Pirin Mountains

[Grimeto]

Pirin Mountains


The Pirin Mountains (Bulgarian: Пирин) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren (2,914 m high) the highest peak, situated at 41°45′50″N, 23°25′30″E. The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in a national park, the Pirin National Park.

Pirin is noted for its rich flora and fauna. Much of the area is forested, with the best conifer woods in Bulgaria, holding important populations of the Balkan endemic species Macedonian Pine, Bosnian Pine and Bulgarian Fir. Animals include the Wolf and the Brown Bear.

The town of Bansko, an important tourism and winter sports centre, is situated on the northeast slopes of the Pirin Mountains. The town of Razlog lies in a valley between Pirin to the south and the Rila Mountains to the north.

Pirin is known with its abundance of water. Many rivers take their sourses from the mountains; they belong to the Struma and Mesta catchment areas. The rivers are short, turbulent and with high waters, with high inclination which forms many leaps and rapids. There is only one distinctive waterfall, the Popinolashki waterfall, which is 12 m high. The main ridge is the watershed between the two catchment areas.

Noticeable rivers which flow into the Mesta are:

Iztok (East) which runs through the Razlog Valley and have numerous smaller tributaries.
Pleshka river, which passes through the village of Dobrinishte.
Bezbozhka river.
Retije river which pours out from the Popovo Lake.
The rivers Kamenitsa, Breznitsa, Korpitsa.
Noticeable rivers which flow into the Struma are:

Vlachina river which pour out from the lakes of the same name.
Sandanska Bistritsa, which forms a large valley, takes many tributaries and runs through Sandanski.
Melnishka river.
Pirinska Bistritsa, which serves for a border between Bulgaria and Greece to the south.
One of the most picturesque parts of Pirin's landscape are 176 crystal-clear mountain lakes which are called the eyes of the mountain in the Bulgarian folklore. All of them have glacial origin and are usually situated at the bottom of spectacular cirques surrounded by rugged marble slopes and snow-capped peaks. The largest lake is the Popovo Lake, which is also the deepest one in Pirin. Other beautiful lakes include Banderishki Lakes, Valyavishki Lakes, Vasilashki Lakes, Vlahini Lakes, Kremenski Lakes, Samodivski Lakes, Sinanishko Lake. The lakes are extremely popular among the tourists. The largest lake in Pirin by surface area is forth in Bulgaria, the deepest lake is second in the country, which the highest lake is also the highest not only in Bulgaria but also in the Balkans.

The largest and most important lake groups are:

Popovo Lakes-11
Kremenski Lakes-5
Banderishki Lakes-16
Vasilashki Lakes-12
Valyavishki Lakes-10
Chairski Lakes-10
Vlahini Lakes-5
Malokamenishki Lakes-20
Prevalski Lakes-4
Bashliiski Lakes-4
Tipitski Lakes-2
There are also many lakes which are not part of groups: Sinanishko, Bezbozhko, Dautovo and others.

There are also tiny glaciers (ice which does not melt throughout the year) in the Golemiya Kazan (The Big Cauldron) under Vihren (90x40 m) and Kamenitsa

Pirin has rich and varied flora and fauna. More than 1,300 plant species have been found up to this moment, which is roughly 1/3 all plant species to be found in the country; 320 lichen species; several hundred algae species. There are 18 endemic plant species which include Pirin Poppy, Pirin Meadowsweet, Pirin Thyme, David Mullein and other. Many plants are extremely rare and under protection such as the beautiful Edelweiss. The vegetation is vertically zoned into three elevation lines: tree, subalpine and alpine. The tree line is covered predominantly with coniferous species such as European Black Pine, Scots Pine, Macedonian Pine, Bosnian Pine, Spruce, Bulgarian Fir and reaches approximately altitude of 2,000 m. Up to 2,500 m is the subalpine line, dominated by Mountain Pine and Juniper whose size decrease as the altitude rises. The alpine line is situated above 2,500 m, covered with grass, moss, lichen and abundant in Bilberry. The vegetation around the streams and the lakes is more specific with Pinworm being common. The most famous tree in Pirin is the Baikushev's Pine, names after the forest-guard who found it. This tree is more than 1,300 years old which makes it almost as ancient as Bulgaria.


The Baikushev's Pine
SpruceThere are more than 2,000 invertebrates (spiders, centipedes, insects, snails) and 250 vertebrate species. The latter include 177 bird, 45 mammal and only 6 fish species. Many of these are endangered and need special protection: Imperial Eagle, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker. The most common animals include: Chamois, Brown Bear, Wolf, Roe Deer, Fox, Eagles and Falcons, Capercaillie.

In order to protect the rich wildlife in the mountain the Vihren National Park was created in 1962, which was renamed Pirin National Park in 1975. It has an area of 403,32 km². The park protects the largest forests of Macedonian and Bosnian Pine in the country as well as many rare and endemic species. There are several nature reserves which account for 15% of the total area. The National Park was designed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.


Enjoy the pictures :

1.Kamenitsa Peak and the lake Tevno ezero :


2.Vihren from the south :


3.The Popinolashki waterfall:


4.The Samodivski Lakes


5.The Baikushev's Pine