Aleko, Vitosha
Encyclopedia
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...
situated at the northern foothills of 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...
Peak (2191 m), in the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of Yanchevska River draining eastwards towards the village of Bistritsa, Sofia
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....
.
Aleko is the principal tourist and winter sports centre on Vitosha, offering accommodation at Aleko Chalet (1820 m) and few hotels, and several chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s, surface lift
Surface lift
A surface lift is a type of cable transportation system used to transport skiers and snowboarders where riders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill.Types of surface lifts include the Poma lift, J-bar, T-bar, rope tow, and magic carpet....
s and ski runs, cafeterias and restaurants, and ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
and snowboard
Snowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
schools. The oldest and most popular ski run is Stenata (‘The Wall’), while the longest and most difficult one is ‘Vitoshko Lale’ originally built for the 1983 Winter Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
held on Vitosha. Nowadays Aleko is among Bulgaria's top ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s together with Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
in Pirin Mountain
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
, Borovets
Borovets
Borovets , known as Chamkoria until the middle of the 20th century, is a popular Bulgarian mountain resort situated in Sofia Province, on the northern slopes of Rila, at an altitude of 1350 m...
in Rila Mountain
Rila
Rila 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...
, and Pamporovo
Pamporovo
Pamporovo is a popular ski resort in Smolyan Province, southern Bulgaria, one of the best-known in Southeastern Europe. It is set amongst magnificent pine forests and is primarily visited during the winter for skiing and snowboarding. It is also a popular tourist place in summer. The hub of...
in Rhodope Mountains
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
.
The site is accessible by a 6.27 km gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
from Sofia’s suburb of Simeonovo, and by road from the suburb of Dragalevtsi
Dragalevtsi
Dragalevtsi is a quarter of Sofia, part of Vitosha municipality and situated in the southwestern part of the city, at the foot of the mountain of Vitosha...
. Aleko is also the starting point of a number of tourist tracks leading to 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 further south to the villages of Chuypetlovo
Chuypetlovo
Chuypetlovo is a village in the Pernik municipality of Pernik Province, western Bulgaria. Its population is 57 as of January 2007.Chuypetlovo is the only settlement in the interior of Vitosha Mountain, situated at elevation 1,225 m near the head of Struma River valley...
and Yarlovo
Yarlovo
Yarlovo is village in Samokov municipality of Sofia Province in South-West Bulgaria. It is located 24 kilometers away from Sofia. Located on the West slope of the Vitosha mountain massif, the altitude exceeds 1000 meters. The village has over 500 inhabitants....
, to Bistrishko Branishte
Bistrishko Branishte
Bistrishko Branishte is a nature reserve on Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria comprising the eastern slopes of Golyam Rezen , Malak Rezen and Skoparnik Peaks, the northern slopes of Golyam Kupen Peak , and the upper valleys of Vitoshka Bistritsa River and Yanchevska River...
Nature Reserve to the east, and to Zlatnite Mostove
Zlatnite Mostove
Zlatnite Mostove is the largest stone river on Vitosha Mountain, Bulgaria. The feature is situated in the valley of Vladayska River, extending 2.2 km, and up to 150 m wide, with several ‘tributary’ stone rivers. The stone river is ‘descending’ from elevation 1800 m above sea level...
to the northwest.
A monument on the nearby Mecha Polyana (‘Bear Meadow’) commemorates Bulgaria's foreign minister Ivan Bashev who died in December 1971 in a blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
that swept the area. Such accidents are not uncommon to Vitosha, with inadequately equipped or overconfident visitors overwhelmed by fast deteriorating weather. Aleko is a major base of the Mountain Rescue Service
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
network on Vitosha Mountain.
Aleko takes its name from the homonymous chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
built in 1924 (second in Bulgaria after Skakavitsa Chalet in Rila Mountain
Rila
Rila 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...
), and named for the writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Aleko Konstantinov
Aleko Konstantinov
Aleko Konstantinov was a Bulgarian writer, best known for his character Bay Ganyo, one of the most popular characters in Bulgarian fiction....
who organized the first group climbing of 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...
on August 27, 1895.
See also
- VitoshaVitoshaVitosha 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...
- Malak RezenMalak RezenMalak 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...
- Cherni VrahCherni VrahCherni 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...