Pirin Mountains
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of.
The range extends about from the north-west to the south-east and is about wide, spanning a territory of. To the north, Pirin is separated from Bulgaria's highest mountain range, the Rila Mountain, by the Predel saddle, while to the south it reaches the Slavyanka Mountain. To the west is located the valley of the river Struma and to the east the valley of the river Mesta separates it from the Rhodope Mountains. Pirin is dotted with more than a hundred glacial lakes and is also the home of Europe's southernmost glaciers, Snezhnika and Banski Suhodol.
The northern part of the range, which is also the highest one, is protected by the Pirin National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Pirin is noted for its rich flora and fauna, as well as for the presence of a number of relict species. Much of the area is forested, with some of the best preserved conifer woods in Bulgaria, holding important populations of the Balkan endemic species Macedonian pine, Bosnian pine and Bulgarian fir. Animals include many species of high conservation value, such as brown bear, gray wolf, wildcat, European pine marten, wild boar, red deer, roe deer, chamois, etc.
The combination of favourable natural conditions and varied historical heritage contribute makes Pirin an important tourist destination. The town of Bansko, situated on the north-eastern slopes of the mountain, has grown to be the primary ski and winter sports centre in the Balkans. A number of settlements at the foothills of Pirin have mineral spring and are spa resorts — Banya, Dobrinishte, Gotse Delchev, Sandanski, etc. Melnik at the south-western foothills of the mountain is Bulgaria's smallest town and is an architectural reserve. Within a few kilometres from the town are the Melnik Earth Pyramids and the Rozhen Monastery.
The name of the mountain may, according to one hypothesis, derive from Perun, the highest god of the Slavic pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. Another version is that the etymology of the range can be traced to the Thracian word Perinthos, meaning "Rocky Mountain".
Geography
Overview
Pirin is situated in south-western Bulgaria and is part of the Rila–Rhodope Massif. To the north, the Predel Saddle and mountain pass at altitude separates it from the Rila mountain range. To the east, Pirin borders the Razlog Valley, the valley of the river Mesta and the Momina Klisura Gorge that separate it from the Rhodope Mountains. To the south, the Paril Saddle divides it from the Slavyanka mountain range. To the west, Pirin reaches the valley of the river Struma, including the Kresna Gorge and the Sandanski–Petrich Valley, that serve as a divide from the Vlahina, Maleshevo and Ograzhden mountains further to the west.The main orographic ridge extends from the north-west to the south-east. Pirin spans an area of with an average height of. The maximum length between the Paril and Predel saddles is ; the maximum width is. Reaching an altitude of, Pirin is the second highest mountain range in Bulgaria after Rila and the eighth highest in Europe after the Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees, Mount Etna, the aforementioned Rila, and Mount Olympus.
Division
Geologically and morphologically Pirin is divided into three parts: north, central and south, which differ sharply in size and altitude. North Pirin is the largest of the subdivisions and the mountain's downright part. It takes up 74% of the whole range's territory, being about long and ranging from Predel to the north to the Todorova Polyana Saddle to the south. It is the most often visited part of the mountain, the only one to have an Alpine appearance, featuring many glacial lakes, resthouses and shelters. North Pirin is itself divided into two zones by the Kabata Saddle and the valleys of the Banderitsa and Vlahinska rivers. The northern zone consists of the steep marble Vihren ridge with the three highest summits in the range: Vihren, Kutelo and Banski Suhodol. The marble ridge is narrow and very steep, reaching a width of only at the ridge Koncheto. The southern zone is more massive and consists primarily of granite ridges, including Pirin's fourth highest summit Polezhan, at. The southern zone also has marble ridges, such as the Sinanitsa ridge with its homonymous summit. In total, the northern section of Pirin includes two summits with an altitude over, seven over, 13 over, and 60 over.Central Pirin extends between the Todorova Polyana Saddle and the Popovi Livadi Saddle. It constitutes the smallest and the shortest of the three subdivisions, covering only 7% of Pirin's total area. It is composed of crystalline schists and granite, as well as of marbled limestone in the south. Because of the karstic relief there are no lakes; the rivers springing up from Central Pirin are short and with low water volume. It is largely covered by deciduous forests. The highest peak is Orelyak, while the other summits are under.
South Pirin stretches from the Popovi Livadi Saddle to the Paril Saddle and is the lowest and least rugged part. The highest peak is Ushite at, although Sveshtnik had long been considered the highest summit. It constitutes 19% of the mountain's territory. Despite being characterised with relatively flat ridges, its lateral slopes are steep. South Pirin is composed of granite with marbled limestone in the periphery. It lacks glacial forms and is covered with forests. Like Central Pirin, the springs are short and with low water discharge.
Geology, relief and peaks in Pirin
Geologically Pirin is a horst forming a massive anticline situated between the complex graben valleys of the Struma and the Mesta, formed by metamorphic rocks — gneiss, biotite and crystalline schists, amphibolite, quartzite and marble. Granite rocks cover 62% of the mountain's area. The tectonics of the Pirin is primarily the result of Precambrian, Hercynian, alpine and tectonic movements and events. Its hoisting alternated with long dormant periods. As a result of the activisation of the ancient Struma and Mesta faults during the Neogene and the Quaternary Pirin rose as a massive horst.The modern relief of Pirin was shaped in the Pleistocene when the mountain was subjected to alpine glaciation related to the global cooling. This glaciation occurred in parallel with that of the Alps. The process formed pointed pyramidal peaks, long U-shaped valley, cirques, moraine fields and vertical cliffs that characterise Pirin's contemporary appearance. These forms are most prominent at the north-eastern ridges of the mountain. Some lateral moraines may reach heights of more than. The lower line of the glaciers was at. Karst landforms also shape Pirin's relief with ponors, swallow holes, caves, etc.
The main Pirin ridge is clearly distinguished; it begins in Rila and passes through the Predel saddle as far as the Paril saddle. It links the separate smaller ridges of the mountain into one system with the highest peaks situated on it. Although it curves a lot, its main direction is from the northwest to southeast and it is also a watershed between the Struma and the Mesta rivers. There are many spurs but four of them are so large that they create the appearance of the mountain: Sinanishko, Todorino, Polezhansko and Kamenishko.
There are two peaks above, Vihren and Kutelo; seven above ; 13 above ; 32 above and 60 above. The highest granite peak is the Banderishki Chukar. Some of the highest peaks are:
- Vihren,
- Kutelo,
- Banski Suhodol,
- Polezhan,
- Kamenitsa,
- Malak Polezhan,
- Bayuvi Dupki,
- Yalovarnika,
- Kaymakchal,
- Gazey,
- Todorka,
- Banderishki Chukar,
- Dzhengal,
- Momin Dvor,
- Malka Todorka,
- Chengelchal,
- Disilitsa,
- Kamenishka Kukla,
- Zabat,
- Kuklite,
- Bashliyski Chukar,
- Kralev Dvor,
- Muratov Vrah,
- Dzhano,
- Bezbog,
- Hvoynati Vrah,
- Sivria,
- Sinanitsa,
Similar rock formations are found further north along the slopes of Pirin facing the Struma Valley near the town of Kresna.
Climate
Pirin is situated within the continental Mediterranean climate zone and due to its altitude the higher sectors have Alpine climate. The climate is influenced by Mediterranean cyclones mainly in late autumn and in winter, bringing frequent and high rainfall, and by the Azores anticyclone in summer, making the summer months hot and dry. The relief has a crucial influence on the climate. Pirin has three altitude climate zones — low between 600 and 1,000 m, middle between 1,000 and 1,800 m and high above 1,800 m. The low altitude zone is heavily influenced by the Mediterranean climate, the influence being more pronounced on the western slopes facing the Struma valley than on the eastern slopes along the Mesta valley. The high altitude zone is characterised by low temperature, low temperature amplitude, many cloudy days, lasting and thick snow cover, strong winds and intensive sun radiation.Winters are cold and prolonged while summers are cool and short. The temperature decreases with the altitude, which is more visible in summer. The mean annual temperature is around 9–10 °C in the low, 5–7 °C in the middle and 2–3 °C in the high altitude zone. The coldest month is January with average temperature varying between −5 and −2 °C. The hottest month is July with temperature averaging 20 °C at 1,600 m and 15 °C at 2,000 m. Temperature inversions, i.e. increase in temperature with height, are observed in 75% of the winter days.
The annual precipitation in Pirin is 600–700 mm in the lower zones and 1000–1200 mm in the higher. The rainfall occurs mostly in winter and spring, while summer is driest season. The air humidity is 60–75% in August and 80–85 % in December. In winter the precipitation is mainly snow, varying from 70–90% at the lower altitudes to 100% at higher. The average number of days with snow cover varies from 20–30 to 120–160. The highest thickness of the snow cover reaches 40–60 cm at 1,000–1,800 m in February and 160–180 cm above 1,800 m in March. In some winters the snow thickness can reach 250–350 cm. Avalanches are frequent.
The prevailing wind direction is from the west and the north-west but southern and south-western winds are also frequent. The wind speed can reach 34–40 m/s at the high ridges, being highest in February and March and lowest in August and September. The percentage of windless days increases in summer and autumn to 30–40% at lower altitude and 10–15% at higher. In the highest zone the percentage does not exceed 5–7% annually.