Todorka ( ) is a massive peak in the

Pirin The Pirin Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of . The range extends about from the north-west to the south-east and is about wide, spanning a territory of . To the north ...

Mountains of south-western

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 is the only peak of the Todorka side ridge and has a summit

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of 2746 m (9009 ft.)

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Todorka is the 11th highest peak in Pirin and is made of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, and although not rocky, it is steep. It is a relatively short crest with three peaks - Golyama (Big), Sredna (Middle) and Malka (Little) Todorka. Golyama Todorka is located to the north and viewed from the town of

Bansko Bansko ( ) is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Blagoevgrad Oblast near the city of Razlog. Once mainly a stockbreeding and travelling merchant community, the town is now an international centre for winter and summer tourism. More rec ...

looks like a dramatic pyramid. There are several ski tracks from its slopes, and has been developed extensively since 2000 and is now a major

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

, with a

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

-served summit of 2600 m (8530 ft). Bansko hosted

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

races for the women in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and for the men in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

.Bansko World Cup.com
- - accessed 2010-02-26 Following the ridge to the southwest of Golyama Todorka is Sredna Todorka at 2706 m (8878 ft.) and to the southeast is Malka Todorka (2712 m, 8898 ft.). To the east of the cirque their form are situated the two lakes Todorini Ochi (Todora's eyes) which are part of the Vasilashki Lakes near which runs the route between the Vihren refuge and Demyanitsa refuge. To the west is the Banderitsa valley which makes a peculiar twist following the twist of the Todorka peak. That is the reason why the end of the valley lies invisible from Bansko. There is an impressive panorama from the peak. To the west can be seen

Vihren Vihren ( ) is the highest peak of Bulgaria's Pirin Mountains. Reaching , it is Bulgaria's second and the Balkans' third highest, after Musala and Mount Olympus. Although Vihren is deprived of lakes and streams due to the karst topography, a numb ...

and

Kutelo Kutelo ( ) is a summit in the Pirin mountain range, southwestern Bulgaria. With a height of 2,908 m it is the second highest peak in Pirin after Vihren (2,914 m), and the third one in Bulgaria, behind Musala (2,925 m) in Rila and V ...

, to the east is the Strazhite edge. To the south Kamenitsa rises above the other peaks. To the north in cloudless days there is a dramatic view to Bansko in which the streets and buildings are clearly visible.

Legends

There are two legends about the name of the peak. The first one tells about the brave Bulgarian woman Todorka who the defended the Sinan fortress against the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

during the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars. She fought to the end and finally ran to the peak above the castle chased by the Turks, jumped into the abyss and died. According to the second legend a local girl named Todorka did not manage to persuade her father to marry to her beloved Vasil. She ran away from home, reached the peak and started to cry from which the two lakes Todorini Ochi were formed. Vasil searched for her in vain and in the end reached the nearby peak Vasilashki Chukar and threw himself in despair into the lake below (one of the Vasilashki Lakes).

References

External links

Bansko Ski.com
- - official site for Bansko ski area
Bansko World Cup.com
- {{in lang, en -site for World Cup races Mountains of Pirin Two-thousanders of Bulgaria Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province