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In a time of pandemic, death and bad news, finally we have something about which we can rejoice: Bulgaria’s Pirin National Park has been saved. A new management plan, which would have allowed construction in two thirds of the park, and logging in almost half, was this week definitively ruled illegal by the country’s highest administrative court, citing the plan’s omission of environmental and Natura 2000 impact assessments, ending more than three years of legal battles.
The Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court suspended the execution of Pirin National Park’s new management plan, which would have allowed construction in 66% and logging in 48% of the national park and World Heritage Site. WWF-Bulgaria has been fighting to prohibit new logging and construction in Pirin National Park since November 2016, activities that would endanger many species that depend on the area’s old-growth forests. After nothing else proved effective, in March 2017 WWF-Bulgaria and the Association of Parks in Bulgaria (APB)
Source: Suspension of the execution of Pirin National Park’s new management plan
Final court win in favour of Pirin National Park/UNESCO World Heritage Site…
Source: In a Time of Crisis, Victory for Nature and the Rule of Law in Bulgari
IT’S tempting to never leave the Nessebar Palace Resort, such is the draw of the pools, the views and the delicious food and drink. But stroll out from the resort and the simple act of turning left…
Source: From ancient ruins to buzzing bars — there is plenty to do in Sunny Beach
Here are 15 of the best cities in Bulgaria that you should check out. SJ Begonja has covered a good range from the well known, to a little of the beaten track.
Source: 15 Cities In Bulgaria You Should Check Out | Chasing the Donkey
Why visit Bulgaria – Things to do in Bulgaria and reasons to plan your Bulgaria travel…
Source: Why visit Bulgaria – Things to do in Bulgaria and plan your Bulgaria travel
Deep beneath the Black Sea, off the coast of Bulgaria, ancient Greek ships are revealing answers to the mystery of the Noah’s Ark flood.
Jodrell Bank Observatory has been chosen as the UK’s latest Unesco World Heritage site. Check out this list of just some of the beautiful Unesco sites around the world. There are over 1,000 in total!
The Court confirmed that in disregarding a SEA, the Ministry violated 3 Bulgarian laws and 2 EU Directives.
Source: Another (Temporary?) Victory for Pirin National Park and World Heritag
Traveling to Eastern Europe? Check out our list of the 10 best things to do in Sofia, Bulgaria so you can make the most of your time in the capital.
Source: 10 Best Things to Do in Sofia, Bulgaria – Go Backpacking
Plans to extend Bulgaria’s largest ski resort, Bansko, appear to have been dealt a fatal blow by the country’s highest court. On January 15, Bulgaria’s supreme administrative court overturned controversial changes made by the government in December 2017 to the management plan for Pirin National Park. The changes would have allowed construction of new ski runs and lifts on up to 48 per cent of the park’s 40,000 hectares (almost 100,000 acres).
Source: Bulgaria’s Pirin National Park saved from destruction, for now – Emerging Europe
Environmentalists in Bulgaria scored a victory Wednesday in a long-running court battle to prevent enlargement of a ski resort in the Pirin mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In a ruling that cannot be appealed, Bulgaria’s supreme administrative court overturned controversial changes made by the government in December 2017 to the management plan for Pirin National Park.
Source: Bulgaria activists win case to save UNESCO-listed forest
As the year draws to a close, we reflect on what we have accomplished…
Source: Conservation wins in the Danube-Carpathian region in 2018
US ambassador Eric Rubin, Nessebur mayor Nikolai Dimitrov, Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova and Deputy Culture Minister Amelia Gesheva officially re-opened on November 8 the 14th century medieval…
Source: Fourteenth-century church in Bulgaria’s Nessebur re-opened after US-funded restoration
See 2 of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites on an exciting minibus tour from Sofia. Go to Rila Monastery and get breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Then, see stunning frescoes from the Bulgarian National Revival at Boyana Church.
SOFIA, BULGARIA – The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari is one of the biggest discoveries in the last 30 years in Bulgaria. Attracting many tourists from all parts of Bulgaria, the tomb has already gained popularity at the international level thanks to its presence on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Like many Westerners, I imagined a gritty, gray and boring post-Communist Balkans.
“Bulgaria? Nobody goes there!” said my husband when I mentioned it.
Admittedly Bulgaria had never really been high on my list of places to visit, but fate brought me an opportunity to meet an old friend in the capital, Sofia. Like many Westerners, I imagined a gritty, gray and boring post-Communist, post-Yugoslavia Balkans. However, I had once read that Bulgarians nod their heads for “no” and shake them for “yes”, and I thought it might be interesting in an offbeat way to at least see that for myself.
I was surprised to find that Bulgaria is also a place with ancient history and spirituality like in Rome and Greece, walkable cities with ornate architecture and good wine like western Europe, and Middle Eastern flair inherited from centuries in the Ottoman Empire.
The more I looked the more I wanted to see.
Sofia historic interests
Unless you’re a scholar of ancient history, you might not realize that Bulgaria was part of the Roman Empire from around the 1st century. Recently-excavated archaeological remains were woven into the fabric of modern Sofia.
Source: Bulgaria? Nobody goes there!
Sofia. The centuries-old beech forests of Central Balkan National Park have been added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage List under the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe item. The government has approved a joint declaration on the announcement of the site stretching over Austria, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia. By signing the declaration, the participating states undertake to set up an integrated system for managing the property to ensure its protection, the government press office said.
The serial property was approved by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in Krakow in July 2017. It comprises 78 components located in 12 European countries. The expanded serial site (so far it has only covered territories in Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia) represents an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests and exhibits the spread of European beech since the end of the last ice age to this day.
Source: Centuries-old beech forests in Central Balkan become part of UNESCO site
