Mountains in Bulgaria: Shipka, Botev. Mountain system Stara Planina
The Balkan Mountains, behind this modest name lies a large series of mountain ranges with stunningly beautiful views that have been popular with people since ancient times. Today, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to the Balkan Mountains to relax and enjoy the unique natural beauty. The fame and grandeur of this mountain range is confirmed by the fact that even the state and the peninsula have the same names. (18 photos)
This mountain range is located in Europe. Originating near the Black Sea, stretched along the whole of Bulgaria, and is a natural continuation of the Carpathian mountain range, which in turn originates in Slovakia. The length of the Balkan Mountains is 555 km.
Balkan mountains photo
This mountain range cannot boast of either a great length or the highest height in the world. But for that, these are unique in another way. Here, one of the first people settled. More precisely, in one of the caves of the mountains of the Balkan Mountains, rock paintings were discovered that date back to the Bronze Age. So, this makes them the oldest in Europe, and they were drawn about 3,000 years ago. In the Balkan Mountains there are a large number of different caves, including karst ones.
Which countries are located on the Balkan Peninsula?
The length and branching, which can reach 3 km. It will take about 5 hours to bypass one of these caves. The age of stalactites can reach several thousand.
The mountain range was formed about 66 million years ago. The average height of the mountains is 1500 meters above sea level. The highest point is located on Mount Botev, and is equal to 2376 meters above sea level. The Balkan Mountains consist mainly of gentle and smooth descents and ascents. Steep and sheer slopes, of course, also exist, but there are not so many of them. The mountain range is just as gentle and as if combed. It is noteworthy that the Dinaric Highlands are also located here.
Due to their length and height, the mountains act as a natural border for Bulgaria. And also the mountain range divides this territory according to climatic types. Thus, here you can find a unique combination of oak with creepers. Depending on the slopes, oak, pine, beech, deciduous forests with vines grow in the mountains.
The Balkan Mountains and their beautiful views in photographs
The mountains contain a large number of minerals, deposits of copper, lead, zinc, and coal have been discovered. The very structure of the mountain ranges is quite diverse, here you can find limestone, sandstone, granite, karst, marine sedimentary rocks and other species.
The Balkan mountains are not distinguished by a large content of mountain rivers and lakes, but those that are available, in their quality and beauty, can easily replace any others. It is noteworthy that the mountain range of the Balkan Mountains is crossed by the Danube River. There are crystal clear lakes here, which can have different types of origin. The water in them is distinguished by its purity and attractive beauty. Mountain rivers are also found, they meander around the centuries-old slopes of the mountains, overgrown with vegetation.
Mountains of the Balkans in pictures
The mountain system of the Balkans also passes through the territory of Serbia. It is interesting that these mountains were reflected in the centuries-old history as a place of battles. It was here, in 1878, that important events unfolded that influenced the outcome of the Russian-Turkish war. After a series of successful operations in these mountains, the Russian army created favorable conditions for the outcome of the war, which ended in the defeat of the Turkish army. By the way, after taking the pass through the Balkans, Bulgaria gained independence from Turkey. The Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria are characterized as liberating.
People's love for mountains manifested itself even in the primitive system. Today it is more of a vacation and travel than a permanent residence in the mountains. But mountain walks and travel are gaining more and more popularity. Today, hundreds of thousands of tourists and vacationers go on a trip and come to the Balkan Mountains.
Necessary conditions have been created for tourists here. Vacationers have a choice between mountain climbing and a more comfortable stay in the foothill areas. The beauty and virginity of the nature of these places is simply mesmerizing. Photos from the Balkan Mountains keep warm memories for tourists vacationing here for a long time.
Beautiful views of the Balkan mountains
A natural reserve was created on the territory of the mountains. The coastal area is protected and monitored for pollution. It is noteworthy that these mountains are suitable for pilgrims. Indeed, in the foothills of the Balkans there are two Orthodox monasteries, Kremikovskiy and Sokolskiye monasteries. The first one was founded in the 14th century and is of unique value as a monument of medieval culture.
Photos of the Balkan Mountains
Snow-capped Balkan Mountains and their beautiful photos
These were the Balkan Mountains and their stunningly beautiful photographs.
See also Mount Everest; Ural mountains; photo of Dombay; mountains of the Caucasus.
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Stara Planina
Stara Planina in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
Stara Planina - (Balkan Mountains) - in Bulgaria (western spurs in Yugoslavia). The length from west to east is 555 km, the height is up to 2376 m (Botev). They are cut through by the valleys of the rivers Iskar, Luda-Kamchia. Pass Shipka. Broad-leaved and coniferous forests, meadows. Mineral springs, resorts.
Definition of the word "Stara Planina" according to TSB:
Stara Planina- Balkan mountains, mountains in Bulgaria (western spurs in Yugoslavia). They cross Bulgaria from west to east. Length 555 km, height up to 2376 m (Botev). They are composed mainly of crystalline schists and granites of the Paleozoic and Precambrian, as well as Mesozoic limestones, sandstones, conglomerates, and flysch. They consist of parallel ridges with smoothed top surfaces. Main passes: Petrokhansky, Chureksky, Shipkinsky, Republics. The relatively gentle northern slopes pass into the foothills (the Cis-Balkans), which go down to the Lower Danube Plain; the southern slopes are usually steep. S.-P. They cross the valleys of the breakthrough of the Iskar (to the west) and Kamchia (to the east) rivers.
Countries of the Balkan Peninsula
Karst (Rabishskaya cave with rock paintings, caves Syeva-Dupka, Ledenika, etc. - objects of tourism). Deposits of copper, lead-zinc and iron ores, coal and brown coal; numerous mineral springs, on the basis of which resorts operate (Vyrshets, Ribaritsa, Teteven, etc.).
S.-P. - an important climate divide between northern and southern Bulgaria; in the ridge part, 800-1100 mm of precipitation falls annually, and the mountains are covered with snow for several months. The northern, wetter slopes up to a height of 1700-1800 m are covered with oak, beech, hornbeam and coniferous forests. The peaks are occupied by meadows (meadows). In the eastern part of the mountains there are dense deciduous forests with evergreen undergrowth and lianas. S.-P. is divided into Western S.-P., which has a predominantly southeastern strike; Middle S.-P., the highest and clearly isolated; Eastern S.-P., lowered and branching into separate spurs. In S.-P. - monuments of the era of the Bulgarian national liberation (Shipka and others). Steneto National Park.
Lit .: Dinev L., Melnishki L., Stara Planina, Sofia, 1962.
I. V. Kozlov.
Stara Zagora Stara Planina diligence
Countries in the Balkan Peninsula
Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora (Greece)
In the southeast of Europe, on the vast Balkan Peninsula, there are many countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro And Serbia fit there entirely, Croatia by half, and Slovenia by a third. On the same peninsula are small parts of the territories of such countries as Romania (9%) and Turkey (5%).
The mountains of the Balkan Peninsula are not very high. In the west, there is the vast Dinaric Highlands and the mountains of Pindus, in the south passing into the mountains of the Peloponnese peninsula. In the north, in the Rila massif, there is the highest point of the Balkan Peninsula - Mount Musala (2925 m), Stara Planina, or the Balkans, and the Rhodopes also extend there. There are few plains; they lie along the outskirts of the peninsula and in intermountain basins.
Once this mountainous peninsula was almost entirely covered with forests. But people cut them down to make room for fields, orchards and vineyards. And livestock, especially goats, destroyed the young growth of tree species. Now there are few forests left on the peninsula.
In ancient times, Greeks, Macedonians, Illyrians, Thracians and other ancient peoples lived on this territory. Slavs appeared here only in the VI century.
Stara Planina
By the end of the XVI century. almost the entire Balkan Peninsula became part of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, some of the South Slavic peoples and Albanians converted to Islam. But most of the southern Slavs remained Christians, however, the Slovenes and Croats who lived on the territory Austro-Hungarian Empire, predominantly Catholics, while Serbs, Montenegrins, most Macedonians, Bulgarians, as well as Greeks and Romanians are Orthodox.
The medieval museum city of Dubrovnik in Croatia is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The struggle of the Balkan peoples for independence from the Turokosmans was dramatic. Suffice it to say that such people as the great English poet Lord Byron (who died during the Greek War of Independence) took part in it. After the end of this war and the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, part of the territories inhabited by the Slavs united into Yugoslavia. But at the end of the twentieth century. after bloody conflicts, it broke up into six republics.
In the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, in Slovenia, there is the Karst (Dinaric Kras) plateau, after which amazing phenomena around the world are named: the formation of caves and underground rivers, stalactites and stalagmites in rocks.
STARA PLANINA
Arrangement of stresses: STA`RA-PLANINA`
STARA-PLANINA, Balkan Mountains, Balkans (Bulgarian, letters - old mountain), - a mountain range in the N Balkan Peninsula. Consists of several ridges stretching PA 600 cells from the bottom. river currents Timok to the Black m., where it ends with a cliff. 60 m. Crosses from 3 to B all over Bulgaria. Shir. from 20 to 50 km. The highest peak is Yumrukchal. 2376 m. S.-P. - folded mountains, composed of Ch. arr. Mesozoic rocks. The tops of the ridges have a predominance. rounded outlines. CS Ch. the ridge gradually passes into the foothills - the Pre-Balkans, descending to the Lower Danube Plain. K Yu S.-P. abruptly breaks off to the 3-Balkinskaya depression, especially in cf. parts where south. the slope is treeless in places, stony, furrowed by numerous. short gorges and channels of mountain streams.
The climate is temperate and humid. Precipitation averages 800-1000 mm per year, and sowing. the slopes receive more rainfall than the south. In winter the mountains are covered with snow. Numerous springs and abundant rainfall feed a large number of rivers that originate here. S.-P. - the watershed between the rights, tributaries of the Danube and the left tributaries of the river. Maritsa; at the same time, the watershed ridge is cut in 2 places by deep transverse antecedent valleys pp. Iskar and Luda-Kamchia. Rivers are used both for energy purposes and for irrigation. Forests are still one of the main wealth of S.-P., but to the south. slopes are heavily carved. Lower parts of the slopes are covered with preim. oak forests, the upper (up to 1800-2000 m) - beech and coniferous. Floor. fossil: coal, copper, iron. and lead-zinc. ores, etc.
According to the features of geol. structure and relief of S.-P. is divided into 3 parts: west - from the mouth of the river. Tpmok 3 to the river valley. Iskar or Zlatitsky pass to the B, the middle one - to the Vratnik pass and east - from the Vratnik pass to the Black m.
Zap. S.-P. (Zapadna Stara Planina) is composed of Paleozoic shales with outcrops of ancient igneous rocks and Mesozoic limestones and flysch. It extends from NW to SE, rising in the same direction. The highest peak is Mijur, 2168 .«. The most important passages: the river valley. Iskar and passes Belogradchiksky (580 m), Sveti Nikola (1374 m), Petrokhansky (1414 m). The watershed range from NE to SW is accompanied by foothills.
Average S.-P. (Sredna-Stara Planina) is composed of predominately. crystalline slates and granites, in the east. parts and foothills-Mesozoic limestone, differs in naib, height. A number of peaks exceed 2000 m, including m.
Mountains in Bulgaria: Shipka, Botev. Mountain system Stara Planina
Yumrukchal. The watershed range abruptly breaks off to the south to the Trans-Balkap basins, from the north it is accompanied by a wide strip of foothills.
Vost. S.-P. (Iztochna-Stara Planina) is composed of Ch. arr. sandstones, marls, shales. It differs naib, the width at is negligible. altitude (up to 500 m); only in app. parts have heights up to 1181 m (Bolgarka). The mountains consist of a series of parallel ridges separated by longitudinal rivers. valleys. Main passes: Dyulpnsky (428 m), Kotlensky (685 m), Iron Gates, or Vratnik (1097 m).
To speech. the valleys used for agriculture, and the foothills are confined to quite a lot of us. points. S.-P. - the most settled, the mountains of Bulgaria. 16 highways and 3 railroads were laid through the mountains. (along the valleys of the pp. Iskar and Luda-Kamchia and through the Tryavnensky Pass). Nature, wealth and beauty of the mountains attract many tourists here. Rest houses, sanatoriums.
Lit.: Bulgaria. Geographical essays, trans. from Bulgarian, M., 1953; Gylybov Zh., Physical Geography of Bulgaria, trans. from Bulgarian, M., 1960; Chankov Zhecho, Geographical Riverman in Bulgaria, S., 1958.
I. V. Kozlov.
- Brief geographical encyclopedia, Volume 4 / Ch.ed. Grigoriev A.A. M.: Soviet Encyclopedia - 1964, 448 p. with illustration, 10 sheets. kart
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Mount Botev, with a height of 2376m, is the highest peak of the Balkan Mountains or Stara Planina in Bulgarian, i.e. Old mountains.
Dad calls me before our mini-campaign with lisa_alisa and says:
- So you are going to Yumrukchal?
- No no. We are only on the Botev and back
hahaha..that's how it is. Botev, formerly known as
In addition to Yumrukchal (fist-mountain), the peak was also called the top of Ferdinand (1942-1946) (Ferdinandov vrah) in honor of King Ferdinand1, who climbed to the top. Then again Yumrukchal (1946-1950) and in 1950 the peak was named after the Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Hritso Botev.
The most popular route to the summit is from the "Paradise" hut, but we are not looking for easy ways. Therefore, our route looked like this: the village of Tzha - hut Tzha (overnight) - V. Botev - hut V. Levski (overnight) - Karlovo. The whole route took us 2.5 days, although there are craftsmen who climb to the top and back in one day :)
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A look back at the path you have traveled.
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Next to v. Botev peak of Malkiya Yumruk, i.e. small fist. On it stands a monument to the fallen climbers.
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For those who love snow, there are winter tourist markings along the route - these are the vertical pipes.
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Herds of sheep and cows graze on the slopes.
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We met several herds of cows without shepherds (or they rested somewhere) only with dogs, but the sheep are all under supervision - restless animals.
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At the top is a weather station and a radio and television station, signals that cover 65% of the country.
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The weather station was built here at the beginning of World War II, and its data was used by the German air force.
In 1942, the anti-Hitler partisan detachment "Vasil Levski" attacked the station, during the attack a young partisan Nedelcho Tonev (Jean) from Kolofer was killed. His grave is located nearby.
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radio-television complex.
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East view. See the pip on the mountain? This is a military base on the top of Golyam Kademliya (or Triglav). It is only 100 meters lower than Botev and the second tallest in Stara Planina.
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Here it is the treasured door of the weather station. Why cherished? At the station, you can relax, warm up, and drink delicious tea (0.5 lev) or coffee (1 lev).
And it is also there that you can put a seal in the booklet of 100NTO (national tourist sites) or 10 Mountain peaks, which I joyfully did :)
Commemorative plaques about the ascent are being made at the station, but somehow we weren’t prepared)
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Memorial plaques in honor of the killed partisan.
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My favorite photo. The weather at the top changes rapidly. After 20 minutes we were caught in heavy rain, which ended after another 5 minutes.
The Balkan mountain range, Stara Planina (Old Mountains) is one of the most beautiful mountain systems in Europe. Let's take a closer look at its main characteristics and distinctive features.
Acquaintance with the Old Mountains
Stara Planina (Serbian and Bulgarian name of the toponym) is the second name of the Balkan Mountains or the Balkans, as they were called earlier. Today, the last name has been assigned to the Balkan Peninsula itself. In ancient Greek, mountains are called Αἶμος , in Latin - haemus. They are considered the largest mountain system of the Bulgarian state, the western extensions of which can also be found on the territory of today's Serbia.
The mountain range divides modern Bulgaria into North and South, crossing this country from west to east. Previously, the Balkan Mountains separated northern Moesia from southern Macedonia and Thrace. This mountain system is a natural continuation of the ranges of the Southern Carpathians, which are crossed by the Iron Gates (narrowing of the mouth) of the Danube River on the border of Romania and Serbia.
Where the Balkan Mountains are located, it immediately becomes clear from the name of the mountain system - it is she who gives the name to the entire peninsula on which it is located. Detailed coordinates: 43.2482 north latitude, 25.0069 east longitude. The total length is 555 km. The height of the Balkan Mountains does not exceed 2376 m - the mountain peak Botev is limited to this maximum.
Characteristics of the Stara Planina mountain system
Stara Planina, formed in the Cenozoic era, has a number of distinctive characteristics:
- Geological indicators: The Balkan Mountains are peaks parallel to each other with seemingly smoothed ridges. Their composition is as follows: Precambrian and Paleozoic granites and crystalline schists, as well as Mesozoic conglomerates, flysch, sandstones, karst and limestones.
- Description of the relief: the northern half is represented by gentle slopes, turning into foothills closer to the Lower Danube Plain. The southern ranges, on the other hand, are steeper and steeper.
- Climatic characteristics: the mountains serve as a kind of wall-climatic division between the northern and southern regions of Bulgaria. Their crests collect up to 800-1000 mm of precipitation annually; For several months of the year, the peaks lie under snow caps.
- Hydrography: in the Balkan Mountains you can find the sources of such rivers as Ogosta, Vit, Lom, Osam, Timok - from here their channels head north to the Danube. In the east, Stara Planina is crossed by the valley of the Kamchia River, and in the west by the Iskar River.
- Flora: the tops of the mountains are meadows, meadows. The northern slopes characterized by high humidity are coniferous (pine forests) or beech, oak, hornbeam forests, rising to 1700-1800 m. The eastern regions of the Balkan Mountains are covered with a dense cover of deciduous forests, characterized by evergreen undergrowth, a network of lianas.
- Extraction of minerals: brown and black coal; iron, copper, lead-zinc ores.
History and modernity
For the first time the Bulgarian-Serbian name of the Stara Planina mountain system was recorded in 1533. On the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, tourists can meet many monuments dating back to the era of the Bulgarian national liberation movement. The Freedom Monument stands out in particular. A number of monasteries also found their shelter in the mountains - Kremikovskiy, Sokolskiy and others.
The mineral springs of the mountains on the Balkan Peninsula have become the base for a number of well-known mountain resorts - Ribaritsa, Varshets, Teteven, etc. No less popular is the Steneto National Park and the picturesque passes: Shipka, Petrokhansky, Virbishsky, Chureksky, the Republic Pass and the Iskar River Gorge.
The western region of Staro Planina is rich in karst, which is why mountain tourists tend to admire amazing karst caves in these places: Rabishskaya (primitive rock art can also be found here), Ledenika, Syeva-Dupka, etc.
Mount Botev
The highest point of the Balkan Mountains was originally called Yumrukchal (translated as Fist Mountain). For four years (1942-1946) it was called the top of Ferdinand in honor of the king who climbed to its top. After that, it was Kulak-mountain again for four years, until in 1950 it acquired its modern name - by the name of Hristo Botev, a revolutionary and poet in Bulgaria.
At the top of Botev there is a television and radio station, whose signals cover 65% of the entire territory of the Bulgarian state, as well as a weather station, which during the Second World War was captured by the Nazis and worked for their purposes. Today, in the latter, tourists can relax, hide from the weather, and have a bite to eat. On its walls, travelers attach commemorative plaques about their ascents.
Regions of the Balkan Mountains
Traditionally, there are three districts of Staro Planina:
- Oriental. It is the flattest part, diverging into separate spurs, one of which is the unique Horn of Staraya Planina. Its tip is Cape Emine, the easternmost point of the Balkan Mountains.
- Average. The highest, picturesque and popular area of the Balkans, isolated from the other two. It is limited by the Iron Gate (Vratnik) and the Zlatish Pass. It is here that the peaks of Botev, Triglav, Vezhen, Kupena (Aleko), Ambaritsa (Levski) are located.
- West. It originates at the Serbian border and extends to the very Zlatish Pass. Here you can admire the peak of Mijur.
Mountains of the Balkan Peninsula
In addition to the Old Mountains, the following mountain systems are located on the peninsula:
- Dinaric Highlands - western regions (Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina).
- The Pindus mountain ranges are a little south of the previous ones (Macedonia, Albania, Greece).
- Rila mountain ranges - north (Bulgaria), it is to them that the highest point of the Balkan Peninsula belongs - the 2925-meter peak Musala.
- Rhodope Mountains bordering the Aegean Sea in the southern part.
- Pirin - mountain systems of the Alpine type.
Thus, Stara Planina is far from the only mountain system on the Balkan Peninsula. But it was she who gave the name to the latter, it is she who has a great influence on the climate of all Bulgaria.
Serbia Serbia
This article is about the mountain system in Bulgaria. In everyday life Balkans commonly referred to Balkan Peninsula.
Geology
Stara Planina is composed mainly of crystalline schists and granites of the Paleozoic and Precambrian, as well as Mesozoic limestones, sandstones, karst, conglomerates, flysch. Consists of parallel ridges with smoothed top surfaces.
Major passes
- Iskar river gorge
Relief
The relatively gentle northern slopes of the Stara Planina pass into the foothills (Pre-Balkans), descending to the Lower Danube Lowland; the southern slopes are usually steep.
Hydrography
Stara Planina is crossed by the valleys of the breakthrough of the Iskar (in the west) and Luda-Kamchia (in the east) rivers.
Here the Timok, Lom, Ogosta, Vit, Osam rivers originate and flow north to the Danube.
Karst caves
Karst is developed in the Balkan Mountains, especially in the western part. Below are the largest and most famous caves:
- Magura with rock paintings
- Ledenika and others.
Minerals
Deposits of copper, lead-zinc and iron ores, coal and brown coal.
Climate
Stara Planina is an important climate divide between Northern and Southern Bulgaria; in the ridge part, 800–1100 mm of precipitation falls annually and the mountains are covered with snow for several months.
Flora and fauna
The northern, wetter slopes up to a height of 1700-1800 m are covered with forests of oak, beech, hornbeam, and coniferous species - pine. The peaks are occupied by meadows (meadows). In the eastern part of the mountains - dense deciduous forests with evergreen undergrowth and vines.
Zoning
Stara Planina is divided into:
- Western Stara Planina, which has a predominantly southeastern strike. It starts at the border with Serbia, and ends at the Zlatish Pass, near the highest peak, Mijur (2,168 m).
- Middle Stara Planina, the highest and clearly isolated. It starts at the Zlatishsky pass, and ends east of the Vratnik (Zhelezni-Vrata) pass. This is the highest, most beautiful and most visited part of the Stara Planina. Here are the highest Balkan peaks - Botev (2376 m), Vezhen (2198 m), Levski (Ambaritsa, 2166 m), Aleko (Kupena, 2169 m), Triglav (2276 m).
- Eastern Stara Planina, lowered (“less alpine”) and branching into separate spurs. One of the latter (together with the surrounding valleys) is a unique natural and geographical region of the Horn of Staraya Planina. Cape Emine - the eastern tip of the ridge can be called the tip of the Horn of Staraya Planina.
These features are completely absent (with a few exceptions - in the area of the city of Sliven). Even the tops of the mountains are covered with deciduous forests.
Story
The name Stara Planina was first recorded in 1533. The northern slopes of the Stara Planina are rich in monuments from the era of the Bulgarian National Liberation (Monument of Freedom, etc.). The Steneto National Park is located here.
Recreational economy and tourism
In the Balkan Mountains there are numerous, on the basis of which resorts operate (Vyrshets, Ribaritsa, Teteven, etc.). There are a number of monasteries on the slopes (Sokolsky Monastery, Kremikovskiy Monastery, etc.).
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An excerpt characterizing the Stara Planina
- My father, to whom I informed my plans, made it an indispensable condition for consent that the wedding should not be earlier than a year. And this is what I wanted to tell you, - said Prince Andrei.- It is true that Natasha is still young, but so long.
“It could not be otherwise,” Prince Andrei said with a sigh.
“I will send it to you,” said the countess, and left the room.
“Lord, have mercy on us,” she repeated, looking for her daughter. Sonya said that Natasha was in the bedroom. Natasha sat on her bed, pale, with dry eyes, looked at the icons and, quickly making the sign of the cross, whispered something. Seeing her mother, she jumped up and rushed to her.
- What? Mom?… What?
- Go, go to him. He asks for your hand, - the countess said coldly, as it seemed to Natasha ... - Go ... go, - the mother said with sadness and reproach after the fleeing daughter, and sighed heavily.
Natasha did not remember how she entered the living room. When she entered the door and saw him, she stopped. “Is this stranger really become my everything now?” she asked herself and instantly answered: “Yes, everything: he alone is now dearer to me than everything in the world.” Prince Andrei went up to her, lowering his eyes.
“I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you. Can I hope?
He looked at her, and the earnest passion of her countenance struck him. Her face said: “Why ask? Why doubt that which is impossible not to know? Why talk when you can’t express what you feel in words.
She approached him and stopped. He took her hand and kissed it.
– Do you love me?
“Yes, yes,” Natasha said as if with annoyance, sighed loudly, another time, more and more often, and sobbed.
– About what? What's wrong with you?
“Oh, I’m so happy,” she answered, smiled through her tears, leaned closer to him, thought for a second, as if asking herself if it was possible, and kissed him.
Prince Andrei held her hands, looked into her eyes, and did not find in his soul the former love for her. Something suddenly turned in his soul: there was no former poetic and mysterious charm of desire, but there was pity for her feminine and childish weakness, there was fear of her devotion and gullibility, a heavy and at the same time joyful consciousness of the duty that bound him forever with her. The real feeling, although it was not as light and poetic as the former, was more serious and stronger.
“Did maman tell you that it couldn’t be before a year?” - said Prince Andrei, continuing to look into her eyes. “Is it really me, that child girl (everyone said so about me) thought Natasha, is it possible that from now on I am a wife, equal to this strange, sweet, intelligent person, respected even by my father. Is that really true! Is it really true that now it is no longer possible to joke with life, now I am big, now responsibility for all my deeds and words lies on me? Yes, what did he ask me?
“No,” she answered, but she did not understand what he was asking.
“Forgive me,” said Prince Andrei, “but you are so young, and I have already experienced so much life. I'm scared for you. You don't know yourself.
Natasha listened with concentrated attention, trying to understand the meaning of his words, but did not understand.
“No matter how hard this year will be for me, postponing my happiness,” continued Prince Andrei, “during this period you will believe yourself. I ask you to make my happiness in a year; but you are free: our engagement will remain a secret, and if you are convinced that you do not love me, or would love ... - said Prince Andrei with an unnatural smile.
Why are you saying this? Natasha interrupted him. “You know that from the very day you first came to Otradnoye, I fell in love with you,” she said, firmly convinced that she was telling the truth.
- In a year you will recognize yourself ...
- A whole year! - Natasha suddenly said, now only realizing that the wedding was postponed for a year. - Why is it a year? Why a year? ... - Prince Andrei began to explain to her the reasons for this delay. Natasha didn't listen to him.
- And it can not be otherwise? she asked. Prince Andrei did not answer, but his face expressed the impossibility of changing this decision.
- It's horrible! No, it's terrible, terrible! Natasha suddenly spoke up and sobbed again. “I’ll die waiting for a year: it’s impossible, it’s terrible. - She looked into the face of her fiancé and saw on him an expression of compassion and bewilderment.
“No, no, I’ll do everything,” she said, suddenly stopping her tears, “I’m so happy!” The father and mother entered the room and blessed the bride and groom.
From that day on, Prince Andrei began to go to the Rostovs as a groom.
There was no betrothal, and no one was announced about Bolkonsky's engagement to Natasha; Prince Andrew insisted on this. He said that since he was the cause of the delay, he must bear the full burden of it. He said that he had forever bound himself with his word, but that he did not want to bind Natasha and gave her complete freedom. If in six months she feels that she does not love him, she will be in her own right if she refuses him. It goes without saying that neither the parents nor Natasha wanted to hear about it; but Prince Andrei insisted on his own. Prince Andrei visited the Rostovs every day, but not like a groom treated Natasha: he told her you and only kissed her hand. Between Prince Andrei and Natasha, after the day of the proposal, completely different than before, close, simple relations were established. They didn't seem to know each other until now. Both he and she loved to remember how they looked at each other when they were still nothing, now they both felt like completely different beings: then pretended, now simple and sincere. At first, the family felt awkward in dealing with Prince Andrei; he seemed like a man from an alien world, and Natasha for a long time accustomed her family to Prince Andrei and proudly assured everyone that he only seemed so special, and that he was the same as everyone else, and that she was not afraid of him and that no one should be afraid his. After a few days, the family got used to him and did not hesitate to lead the old way of life with him, in which he took part. He knew how to talk about housekeeping with the count, and about outfits with the countess and Natasha, and about albums and canvases with Sonya. Sometimes the family Rostovs among themselves and under Prince Andrei were surprised at how all this happened and how obvious the omens of this were: both the arrival of Prince Andrei in Otradnoye, and their arrival in Petersburg, and the similarity between Natasha and Prince Andrei, which the nanny noticed on the first visit Prince Andrei, and the clash in 1805 between Andrei and Nikolai, and many other omens of what happened, were noticed at home.
Balkan mountains(Bulgarian. Stara Planina, Also Balkan; Turkce. Koja-Balkan, Koca Balkan) - a large mountain system in (western spurs also on the territory of modern and Macedonia). They cross Bulgaria from west to east, dividing it into Northern and Southern Bulgaria. The length of the mountains is about 555 km, the height is up to 2.376 m (mountain). They are a natural continuation of the Southern Carpathians, crossed by the river at the Iron Gates. They became the basis for the names of the Balkan Peninsula and the Balkans.
Geology
Stara Planina is composed mainly of Paleozoic and Precambrian crystalline schists and granites, as well as Mesozoic limestones, sandstones, conglomerates, and flysch. They consist of parallel ridges with smoothed top surfaces.
Major passes
- Petrokhansky pass
- Churek pass
- Shipka pass
- Republic Pass
Relief
The relatively gentle northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains pass into the foothills (the Cis-Balkans), which go down to the Lower Danube Plain; the southern slopes are usually steep.
Hydrography
Stara Planina is crossed by the valleys of the breakthrough of the Iskar (in the west) and Kamchia (in the east) rivers.
Karst caves
Karst is developed in the Balkan Mountains, below are the largest and most famous caves:
- Rabish cave with rock paintings
- Syeva-Dupka
- Ledenika and others
Minerals
Deposits of copper, lead-zinc and iron ores, coal and brown coal.
Climate
The Balkan Mountains are an important climate divide between northern and southern Bulgaria; in the ridge part, 800-1.100 mm of precipitation falls annually, and the mountains are covered with snow for several months.
Flora and fauna
The northern, more humid slopes up to a height of 1700-1800 m are covered with forests of oak, beech, hornbeam, as well as coniferous species - pine. The peaks are occupied by meadows (meadows). In the eastern part of the mountains there are dense deciduous forests with evergreen undergrowth and lianas.
Zoning
Stara Planina is divided into Western Stara Planina, which has a predominantly southeastern strike; Middle Stara Planina, the highest and clearly isolated; Eastern Stara Planina, lowered and branching into separate spurs.
Story
In the northern part of the Balkan Mountains there are monuments of the era of the Bulgarian national liberation (Monument of Freedom, etc.). The Steneto National Park is located.
Recreational economy and tourism
There are numerous mineral springs in the Balkan Mountains, on the basis of which resorts (Vyrshets, Ribaritsa, Teteven, etc.) operate. On the slopes there are a number of monasteries (Sokolsky Monastery,