Pirin National Park

Pirin National Park is a picturesque conservation area located in the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria. The park is spread over an area of 403.92 km² and its territory extends at altitudes from 1008 to 2914 meters. Mighty forests, flowering alpine meadows, relic glacial lakes, healing mineral springs and noisy waterfalls have made this corner of Bulgaria very popular with tourists.

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Video: Pirin National Park

Contents

Highlights

Nowadays, two reserves, Julen and Bayuvi Dupki Dzindjirica, are included in the protection lands of Pirin Park. Human activity is completely prohibited in these reserves, so animals and birds feel absolutely safe. Visits to the protected areas must necessarily be coordinated with the park’s directorate.

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Travelers come to Pirin National Park at any time of the year, but most tourists come here from late spring to early fall, as well as during the ski season. There are many marked trails in the park. Hunting, illegal cutting of trees is prohibited on its territory, and fishing is not allowed on some rivers.

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To comfortably accommodate travelers, the park has 8 rest bases where you can stay overnight, as well as 4 shelters. The park’s directorate is located in the town of Bansko, at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, at 4 Bulgaria Street. There is an information center where children and adults are given informative lectures about the nature of the Balkan Mountains. The park management works from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 13.00 to 17.30.

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History of Pirin Park

In 1962, the Bulgarian authorities created the Vihren National Park in the highest part of the mountains. At first, the park’s area was 62 km², which was less than 1/6th of its present-day area.

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After 12 years, the park was renamed and its boundaries were significantly extended. In 1983, UNESCO included the unique high mountain landscapes of Pirin National Park in the list of World Heritage Sites. The last expansion of the park area was carried out in 1998.

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Pirin Mountains

The Pirin Mountains lie between the Mesta and Struma valleys and stretch for 75 km. The highest point of the mountain range, Mount Vihren, rises to 2,914 meters, being the second highest peak in Bulgaria. More than 40 Pirin peaks are over 2,600 meters high.

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In ancient times, these mountains were called by different names. The inhabitants of Thrace spoke about them “Orbelus”, which translates as “snowy mountains”. The ancient Slavs adopted the name “Yudenitsa” and the Turks the name “Beride”. The Slavic tribes that came here in later times began to call the mountain ranges “Pirin”. It is believed that this name came from the deity Perun, who in ancient times was considered the master of thunder and lightning. According to ancient legends, the thunder god spent his days on the highest of the mountains, the top of which is often hidden in the clouds.

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The Pirin Mountains are composed of granite and marble. As a result of glaciation, they have acquired characteristic alpine forms. Steep scree slopes, rocky watersheds and sharp peaks predominate.

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Pirin has a high-altitude climate, so air temperature and rainfall are directly related to altitude. The weather is milder in the lower elevations, up to 1000 meters above sea level, while the highlands, which start above 1600 meters, have a much harsher climate.

The weather is greatly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and the southwesterly and westerly winds. The highest rainfall in the Pirin Mountains occurs between November and December, and heavy snowfalls are common during the winter months.

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Plant life

The first descriptions of the flora of the Pirin Mountains were made in the first half of the 19th century by the German florist and geobotanist August Griesebach. More extensive botanical research took place in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Up to an altitude of 2,000 meters, mountain forests grow in the Pirin National Park. The lowest belt is occupied by oak, beech and hornbeam forests. Above them are pine forests consisting of Balkan and whitebark pines. At the uppermost level, in front of the alpine meadows, stretches the zone of pine-juniper stele forests.

Curiously, some of the trees on the slopes of the Pirin Mountains are over 500 years old. There is also a long-lived tree here, which is over 1300 years old. It is a huge Baikushev pine or Bosnian pine, which is considered one of the oldest trees preserved on our planet. The unique pine rises to a height of 26 meters and has a diameter of 2.2 meters near the tip. You can see it on the road that leads from the town of Bansko to the foot of Vihren Mountain, not far from the Bynderitsa campground.

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Due to the mild Mediterranean climate, the local flora is very diverse. In the mountains grow 18 local endemics, 15 species endemic to Bulgaria and a large number of endemics of the Balkan Mountains. Pirin’s symbols are the discreet edelweiss flowers and the bright yellow Pirin poppy. There are over 300 species of mosses and over 160 species of algae on the mountain slopes. Within the boundaries of the protection zone, biologists have found 1,300 species of higher plants.

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Animals

The Pirin National Park is home to more than two thousand species of animals, many of which are rare or endangered. Six species of fish are found in mountain lakes, rivers and streams.

The dense forests have become a refuge for 160 species of birds. Several species of owls, alpine curlews, peregrine falcons, rock nuthatches and tufted tits are considered the rarest of them. Other rare species include golden eagles, falcons, lesser spotted eagles and Balkan skylarks. There are 45 species of mammals in favorable conditions isolated from humans. The Pirin Park provides comfortable conditions for brown bears, wolves and foxes. Jackals, squirrels, hedgehogs, wild boars, deer and chamois are often seen here.

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How to get there

Pirin National Park is spread in the southwestern part of the country, about 100 km from the Bulgarian capital Sofia. On its territory are the towns of Simitli, Bansko, Gotse Delchev, Razlog, Sadanski, Kresna and the village of Strumyani. All of them belong to the Blagoevgrad Oblast.

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The town of Bansko, where the park’s directorate is located, can be reached from Sofia by bus E81.

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