- Hello! We are very pleased to meet you! We are Bobby, Dana, Charlie, Marinka, Svetla, Susanna, Boyka, Standi, Seyda, Monty, Mima, Riku, Yeta, Vesco, Teddy, Rada and Iva!
We are very nice, extremely friendly and quite curious (well, at least most of us) and we would be very happy to become good friends! That is why we are thrilled to meet you personally and to tell you more about us and about this wonderful place that is now our home, where we have found salvation, security and refuge.
A round of applause for the bravest of us all – Bobby!
- Hello! I'm Bobby! I'm very pleased!
I am 26 years old and have been here since 2001. I come from the village of Yagodina and was born in the spring of 1997. I am quite large for my age - I weigh about 180 kilograms. My fur is long and smooth - I am very handsome, except that I am so modest.
I would like to boast to you that I hardly remember my former way of life anymore, and the traces of it are already disappearing.
My previous owner made me do all kinds of pranks through pain and hunger, and I didn't want to at all, but who cares! I'm fine now - my new owners are great and take excellent care of us all.
I feel very well here, I eat excellent food - fruits, fish, and sometimes medz, which I love very much. In the summer they make ice cream out of frozen fruit and hang it high in the trees, which is quite fun for us bears.
I still have bad dreams of heavy chains, loud music, ugly fighting, and strong sticks, but then I wake up and see the green forest around me, hear the birdsong, and... I feel better. I want to forget about everything in my past and this place definitely helps me.
This is my new home, which I love very much! This is a park for bears, which until recently was called "Dancing Bear Rehabilitation Park". This is because most of us are former dancers.
No, don't think that's a good thing. It's not what it sounds like!
Before most of us were dancing bears – we went around villages and towns, settlements and hamlets and entertained people with dances. Our owners played and we danced. So people gave them money.
I don't want to remember this part of my life anymore, that's why I will gladly tell you about this place and my new friends.
My new home is located in South Rila in the area of Andrianov chark*. It covers an area of 120,000 square meters and is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters to 1,345 meters above sea level.
*Andrian's chark means Andrian's sawmill, i.e. at the time there was a sawmill here, which gave the area its name.
The main credit for the construction of the park goes to the foundations "Chetiri Lapi" and "Brigitte Bardot" (Fondation Brigitte Bardot), as well as the municipality of Belitsa. Our beloved home was built with the help of world-renowned experts studying brown bear behavior and habits.
The park offers dense forests and hills for walking and privacy, meadows, as well as specially built sunny places to rest. Our new owners have built for us various shapes and sizes of swimming ponds, as well as quite a number of sleeping dens. In this way, we are provided with a natural environment and a protected place for a peaceful life, close to normal.
I would like to share with you all that here for the first time I feel like a bear and I do not hesitate to demonstrate my wild instincts and innate behavior that I have suppressed for a long time, even lost.
I had forgotten what it was like to be a bear! What is it like to wander at will all summer and eat wild berries! To roll on the flowers and the green grass, while the Sun caresses me with his caressing warm rays! I love the sun so much! I also like to take a nap.
And now in front of you will stand my very good friend Dana, who will also tell you all the interesting things about our new life here.
- It's nice to meet you! I'm Dana and I'm 30 years old. I, like Bobby, come from the village of Yagodina. I was one of the first who came here to heal and live in this wonderful place.
I remember that when I came I had a bad nose - this is because of the very bad attitude of my former owner towards me. As you all very well know, our noselets are highly blooded and very, very sensitive, and my owner knew this very well and used it against me. He had attached a huge and heavy chain with a ring to my nose and was constantly pulling it - back and forth, back and forth - if only you knew how that hurt! I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Fortunately, wounds heal, only bad memories remain.
I feel very good here - I have friends, I eat healthy and I like to sleep all day.
What else interesting can I tell you about our new home? I really like to count and now I will share with you more information in numbers.
Our new home is made up of two parts, connected by a thirty-meter secured bridge, which we can freely cross.
The first part of our new home was opened in 2000 and has an area of 1.2 hectares, and the second - the largest part - was opened in 2004 and has an area of 8.4 hectares. Together with the adjacent grounds, the area of our entire home is 12 hectares.
The two parts are divided into seven sectors connected by eleven passages.
The total length of the network surrounding the sectors is 3326 meters. It is mounted on 1150 pylons and is 3.2 meters high.
For our greater safety, our new owners have installed an electric fence with a length of 26,608 meters.
The area of service roads and driveways is 5,115 square meters.
105 lighting fixtures have been installed on the fence for night-time observation of the bears. Sectors are served by service doors and portals.
In most cases, there are two pools in each sector - one smaller and one larger.
Twelve dens were built, as well as numerous semi-dens. Three of the dens are accessible from the medical center.
Our new home has a modern information center.
And now let's welcome Mitko!
- Hello everyone! I'm Mitko! It's nice to meet you!
I am 31 years old and I come from the village of Getsovo. I am quite energetic and cheerful in nature and also very curious. I remember quite bad things from my previous life - my previous owner used to beat me badly and I felt very bad. When I arrived at my new home, I had two metal rings – one on my nose and one on my lower jaw. My wound had to be operated on. When the weather is bad, I go back to my den and have a good night's sleep.
I remember being pretty freaked out when I came here. It took me a long time to adjust and forget. To forget about my bad life when I was young - about my bad master who beat me a lot and pulled me by the nose with a huge and heavy chain. To forget about the pain! And I think I'm succeeding! Not without help, of course. Our new owners, with whom we have become great friends, are always here to help. They love us very much and we are very happy and return their affection with lots of love!
Now I can safely say that I love people!
I was very good friends with one of the first bears that came here to the park, which today has become our new sweet and familiar home - a protected place in Bulgaria that provides a chance for a new life for the rescued brown bears.
I remember Stefan - my excellent friend who is no longer with us, and who has told me more than once how he was brought here 23 years ago - in the distant year 2000.
The bear park was officially opened on November 17, 2000, and the local priest consecrated the site according to an old custom. More than 2,500 participants have joined. The presence of 200 folk singers and dancers has turned the event into a true folklore celebration.
Stefan told me that in the spring of the following year Stanka the bear also came here, who was in a very bad condition when they brought her.
Later - at the beginning of the summer, probably the most famous dancing bear came here - Gosho and his brother by fate, Bobby, whom you had the pleasure of meeting in person a little while ago.
And so, over time, our good friends from "Four Paws" managed to save all the registered dancing bears in Bulgaria - twenty-five in total, as well as three bears from Serbia. And from 2017, the first bear from Albania came to us - her name is Riku.
Every day, many people come here to visit us - to see us, to admire us, to take pictures of us. There are little kids having fun. There are even dogs!
And you can come to us - you are welcome!
Work time
In the period from April to June: from 12:00 to 18:00.
In the period from July to August:
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m
from 13:00 to 18:00.
In the period from September to November: from 12:00 to 18:00.
The bear park above the town of Belitsa in Rila is closed to visitors from December to April.
Tours run every half hour and take an average of 30 minutes to 40 minutes. The first tour starts when the park opens, at 10:00 AM or 12:00 PM, depending on the season. The tours are always accompanied by a guide who tells about us - the bears, and also about the park - our new home.
To get the most out of your visit to the park, we recommend planning around an hour and a half.
Please note that we cannot guarantee that you will necessarily see a certain number of bears on your visit. We are free to do what we want and go where we want. The park is huge - as much as 12 hectares and we - the bears are free to roam at will.
During the tours, you will hear interesting stories about us, and you will also have time and opportunity to take pictures. Visitors can see a natural den created by my friends and learn many facts about us, such as hibernation, as well as find out unique stories about each of us.
And now welcome Marinka!
Please give her a loud standing ovation!
- I'm Marinka, I prefer open spaces and grass and I don't like to hide among the trees at all. I was born in 1995 and I am from Blagoevo. I get along perfectly with most people and I even have friends. I feel very good here because my new owners love us very much and we feel that love!
I will introduce you to the most important things in our new home, because I love rules!
The park has steep sections that are not suitable for visitors with limited mobility!
The steep terrain, as well as the presence of stairs (over 100 steps), make it impossible to walk with baby carriages. We recommend using baby carriers to carry yourself!
Dogs are welcome in the park, but must be on a lead!
We ask that visitors do not make unnecessary noises and behave themselves, as many of us bears have been abused and we do not want to be disturbed!
If you are a group traveling in a large bus, it cannot reach the main park entrance. Expect about a 30 minute walk from the bus parking lot to the main entrance!
And a tip from me! Wear appropriate clothing for hiking, especially comfortable hiking or sports shoes. You should not wear slippers, flip-flops or high-heeled shoes - they will not be comfortable at all and you may fall!
I would also advise you to check the weather conditions before your visit and prepare according to the forecast!
If you bring food donations for us – the bears, you cannot feed us yourself! Please give the food to a member of staff!
Thank you all for listening to me, for remembering everything, and for preparing before you come to visit us!
For us – the bears
Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
Type: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Predators (Carnivora)
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Bears (Ursus)
Species: Brown bear (Ursus arctos)
We brown bears have a large body with a more massive rear, a short, thick and strong neck, as well as short rounded ears and small eyes.
We have five toes on our feet, ending in strong claws, especially well developed on our long front feet.
We bears step on a whole step. The footprints on our back foot look a lot like a bare human foot. The length of our rear step is 25 cm, and the width - from 16 cm to 17 cm.
We, bears, are omnivorous animals – we eat the green parts of trees, shrubs and grasses, fruits, small mammals, insects, we love honey.
We bears trample where we feed and scratch and peel tree bark when marking our territories. By these marks you will recognize the presence of a bear in the region.
Our tail is very short.
The color of our fur is usually brown-yellow, but it can be darker.
Our winter fur is thicker and longer.
We reach up to two meters in length and weigh about 120 kilograms to 250 kilograms.
Males are larger than females. We love to roam around the clock in the quiet and peaceful places of the woods. Older bears forage for food at dusk and at night. In winter, we go to sleep in a previously prepared den - holes in the rocks, under the roots of felled trees and the like. Before going to bed, we plug all the holes, except for the entrance. Sometimes we make a bed and hibernate outdoors, but this is rare. Our sleep is not deep and we wake up easily and leave our dens when disturbed. Before we go to sleep, we guard ourselves well. If we have not accumulated fat, we roam in the winter. In this state we are dangerous even to humans.
We are excellent climbers and swimmers, although we look clumsy, and can easily reach speeds of up to 50 km/h, even 60 km/h.
We bears have no natural enemies.
In relation to man, we bears are the most peaceful of large carnivores. We usually sense people from a distance and move away without establishing a direct encounter.
We are a protected species in Bulgaria.
How do you get to the city of Belitsa, Belitsa municipality, Blagoevgrad district?
Belitsa (spelling until 1945: Belitsa) is a city in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative center of Belitsa municipality, Blagoevgrad district.
The municipality of Belitsa is picturesquely located in the northeastern part of the Razlozhka valley and the Blagoevgrad region, along the valley of the Mesta river, between the southern slopes of the Eastern Rila and the northern slopes of the Veliyshko-Videnishki part of the Western Rhodopes. It borders Yakorud, Banska, Razlozhka, Rila, Samokov and Velingrad municipalities.
The municipality of Belitsa covers 12 settlements, 8 of which are scattered in the highlands of the Rhodopes. The municipal center - the town of Belitsa is located in the southern part of Rila and is connected by a deviation of 4 kilometers (from the main road Razlog - Velingrad) to the international roads E-79 and E-80, which ensures good transport accessibility to the capital and to the regional center (about 71 kilometers away, which is about 1 hour and 11 minutes by car).
Belica stands at:
171 kilometers (about 2 hours and 10 minutes by car) from the capital
135 kilometers (about 2 hours and 27 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
495 kilometers (about 6 hours and 7 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
387 kilometers (about 4 hours and 16 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
How do you get to the bear park above Belitsa in Rila?
The bear park above the town of Belitsa is located in the Andrianov chark area in the middle of the amazingly beautiful slopes of the Rila mountain.
In Belica there are a number of information signs indicating the right direction.
Leave the city in a northerly direction on a well-maintained narrow asphalt road.
The distance between the city and the park is 12.4 kilometers. The first 10 kilometers you will drive on an asphalt road, following a black and, in the summer when it is dry, quite dusty road.
A kind of wide parking lot has been built immediately before the park, where you can leave your cars.
Note that if you are a group traveling in a large bus, the bus cannot reach the park's main entrance. You will need to allow about a 30 minute walk from the bus parking lot to the main entrance.
What can be visited nearby?
Only 14.5 kilometers south of the town of Belitsa (about 18 minutes by car) you will find the village of Banya, Razlozhko - the village with the richest mineral springs in Bulgaria!
In the village of Banya, you can visit the Old Bulgarian Bath, built in the Roman style.
In the village of Banya, you can explore the old Turkish Murtina bath (Ottoman hammam).
In the village of Banya you can see the monument of Neofit Rilski.
Only 5.7 kilometers south of the village of Banya (about 8 minutes by car) is the city of Bansko, where it is possible to:
to walk around the Old Town
to walk Gotse Delchev Street
to take a picture in front of the city's sundial
to look at the stone pages of the "Slavic Bulgarian History" unfolded around the monument of Paisius
to sit in the shade under the majestic crown of the ancient tree
to learn the history of Khachkar monument
to hear the bells of the bell tower of the Holy Trinity Church
to take a sip of fresh Pirin water from the numerous stone fountains of the Old Town
to visit the temple "St. Venerable Paisius Hilendarsky"
to visit the house-museum "Neofit Rilski"
to walk the old narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town
to breathe in the aroma of the blooming roses in the courtyard of the Velyanova house
take a look at the museum complex "Nikola Vaptsarov"
to honor Vaptsarov's poems in front of his monument and on the square bearing his name
to visit the poet's native house
to see the accurately recreated cell of Paisius in the spiritual-historical center "St. Paisius Hilendarski"
to enjoy amazing panoramas towards Pirin from the panoramic platform of Bansko
In Bansko there is the Bansko Gondola.
The most popular ski resort in Bulgaria - Bansko has comfortable and safe lifts that guests of the city can use all year round.
At the disposal of the residents and guests of the resort are two six-seater, six four-seater, two two-seater lifts and one cabin lift, which is also the most attractive and preferred lift in the city.
The cabin ropeway "Bansko - Banderishka Polyana" has a route length of 6,233 meters, which ranks it in second* place in length.
*The championship is held by the Simeonovska ropeway on Vitosha, which has a track length of 6720 meters.
The gondola, as the Bansko gondola lift is also called, was manufactured by the Austrian company Doppelmayr in 2002 (today's Austrian-Swiss company Doppelmayr-Garaventa) and was put into operation in 2003.
The route through which the lift passes has a height difference of 597 meters, and the capacity of the facility is about 2,000 people per hour.
The stations of the eight local Bansko cable car are three - lower (initial), intermediate and upper (final).
The lower (starting) station is located at 998 meters above sea level and is about 2.5 kilometers from the center of Bansko.
At the lower station of the lift, there are also the cash desks, from which tickets and cards for using the lift can be purchased.
The intermediate station is located in the area of Chalin Valog at 1468 meters above sea level.
Here, tourists have two options – either get off the lift to walk and descend the slopes of Chalin Valog, or continue to the upper station of the lift.
The last part of the cable car route starts from the intermediate station "Chalin Valog" to Banderishka Polyana.
The Banderishka Polyana area, where the upper (end) lift station is located, is one of the most attractive places for summer and winter tourism in the Pirin Mountains.
How do you get to the Bansko Gondola?
Only 6 kilometers northwest of the village of Banya (about 11 minutes by car) is the wonderful Razlog.
In Razlog, I suggest you take the "Steps".
From the place you will have the magnificent opportunity to enjoy an amazing view of three mountains - the beautiful Pirin, the exquisite Rila and the proud Rhodopes.
The green, orderly, colorful, fresh and incredibly beautiful city park of Razlog is also a place you should not miss to visit.
A walk around the city will calm, amaze and impress you, so just do it.
Just 13.4 kilometers north of the village of Banya (about 18 minutes by car) you will find the picturesque Rila village of Dobarsko. A walk here is an immense pleasure and you should not miss it!
In the village there is a unique national cultural monument - the Church of St. St. Theodore Tiron and Theodore Stratilatus in Dobno, which I think is too famous to invite you to visit, because you probably already have.
8 kilometers east of the city of Bansko (about 9 minutes by car) is the charming jewel of Dobrinishte.
In Dobrinishte, I suggest you take another incomparable walk and visit the town's Balneolechebnitsa, next to which a wonderful and green park has been built.
The Church of St. St. Apostles Peter and Paul is exquisite, beautiful and I suggest you take a look at it during your walk.
The center of Dobrinishte is beautiful and offers tranquility, charm and beauty to its visitors.
Certainly around the city of Dobrinishte and the city of Bansko you can visit all quality and very interesting sites, eco-paths, routes and places. I will advise you to take the road leading to Vihren hut.
At the side of the road, look around for a detour by the incredibly beautiful, fresh and impressively beautiful river Demyanitsa.
Demyanitsa is a river from the Mesta basin, which collects the waters of six lake groups - Vasilashki, Valyavishki, Prevalski, Tipitski, Kirkamski and Gazeiski lakes. Under the name Valyavitsa, it originates from the Valyavish Lakes at 2,400 meters above sea level. It initially flows west, but after passing through the Tiyatsite area, it heads straight north. Its catchment area is estimated at 37 sq. km. The average slope is 102 per mille, that is, for every kilometer of linear length, the river descends by more than one hundred meters. Near the Demyanitsa hut, it receives two large tributaries - the Vasilashka river on the left, and the Gazeiska river on the right. After that, two more rivers flow into it - Kirkamska on the left and Yulen on the right. This makes it a relatively full-water river with a flow rate of about 1.5 cubic meters per second.
Above Bansko Demyanitsa, it merges with the Bunderitsa river and the two together form the Glazne river. The total length of the Demyanitsa river to the confluence with Banderitsa is about 14 kilometers.
Here, enjoy it and feel the freshness of the mountain!
Only 14.5 kilometers from Bansko (about 34 minutes by car) on the road winding through Pirin in the direction of Vihren hut, there is a strange and very, very old tree.
Tree of the years of Bulgaria!
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Baykusheva mura!
And as a finale, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss a look
the special album with photo moments –
discovered, experienced, captured and shared with you!
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