Central Rila Reserve () is a nature reserve in

Rila National Park Rila National Park () is the largest national park in Bulgaria spanning an area of in the Rila mountain range in the south-west of the country. History It was established on 24 February 1992 to protect several ecosystems of national importanc ...

, located in the Rila mountain range in southwestern

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 ...

. Spanning a territory of 12417 ha or 124.17 km², it is the largest nature reserve in the nation and the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. It was declared in February 1992 to protect undisturbed primary alpine ecosystems. Upon its creation, the Central Rila Reserve included the whole territory of the previously existing since 1956 Marichini Lakes Reserve, and the latter seized to exist as a separate protected area, which had been part of the

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

since 1977. It is a

strict nature reserve A strict nature reserve (IUCN category Ia) or wilderness area (IUCN category Ib) is the highest category of protected area recognised by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), a body which is part of the International Union for ...

(1st category protected territory according to Bulgarian legislation and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

classification).

Geography

The reserve is situated in central part of Rila in the upper valleys of two of the largest rivers of Bulgaria, the

Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( ), also known as Evros ( ) and Meriç ( ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,

and the

Iskar Iskar may refer to: ;Bulgaria * Iskar (river), a river in western Bulgaria * Iskar Reservoir, situated on the Iskar River * Iskar (town), a town in the Iskar Municipality of the Pleven Province * Iskar Municipality * Iskar, Sofia, one of 24 munici ...

. The relieve is mostly alpine, with many rocky peaks, screes, meadows. The reserve encompasses the highest zones of the mountain range, including the highest summit in the Balkans

Musala Musala ( ); from Arabic through Ottoman Turkish: from '' Musalla'', "near God" or "place for prayer" is the highest peak in the Rila Mountains, as well as in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at . With a topographic prominence ...

(2,925 m), as well are numerous other prominent peaks, such as Irechek (2,852 m),

Bezimennia Vrah Bezimennia Vrah (, meaning "the Nameless Summit"), is a summit in eastern Rila mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria. Reaching a height of 2,798 m, it is the fourth highest summit in the mountain range behind Musala (2,925 m), Malka ...

(2,798 m), Deno (2,790 m),

Ovcharets Ovcharets () is a summit in eastern Rila, Rila mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria reaching height of 2,768 m. It is located in Rila National Park. Ovcharets is built up of granite. The peak lies on the Musala ridge, in the vicinity of ...

(2,768 m),

Marishki Chal Marishki Chal () is a summit in the eastern part of the Rila, Rila mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria reaching height of 2,765 m. It is located in Rila National Park. The summit is built up of granite. Geography Marishki Chal connect ...

(2,765 m), etc. It also contains many glacial lakes, the most prominent being the

Marichini Lakes Marichini Lakes () are a group of four glacial lakes situated in the eastern part of Rila mountain range of southwestern Bulgaria at an altitude between 2,301 m and 2,508 m. They are situated in the Marichin cirque between the summits o ...

. The seven

Musala Lakes Musala Lakes () are a group of seven glacial lakes situated in the Rila mountain range of southwestern Bulgaria at an altitude between 2,322 m and 2,709 m. Location Administratively, the group of lakes belongs to Samokov Municipalit ...

lie on the northern slopes of Musala just outside of the reserve's limits. It is bisected in two unconnected parts by the valley of the river Beli Iskar and the homonymous reservoir. Administratively, it is part of Samokov Municipality,

Sofia Province Sofia Province () is a province (''oblast'') of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia remains the seat of its administration. The province borders on the provinces of Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Paz ...

, within the area of the municipal center

Samokov Samokov ( ) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in Samokov Valley between the mountain ranges of Rila, Vitosha and Sredna Gora, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia. Due ...

and the villages of Beli Iskar,

Govedartsi Govedartsi () is a village in Sofia Province of western Bulgaria. As of 2024 its population is 1,163. Geography The village is situated at an altitude of 1,157 m in the Govedartsi Valley in the Rila mountain range, nestled between its d ...

and

Mala Tsarkva Mala may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mala (Amazon), an Amazon from Wonder Woman's side of the DC Universe * Mala (Kryptonian), a villain from Superman's corner of the DC Universe Films and television * ''Mala'' (19 ...

Flora and fauna

There are forests of Macedonian pine (''

Pinus peuce ''Pinus peuce'' (Macedonian pine or Balkan pine) (Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian: молика, molika; Bulgarian: бяла мура, byala mura) is a species of pine native to the mountains of North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Kos ...

'') and Norway spruce (''

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, ...

''), as well as extensive formations of dwarf mountain pine (''

Pinus mugo ''Pinus mugo'', known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and Sou ...

'') in the higher altitude zones. There are a number of rare and endemic plant species under protection, such as '' Anthemis orbelica'', '' Campanula transsilvanica'', '' Draba siliquosa'', ''

Gentiana lutea ''Gentiana lutea'', the great yellow gentian, is a species of gentian native to the mountains of central and southern Europe. Growth ''Gentiana lutea'' is an herbaceous perennial plant, growing to tall, with broad lanceolate to elliptic leaves ...

'', '' Gentiana puntata'', '' Geum bulgaricum'', '' Primula deorum'', '' Soldanella pusilla'', ''

Rhodiola rosea ''Rhodiola rosea'' (commonly golden root, rose root, roseroot, Aaron's rod, Arctic root, king's crown, ''lignum rhodium'', orpin rose) is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. It grows naturally in wild Arctic ...

'', '' Valeriana montana'', ''

Nardus stricta ''Nardus'' is a genus of plants belonging to the grass family, containing the single species ''Nardus stricta'', known as matgrass. It is placed in its own tribe Nardeae within the subfamily Pooideae. The name derives from ancient Greek ' () fro ...

'', ''

Juniperus communis ''Juniperus communis'', the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. An evergreen conifer, it has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the coo ...

'', ''

Vaccinium vitis-idaea ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'' is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as the lingonberry, partridgeberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, or cowberry. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throug ...

'', etc. The fauna of the Central Rila Reserve is diverse, with a number of rare species of conservational importance, including

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...

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

European pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...

chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...

, roe deer,

wild 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 ...

black woodpecker The black woodpecker (''Dryocopus martius'') is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the ...

, western capercaillie,

hazel grouse The hazel grouse (''Tetrastes bonasia''), sometimes called the hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido, and as far west as eastern a ...

, common European viper,

European green lizard The European green lizard (''Lacerta viridis'') is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, ...

viviparous lizard The viviparous lizard or common lizard (''Zootoca vivipara'', formerly ''Lacerta vivipara'') is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other non-marine reptile species, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it give ...

river trout ''Salmo trutta fario'', sometimes called the river trout, is a river-dwelling freshwater predatory fish from the genus ''Salmo'' of the family Salmonidae. It is one of the three main subspecies of the brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), besides sea ...

, etc.

Gallery

File:Central Rila Reserve3.jpg , A view of the

File:Река в Рила планина.jpg , A river in the reserve File:Водопадче, близо до Скакавица.jpg , A small fall File:Tetrao1.jpg, A western capercaillie in the reserve

Citations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Central Rila Reserve Biosphere reserves of Bulgaria Nature reserves in Bulgaria Rila Geography of Sofia Province Tourist attractions in Sofia Province Protected areas established in 1992 1992 establishments in Bulgaria