтика in Bulgarian or Herakleia Sintike ( grc, Ἡράκλεια Σιντική), or Heraclea ex Sintiis, also known as Heraclea Strymonus or Herakleia Strymonos (Ἡράκλεια Στ ...

is situated near the village of

Citations

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sandanski-Petrich Valley Valleys of Bulgaria Valleys of Europe Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province