Rila (Bulgarian: Рила, pronounced [ˈriɫɐ]) is a
mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and
the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans,
with its highest peak being Musala at
2,925 m. The massif is also the sixth highest mountain in Europe (when
each mountain is represented by its highest peak only), coming after the Caucasus,
the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and Mount Etna,
and the highest between the Alps and the Caucasus. More than one-third of the
mountain is occupied by the Rila National Park, the rest lies within the Rila Monastery Nature Park.
The mountain is believed to have been
named after the river of the same name, which comes from the Old Bulgarian verb "рыти" meaning "to grub".
Rila
is abundant in glacial
lakes (about 200) and hot springs in fault
areas at the base of the mountain. Some of the Balkans' longest and deepest
rivers originate from Rila, including Maritsa, Iskar and Mesta.
Culturally,
Rila is famous for the Rila Monastery,
Bulgaria's largest and most important monastery, founded in the 10th century
by Saint John
of Rila. Alongside the cultural landmarks the mountain is also famous for
the Seven Rila
Lakes.
The beautiful mountain region of Bulgaria, Rila, is home to the climb that ranks twentieth in the world’s difficulty list. Starting in Rila in Pazardzhik, the route continues for 14.5 kilometres from a height of 800 metres to 2500 metres at the top point in Pastra.
All the way up you are awarded with stunning mountainous views over a rarely explored country, completely justifying the testing ascent.
Geology
Rila
is a dome-shaped horst mountain,
part of the Balkans' oldest land, the Macedono-Thracian
Massif. It was formed by granite and gneiss rocks and
crystal schists during
the Paleozoic (250,000,000
years ago). Rila's alpine relief was formed during the Pleistocene by a
series of glacial
periods. During the most recent, so-called Würm glaciation,
10-12,000 years ago the permanent snow line was at 2,100 m above sea level. Above
this line glaciers radically
changed the existing relief, carving out deep cirques, sharp
pyramid-shaped peaks, rock pinnacles, various valleys, moraines and other
typical glacial formations.
Borders and climate
Rila
has an area of 2,400 km². The dome of the mountain rises over the
surrounding mountain valleys, with the Borovets Saddle (1,305 m) connecting the
main Musala Ridge with the Shipochan and Shumnatitsa ridges that connect to the
Ihtiman Sredna Gora mountains
through the Gate of
Trajan pass. The Yundola Saddle (1,375 m) and the Avramovo Saddle
(1,295 m) link Rila with the Rhodopes to the east,
while the connection with Pirin is
the Predel Saddle (1,140 m), the one with Verila being
the Klisura Saddle (1,025 m).
The
climate is typically alpine,
with 2,000 mm of precipitation on Musala yearly, about half of which
is snow. The lowest
average temperature ever measured in February on Musala is –11.6 °C and
the absolute minimum is -31.2 °C. An average temperature for August is
5.4 °C, the maximum being 18.7 °C.
The
flora of Rila contains three local endemics which are seen only in this
mountain. These plants are Primula deorum (with the largest population), Rheum rhaponticum and Alchemilla pawlowskii. In the mountain
thrives also 36 plants as Campanula lanata, Centaurea mannagettae which are
endemic for the Balkans.
Some of the plant species have survived the last glacial period by
turning into relict organisms.
Some
of the animals, which live in Rila, are in danger as well. 24 of the species
that inhabit Rila are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. There are 172 types of vertebrates living in Rila and 121 of them
are registered in the Bulgarian Red List of Threatened Species, 15 are recorded
in the European Red List of Threatened Species, 24 are listed in the
International Union for Conservation of Nature and 158 of 172 are included in
the Bern Convention lists. Such animals are Barbus cyclolepis (which is rare because of the habitat
loss and the river pollution), Triturus alpestris, Spermophilus citellus (European
Ground Squirrel) and others.
Rila is subdivided into several parts depending on
their geographic position.
- East Rila or the Musala Ridge is the highest and vastest part. The highest peak, as well as 12 of the 18 peaks over 2,700 m are located there — Musala, Yastrebets, Irechek, Deno Mancho, etc. The Musala Lakes lie in this part of Rila, as well as Ledeno ezero ("Icy Lake"), the highest lake of the Balkans at 2,709 m. Other lakes in East Rila include the Maritsa Lakes and the Ropalitsa Lakes. The renowned mountain resort of Borovets is also located in this part of the mountain.
- Central Rila or the Skakavets Ridge is the smallest part (1/10 of the total area), most famous for the glacial lakes — the Fish Lakes, Dzhendem Lakes, Monastery Lakes. The largest glacial lake of the Balkans, Smradlivo ezero ("Stinky Lake") with an area of 21.2 km² is located in Central Rila, as well as the peaks Kanarata, Cherna polyana, Malak Skakavets and Golyam Skakavets, Rilets. The ridge of the Skakavtsi (the peaks of Golyam Skakavets and Malak Skakavets, Pchelina and Sveti Duh) rises isolated between the Levi and Beli Iskarrivers. Another well-known ridge in the area is the one of Marinkovitsa and Vodniya chal, extending to the forest reserve of Kobilino branishte.
- Northwest Rila takes up 25% of Rila's total area. The highest peak is Golyam Kupen at 2,731 m. The Seven Rila Lakes are an important landmark in this part, as well as the many remote peaks and small lakes.
- Southwest Rila or the Kapatnik Ridge occupies 30% of Rila and has the oldest reserve of Bulgaria. Apart from its small northern part, Southwest Rila does not have the alpine appearance of the other parts.