Bistrishko Branishte ( bg, Бистришко бранище) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the Vitosha Nature Park on

Vitosha Vitosha ( bg, Витоша ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Conven ...

Mountain in

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 Macedo ...

. It was established in 1934, together with Vitosha Nature Park. Since 1977 it has been a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

under the ''Man and the Biosphere'' (MAB) Programme of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The reserve comprises the eastern slopes of the peaks of

Golyam Rezen Golyam Rezen ( bg, Голям Резен / ‘Big Slice’) is a peak on Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2,277 m, the peak is second to the mountain's summit Cherni Vrah situated 900 m to the west. Golyam Rezen hosts an Air T ...

(2277 m),

Malak Rezen Malak Rezen ( bg, Малък Резен / ‘Little Slice’) is a peak rising to 2,191 m in northeastern Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. The peak is situated 1.5 km northeast of the summit Cherni Vrah, and 1.3 km north by east of G ...

(2191 m) and

Skoparnik Skoparnik ( bg, Скопарник ) is the third highest peak of Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2,226 m, the peak is situated 1.5 km south of Golyam Rezen Peak (2,277 m), and 2 km southeast of the summit Cherni Vrah ( ...

(2226 m), the northern slopes of Golyam Kupen Peak (1930 m), the upper valleys of

Vitoshka Bistritsa Bistritsa or Vitoshka Bistritsa ( bg, Бистрица; Витошка Бистрица; Бистришка река), is a river in western Bulgaria, tributary of Iskar River. It flows from the eastern slopes of Golyam Rezen Peak on Vitosha Mou ...

and Yanchevska rivers. Its surface area is 1061.6 ha, the elevation is between 1430 and 2277 m. Over 50 % of its territory is covered by forest (predominantly spruce), 100 to 120 years old on the average. There are several stone runs in the Subalpine zone, penetrating the forest. The larger animals found in the reserve include

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

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 un ...

, bear. Bistrishko Branishte attracts many tourists from the adjacent Aleko Centre situated off the northwestern border of the reserve. Visitors are not permitted to stray away from the few designated tracks linking the Vitosha's highest peak of

Cherni Vrah Cherni Vrah ( bg, Черни връх , "Black Peak") is the summit of Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2290 m, the peak is the fourth highest mountain summit in the country after Musala (2925 m, Rila Mountain), Vihren (2914&nbs ...

, Aleko area, Bistritsa village (3 tracks running via Pogledets site and along Bistritsa and Yanchevska rivers), Zheleznitsa village.

References

''Virgin Forests of Bulgaria'': 6. Virgin forests in Vitosha Mountain → 6.4. Virgin forest
p. 44
''Climbing Guide'': Vitosha

Vitosha Nature Park
{{Protected areas of Bulgaria Protected areas established in 1934 1934 establishments in Bulgaria Biosphere reserves of Bulgaria Nature reserves in Bulgaria Vitosha Geography of Sofia City Province Geography of Pernik Province Geography of Sofia Province

See also

References