- the largest and one of the most exotic in all of Bulgaria. Founded in 1995, it covers an area of ​​1161 square meters. km. The park includes most Bulgarian territory of central Strandzha to the shores of the Black Sea. The length of the park is about 50 km, and the average width is about 25 km.

Nature

It is famous for its oak forests. Thanks to the climatic conditions, 50 percent of the Bulgarian flora grows here. The park's rivers are home to a variety of fish, including stickleback and eels.

Bird lovers will be interested in observing here the lives of such amazing species as the golden eagle, lesser spotted eagle, white-tailed eagle, black stork and common honey buzzard.

The view of central Strandzha from the vast mountain plateaus is breathtaking and remains in the memory forever.

The undulating ridges, covered with green forests, form an endless chain, where you will not see sharp peaks or harsh rocky spurs, so characteristic of the rest of the Bulgarian mountains.

Small villages with their pastures, plots and meadows are picturesquely scattered in the waves of this boundless green sea.

This is the landscape in the eastern part of the mountain, between the villages of Pismenovo, Slivarovo, Vizitsa, Bulgari and Brodilovo.

The western slopes, near Malko Tarnovo, are rougher, rockier and harsher. Two ridges are clearly outlined here - Rezovsky and Bosnian.

The Bosnian ridge serves as the northern border of Strandzha National Park. The valleys of the Veleka and Rezovskaya rivers flowing through the reserve captivate with their picturesque mandras.

Climate

The specific climate of the Strandja region is formed under the influence of Black and Mediterranean seas. The average annual temperature is relatively high - 11 - 13 degrees Celsius.

Precipitation (from 100 to 800 mm) is distributed unevenly between the summer minimum and autumn maximum. The climate changes as it moves into the mountains - precipitation increases, temperatures drop, and winters become colder.

The southeastern part of Strandzha in the vicinity of Ahtopol and Rezovo is the brightest place in Bulgaria, the sun here pours out 57 calories per square centimeter! From April to October there are more sunny days here than in the whole country.

“Good health to you, wanderer who came here!”

This wish is carved on a marble tombstone located in the altar of the old Catholic church in the town. The slab dates from the second century BC. One cannot but agree with him.

The nature of Mount Strandzha is truly blessed, because it combines the sea, Mountain peaks and the sun of the Mediterranean. There is no hidden meaning in this inscription - then they believed that Strandzha, which people have inhabited since ancient times, bestows its inhabitants with a strong spirit and a healthy body.

To this day, everyone who sets foot on this land is fascinated by the monuments ancient culture, casts a spell on the spiritual heritage preserved in customs, traditions, folklore and mythology local population.

The quiet humility of poor rural churches and chapels does not allow faith to fade away. Nowhere in Bulgaria has it been preserved as much as in quiet villages like Bryshlyana, Zabernovo, Kosti, Bulgari and other Strandja towns. Stories about sorcerers, fairies and elves come to life near the healing springs of ayasms.

Nowadays Bryshlyan village has the status of a historical and architectural reserve, more than 80 objects are declared cultural monuments. The local community founded the Association for the Protection of Natural and historical heritage Bryshlyana.

They managed to restore the old village school, the chapels of St. Pantalaimon and St. Lefter, as well as the belfry of the church of St. Demetrius. Bryshlyana's lands border the Vitanovo nature reserve, the Veleka River valley and the Katun fishery.

Bulgari- this small village (318 people) 17 km west of Tsarevo is the only folklore reserve in Strandzha.

An ancient custom brought him fame nestinarism, associated with the feast of Saints Constantine and Helen on May 21.

Nestinary- dancers performing the ritual fall into a trance-like state and dance on burning coals to the sonorous accompaniment of drums and bagpipes. Male dancers wear icons of saints. This ritual can also be observed in the villages of Brodilovo and Kosti.

According to one legend, this custom arose because the Lord decided to test the strength of mortal faith. The Almighty built a fire and ordered people to enter it. The only one who dared to fulfill God's will was a young man named Constantine. For his fearlessness, he was awarded a place in heaven.

God repeated the test to find Constantine's wife. The brave girl who entered the fire was named Elena. Therefore, the ritual is carried out on the day of remembrance Saints Constantine and Helena.

This ritual can be seen in the village Pismenovo, where evenings are spent with a traditional Bulgarian dinner, a concert program, which ends with a dance on the coals.

Located on the territory of Strandzha National Park Ropotamo Nature Reserve. It stretches along both banks of the Ropotamo River and reaches all the way to the Black Sea dunes.

In no other region of Bulgaria can you find such a varied, rich landscape - here there are islands, cliffs, and sandy beaches, and bays, and dunes, and the Arkutino swamp, and forests, and meadows.

All this is located along the last few kilometers of the river, before it flows into the sea.

The mild climate here is ideally favorable for the lush growth of a huge variety of plants.

Various predators and other representatives of the animal world also feel wonderful here. - a bird sanctuary, a great variety of birds nest here and rare species of cacti are found.

The total legally protected area in the Strandzha massif is 5,395.6 hectares, that is, about 5% of the entire territory. Protected areas include nature reserves, protected regions, national monuments and historical sites.

Tourists are allowed into protected areas, but they must follow certain rules.

Natural Park Strandzha is the largest protected area in Bulgaria, with an area of ​​1161 sq. Its area makes up the Bulgarian part of the Strandzha Mountain and its borders reach east to the Black Sea and south to Turkey. Much of the unique biodiversity in the park is due to its location next to the Asian continent.

More than two-thirds of the park is forested, and their average age is 30 years higher than the age of the country's forests themselves. In old forests, Strandzha oak, eastern oak, beech and eastern oak, found trees aged 500 years. Forests themselves are valuable habitats.In January 1995, to protect the unique nature of Strandzha and local traditions and livelihoods, a national park was created, which was later (1998) classified as “natural” under the Protected Areas Law, which regulates the categories of protected natural areas, their purpose and regime of protection and use , disclosure and governance.

Today, throughout the Strandzha Nature Park is part of the international ecological network Natura 2000, in accordance with the European Habitats Directive, the Strandzha zone is formed, and in accordance with the Bird Protection Directive - two zones: Western Strandzha, where they occur, the burial ground, the black kite, saker falcon, great olive warbler, white-fronted shrike and others. and Strandzha, which does not have the black stork, the Egyptian vulture, the snake eagle, the lesser spotted eagle and others.

The symbol of Strandzha Park is the periwinkle, which, along with the blueberry and Strandzha wild tree, existed in the Tertiary and is now extremely rare.

The culture and traditions of Strandzha are very specific, a striking example is the dancing - dancing on coals, which is believed to be practiced with kings. At various festivals and fairs ndpyavaniya, local residents managed to preserve their traditions and customs, as well as contribute to the region.

The Bulgarian Strandzha Natural Park, located near the city of Burgas, is the largest protected area in the country. Its area as of 2015 is 1,161 square kilometers. The park was officially declared a protected area in 2000. The Strandzha Nature Reserve is located in the southeast of the country; in the south, the borders of its territory coincide with the state border of Bulgaria and Turkey, while in the east they run along Black Sea coast. In this protected area today there are five nature reserves, 14 protected areas and 8 natural attractions.

Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas

It is worth noting that the flora and fauna natural park Strandzha in Burgas is truly unique. The territory of the protected zone is home to more than six dozen relict plants and animals, and seven of them are found only in Stradzha Park. Scientists explain the incredible biological diversity of these places as favorable climatic conditions, and a favorable location between Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia.
Concerning flora In these places, 80% of the park is covered with deciduous forests, and some trees are more than five hundred years old. These “long-lived” species include, for example, rock oaks and Gartvis oaks, as well as dense and oriental beeches. The trunk diameter of such trees often exceeds two meters.

Fauna of Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas

Today, the Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas is home to the most animals in Bulgaria - 431 species, 31 of which are relict. In addition, about six hundred invertebrates and more than 70 species of marine fish live here. Also, according to scientists, every year the air corridor over the coast of the park is used by millions of birds flying to Africa from Northern Europe. Because of this, the territory of the natural park is extremely important for supporting the life of dozens of species of rare and endangered birds. Today, 270 bird species live permanently in Strandzha.

Cultural attractions of Strandzha Park

In addition to the unique flora and fauna, the Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas also has cultural value. For example, the famous dances on hot coals (Nestinarian dances), which are one of the pagan customs that have survived to this day, can be seen in the park. In the village of Bulgari this dance can be seen annually on May 21st, in Borodilovo on July 27th, and in the village of Kosti on July 20th. By the way, this custom was recognized as a UNESCO intangible world heritage site.

In addition, the park has the opportunity to visit several historical places. For example, near the village of Stoilovo, tourists will see Petrov Niva with a memorial dedicated to the memory of those killed during the Iliden-Preobrazhensky uprising of 1903. There is also a museum exhibition and a small chapel-ossuary of St. Petka.

Helpful information

How to get there: Strandzha Natural Park can be reached from Burgas along highway No. 98. In the protected area of ​​Poda, make a right turn towards Malko Tarnovo. The road will go through the village of Zvezdets and to Malko-Tarnovo, located a few kilometers from the Turkish border.
Additionally: when going to the Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas, it is worth keeping in mind that in the vicinity of the park you cannot always count on sustainable mobile communications, since in many parts of the reserve network coverage is weak or non-existent.
Visiting rules: It is allowed to move around the territory of the Strandzha Natural Park in Burgas only along special tourist paths. Setting up tents, making fires and parking cars is permitted only in places specially equipped for this.

In the south-eastern part of the country there is a beautiful and unique area called Strandzha. Here the main natural advantages of Bulgaria are miraculously intertwined - the gentle azure sea and the majestic mountain peaks, picturesque waterfalls and mysterious caves, virgin centuries-old forests and the lazy surface of lowland rivers. Strandzhensky mountain range does not “fit” within one country and is divided between neighboring states. On the Bulgarian side, a significant part of it is reserved for a unique natural park.

Strandzha Park is the largest in Bulgaria, covering an area of ​​1161 square meters. km, which is about 1% of the entire territory of the country. Its southern borders coincide with the political border.

Unique geographical conditions at the junction of Europe and Asia, the influence of the Black and Mediterranean Seas causes a rather mild climate. The average annual temperature ranges from 11–13 °C, with mild winters and no scorching heat in summer. Naturally, the higher you go to the peaks, the more severe the frosts and the higher the amount of precipitation. Well, the coast is famous for its big amount sunny days in the country. The mountain slopes covered with relict forests occupy at least 2/3 of the natural park. They give life to a huge number of crystal springs and streams. It is believed that a considerable part of them have healing properties.

On relatively small area The park is home to more than half of all plants and animals found in Bulgaria. About a hundred relict representatives of flora and fauna have been preserved here. Many of them cannot be seen anywhere else. In total, over 1,600 plant species grow in Strandzha, it is inhabited by more than 400 vertebrate and 600 invertebrate species of animals and about 270 birds. There are about 40 types of freshwater fish, and the coastal Black Sea water area is populated almost twice as densely - there are about 70 species of underwater marine “inhabitants”. Several dozen inhabitants of various elements of the natural park are listed in the Red Book. Strandzha is of enormous ecological importance for the whole of Europe: one of the main migration routes of migratory birds, Via Pontica, passes over the massif.

Numerous archaeological finds eloquently indicate that the blessed Strandzha was loved by people in ancient times. Ruins of fortresses, remains of stone sanctuaries and dolmens remained from the ancient Thracian tribes of Tins and Asts. Malko Tarnovo, the unofficial capital of the Strandzha region, is extremely rich in ancient artifacts. In addition to the fact that the city is interesting in itself for its original architecture, a huge number of monuments from the Thracian, Roman, Byzantine and ancient Bulgarian eras have been preserved in its surroundings. Many villages, whose age often exceeds the number of inhabitants, do not lag behind.

A significant part of Strandzha remained under Turkish rule when Bulgaria was already independent. In the historical area of ​​Petrov Niva, the memory of the Ilinden-Preobrazhensky uprising of 1903 is carefully preserved, when the Bulgarian population of Macedonia and Odrin Thrace opposed the authorities Ottoman Empire. The uprising was brutally suppressed, thousands of patriots were killed, dozens of villages were burned. Many hundreds of peasants left homeless were forced to emigrate from the country. A majestic memorial of national importance reminds of those terrible events.

Almost every local village is a unique historical and ethnographic monument with original, specific architecture and an inexhaustible source of rare rituals and customs. The most famous and spectacular event, Nestinar dances, has ancient pagan roots. The traditions of dancing on hot coals survived even in conditions of church oppression and official bans by secular authorities. UNESCO even included the dance ritual in the list of world intangible cultural heritage.

Tourists will be incredibly lucky if they can get to the folk festival - panair. Usually timed to commemorate certain saints, these holidays are a surprisingly colorful mixture of Orthodox rituals with ancient traditions, elements of pagan rituals, fairs and feasts. It should be remembered that these events play an extremely important role in the traditional culture of the local population. This is by no means a specially organized entertainment for travelers and presence at the panair is a great honor for those invited.

Despite the fact that the entire natural park is under state protection, several objects, accounting for approximately 5% of total area Stranges are protected much more carefully. Tourists can visit such territories only if they strictly adhere to a number of simple but fairly strict rules. In addition to 5 relatively small reserves - Silkosia, Uzunbujak, Vitanovo, Sredoka, Tisovitsa, 14 reserves are included in the list. It should be noted that the register includes about a dozen objects, among which there are individual plants - a thousand-year-old oak tree near the village of Zabernovo, another oak giant reaching almost 5.5 meters in girth, archaeological and natural attractions.

For the active and inquisitive, Strandzha is an inexhaustible well of possibilities. Great amount Natural beauties, hiking, horseback riding and cycling routes, excellent fishing and hunting against the backdrop of landscapes untouched by civilization provide a unique chance to learn a lot of new things and test your strengths. The acquired impressions will allow you to retain a charge of vivacity, purity and spiritual harmony from unity with nature for a long time.

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