Bistrishko Branishte - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bistrishko Branishte is a nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

on Vitosha Mountain

Vitosha

Vitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...

in Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

comprising the eastern slopes of Golyam Rezen

Golyam Rezen

Golyam Rezen is a peak on Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2,277 m, the peak is second to the mountain's summit Cherni Vrah situated 900 m to the west. Golyam Rezen hosts an Air Traffic Services facility, as well as military communications installations...

(2277 m), Malak Rezen

Malak Rezen

Malak Rezen is a peak rising to 2,191 m in northeastern Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. The peak is situated 1.5 km northeast of the summit Cherni Vrah, and 1.3 km north by east of Golyam Rezen Peak, surmounting Stenata ski run and Aleko site to the north.Malak Rezen is accessible...

(2191 m) and Skoparnik

Skoparnik

Skoparnik is the third highest peak of Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2,226 m, the peak is situated 1.5 km south of Golyam Rezen Peak , and 2 km southeast of the summit Cherni Vrah...

(2226 m) Peaks, the northern slopes of Golyam Kupen

Golyam Kupen

Golyam Kupen is a peak rising to 1,930 m in Vitosha Mountain, Bulgaria. The peak is situated on the southern border of Bistrishko Branishte Biosphere Reserve, on the watershed between Vitoshka Bistritsa to the north and Selska Reka to the south, rivers flowing eastwards to the villages of...

Peak (1930 m), and the upper valleys of Vitoshka Bistritsa

Vitoshka Bistritsa

Bistritsa or Vitoshka Bistritsa , is a river in western Bulgaria, tributary of Iskar River. Flows from the eastern slopes of Golyam Rezen Peak on Vitosha Mountain, crossing Bistrishko Branishte Nature Reserve, where it forms a small but beautiful waterfall Samokovishteto, then crossing villages of...

River and Yanchevska River. Surface area 1061.6 ha, elevation between 1430 and 2277 m.

The reserve was established in 1934, together with Vitosha Nature Park of which it is a part. Since 1977 Bistrishko Branishte has been a biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

under the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB).

Over 50% of the territory is covered by forest (predominantly spruce

Spruce

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...

), 100-120 year old on the average. There are several stone rivers in the Subalpine zone, partly penetrating the forest too. The larger animals found in the reserve include deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, boar

Boar

Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...

, wolf and bear

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

.

Bistrishko Branishte attracts many tourists from the adjacent Aleko Centre

Aleko, Vitosha

Aleko is a site on Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria situated at the northern foothills of Malak Rezen Peak , in the watershed of Yanchevska River draining eastwards towards the village of Bistritsa, Sofia....

situated off the northwestern border of the reserve. Visitors are not permitted to stray away from the few designated tracks linking Aleko, Bistritsa

Bistritsa, Sofia

Bistritsa or Bistrica is a large village in the Pancharevo municipality, located at 15 km to the south of the capital Sofia. it has 4,004 inhabitants....

Village (three tracks running along Bistritsa River, Yanchevska River, and via Pogledets site), Cherni Vrah

Cherni Vrah

Cherni Vrah is the summit of Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria. Rising to 2290 m, the peak is the fourth highest mountain summit in the country after Musala , Vihren , and Botev Vrah .Cherni Vrah is bounded to the northwest by Torfeno Branishte which — like the extensive adjacent...

, and Zheleznitsa Village.

See also