The Vidima () is a 68 km-long river in northern
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 ...
, a left tributary of the
Rositsa, itself a left tributary of the river
Yantra
Yantra (; 'machine'/'contraption') is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; and for the benefits believe ...
of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
basin. It is the largest tributary of the Rositsa.
Geography
The Vidima takes its source under the name Vasilkovitsa at an altitude of 2,040 m on the northwestern foothills of the
Botev Peak
Botev Peak ( ) is, at above sea level, the highest peak of the Balkan Mountains in southeastern Europe. It is located close to the geographic centre of Bulgaria, and is part of the Central Balkan National Park.
Until 1950, when it was renamed ...
(2,376 m), the highest summit of the
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...
. Its uppermost course falls within the
Severen Dzhendem Reserve in the
Central Balkan National Park
The Central Balkan National Park () is a national park in the heart of Bulgaria, nestled in the central and higher portions of the Balkan Mountains. Its altitude varies from near the town of Karlovo to at Botev Peak, the highest summit in the ...
. Its flows north in a deep forested valley until the outskirts of the town of
Apriltsi
Apriltsi ( ) is a small town in Lovech Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located in the vicinity of the highest part of Stara Planina mountain. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Apriltsi Municipality. As of December 2009, the tow ...
. In the town its receives the Dyasna (Right) Vidima, which is considered the starting point of the river proper. Downstream of Apriltsi the river turns northwest and runs through the Novoseltsi Valley. The Vidima again heads north between the villages of
Velchevo and
Debnevo
Debnevo is a village in Troyan Municipality, Lovech Province, northern 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 Da ...
, forming a picturesque canyon-like valley. It then turns east and the valley widens. The river flows into the Rositsa at an altitude of 206 m some 3 km south of the town of
Sevlievo
Sevlievo ( ) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town in north-central Bulgaria, part of Gabrovo Province. Sevlievo is known as one of the wealthiest towns in Bulgaria owing to the well developed local economy, high employment rate and maj ...
.
Its drainage basin covers a territory of 554 km
2 or 24.2% of the Rositsa's total.
The Vidima has rain–snow feed with high water in April–June and low water in August–October. The average annual discharge at its mouth is 5.6 m
3/s.
Settlements and economy
The river flows in
Lovech
Lovech (, ) is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast from the capital city of Sofia. Near Lovech are the towns of ...
and
Gabrovo Province
Gabrovo Province (; former name ''Gabrovo okrug'') is a small province lying at the geographical centre of Bulgaria. It is named after its main town – Gabrovo. In 2009 the total population of the area was 130,001. s. There are one town and six villages along its course: Apriltsi (town),
Skandaloto and Velchevo in
Apriltsi Municipality
Apriltsi Municipality () is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Lovech Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located from the northern slopes of the central Stara planina mountain to the area of the Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrative cen ...
, Debnevo in
Troyan Municipality
Troyan Municipality () is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Lovech Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located from the northern slopes of the central Stara planina mountain to the area of the Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrative centr ...
, and
Berievo,
Gradinitsa and
Dushevo in
Gabrovo Municipality
Gabrovo Municipality () is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Gabrovo Province, North-central Bulgaria, located on the northern slopes of the central Stara planina mountain to the area of the so-called Fore-Balkan. It is named after its administrat ...
. Its waters are utilized for irrigation in the lower course and small scale electricity production in the upper course at the Vidima Hydro Power Station.
On its upper tributary the Praskalska reka in the Balkans Mountains is located the 80 m high
Vidimsko Praskalo waterfall, situated in a dramatic difficultly accessible area of the Severen Dzhemdem Reserve.
There are two roads along its course: a 12.4 km stretch of the third class III-404 road
Bogatovo–Sevlievo–Debnevo follows the river's right bank between Gradinitsa and Debnevo, a 14 km section of the third class III-404 road
Kalofer
Kalofer ( pronounced:) is a town in central Bulgaria, located on the banks of the Tundzha between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. Kalofer is part of Plovdiv Province and the Karlovo municipality. It is best kno ...
–Apriltsi–
Troyan
Troyan ( ) is a town remembering the name of Roman Emperor Trajan, in Lovech Province in central Bulgaria . It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Troyan Municipality. The town is about away from the country capital Sofia. The river ...
follows its valley between Apriltsi and Velchevo, and a 11.3 km section of the third class III-3505 road runs along the Vidima between Debnevo and Velchevo.
Gallery
File:Видима1.jpg , The upper course of the Vidima
File:Vidimsko_praskalo_waterfall,_Central_Balkan_National_park_-_panoramio.jpg , Vidimsko Praskalo Waterfall
File:Skandaloto_bridge.jpg , A stone bridge over the river
Citations
References
* {{cite book , ref={{harvid, Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria, 1980
, title = Географски речник на България
, trans-title = Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria
, last1 = Мичев (Michev)
, first1 = Николай (Nikolay)
, last2 = Михайлов (Mihaylov)
, first2 = Цветко (Tsvetko)
, last3 = Вапцаров (Vaptsarov)
, first3 = Иван (Ivan)
, last4 = Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev)
, first4 = Светлин (Svetlin)
, chapter =
, year = 1980
, language = Bulgarian
, publisher = Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura)
, location = София (Sofia)
, isbn =
Rivers of Bulgaria
Landforms of Lovech Province
Landforms of Gabrovo Province