Bistrishko Branishte () 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, funga, or features of geologic ...

in the Vitosha Nature Park on

Vitosha Vitosha ( ), 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. Convenient bus lines and ...

Mountain in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. 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, funga, or features of geologic ...

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

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The reserve comprises the eastern slopes of the peaks of Golyam Rezen (2277 m), Malak Rezen (2191 m) and Skoparnik (2226 m), the northern slopes of

Golyam Kupen Golyam Kupen () is a peak rising to 1,930 m in Vitosha, Vitosha Mountain, Bulgaria. The peak is situated on the southern border of Bistrishko Branishte Biosphere Reserve, on the drainage divide, watershed between Vitoshka Bistritsa to the ...

Peak (1930 m), the upper valleys of Vitoshka Bistritsa 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 A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

), 100 to 120 years old on the average. There are several stone runs in the

Subalpine zone Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

, penetrating the forest. The larger animals found in the reserve include

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

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

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

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

. 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, 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