Belogradchik rocks

Belogradchik cliffs are located in the western part of the Stara Planina mountain and occupy an area of ​​about 50 km². They extend from the village of Rabisha in the west to the village of Belotintsi in the east.

The central group of rocks is located to the south of the city of Belogradchik. Here are the most interesting rock formations: "Adam and Eve", "Mushrooms", "Pupil", "Bear", "Dervish", "Shepherd", "Leo", "Camel", "Madonna", "Horseman", " Monks "," Goddess Bendida "," Rebel Velko "and many others.

The second group of rocks lies to the west of Belogradchik. A variety of cliffs are surrounded by steep cliffs. The most famous of these rocks are Zbegovet, Yerkpriya and Borich.

The third group of rocks is located 4 km east of Belogradchik and includes rocks around the Latin Gate and the Lipenik Cave.

The fourth rock group lies between the villages Borovitsa and Falkovets. Among these rocks are “Pine Stone”, “Pchelin Stone”, “Torlak” and “Momina Skala”.

The fifth group of rocks is located between the villages of Gergich and Belotintsi ^[2] .

Many unusual-shaped rocks and small valleys with steep vertical slopes have been forming for hundreds of millions of years as a result of natural processes of erosion , denudation , the growth of mosses and lichens, and other natural factors.

The formation of the Belogradchik rocks began during the Permian period . Later, during the Triassic period , the region was at the bottom of a shallow sea. At the same time, the destruction of the early Paleozoic rocks formed a huge amount of gravel, sand and clay, which were carried by the rivers into the sea. Sedimentary rocks accumulated, layers of conglomerates and sandstones gradually thickened. Pieces of conglomerate became rounded under the influence of water.

During the Jurassic period , for 20 million years, layered materials are firmly glued together using a sandy clay spike or silicon . The hot and dry climate formed a large amount of iron oxide, or hematite , which gave the rocks a rusty red color. When the crust began to settle, the lighter and smaller sandstones merged with the red conglomerates.

At the beginning of the Cenozoic era and at the beginning of the Alpine tectonic cycle , large anticlines formed in the Balkan Mountains, and during this time the region turned into land. About 45 million years ago, the uplift of the Belogradchik anticline began , and at that time limestones and conglomerates cracked in the core, creating vertical and horizontal folds on the crest of the anticline. Paleozoic rocks are found in the core of the Belogradchik anticline, and the slopes consist of conglomerates, sandstones and limestones of the Jurassic period.

Vertical permeability and the action of rivers contributed to the vertical erosion of rocks, and faults where tectonic movements occurred were transformed by erosion into small valleys and passes with steep or steep slopes forming separate vertical blocks in the form of current rock formations ^[3] .

The Belogradchik Rocks are an important tourist site in northwestern Bulgaria, together with the city of Belogradchik and the Belogradchik fortress, which uses the rocks as a natural fortification, and the nearby Magura cave , located near the village of Rabisha. Another tourist attraction in the area is Baba Vida , a medieval fortress in the nearby town of Vidin on the Danube .

In 1949, the Bulgarian Environmental Committee declared the cliffs a natural monument, and in 1987 they entered the National Register of Natural Monuments ^[4] .

In 1984, the Belogradchik Rocks and the Magura Cave were included in the list of sites proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List ^[5] . Belogradchik cliffs are under consideration as a geopark in the European Geoparks Network and in the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network ^{[6] [4]} .

In January 2009, the Belogradchik Rocks were nominated by Bulgaria for the title of one of the 7 new wonders of nature ^[7] .