Rila Mountains at 1:50,000 on a large, double-sided, contoured map with GPS waypoints for shelters and chalets, peaks, etc. and highlighting hiking routes. Topography is shown by contours at 50m intervals with additional relief shading and graphics and colouring for scree, single rocks over 5m high, marshlands and pine scrub and forests.
An overprint highlights hiking routes indicating their waymarking. Also marked are different types of tourist accommodation including campsites, mountain shelters and chalets, restaurants, drinking fountains and springs, etc. The map has latitude and longitude lines at intervals of 5’ and an additional list of GPS waypoints. Names of towns and larger villages as well as of main geographical features are in are shown in Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. Map legend includes English. Also included is a list of phone numbers of chalets and shelters.
Maps in the Domino series can be used to follow local sections of the E3, E4 and E8 trans-European long-distance routes, although these routes are not specifically named on them. To see other titles in this series please click on the series link.
The great Rila Mountains are probably the most famous alpine range in Bulgaria. Not only because of their beauty and scale – they are the highest in the country and on the Balkan Peninsula – but also because of their special charm, fed by legends and stories about them.
These start with the Tracian origins of the mountain’s name (Rila – well-watered mountain), following are the stories about the first ascent of the peak point of Musala by Philip of Macedon during 2nd century BC – an expedition that took 7 days. Also the unclear theories about the appearance of the name “Musala” – it is considered that the name of the highest peak of the mountains comes from Arabic and means “Close to God”. Than come the stories about Saint Ivan Rilski, the most honoured Bulgarian saint, who spend years walking from one place to another, praying and feasting as a hermit in these mountains, before establishing the Rila Monastery in Northwestern Rila.
Rila is also a holy place for the sun worshippers of the White Brotherhood, a peaceful sect established in Bulgaria in the beginning of 20th century by Petar Dunov. They celebrate a New Year at the considered by them as a holy region of the Rila Lakes every August. Finally the reputation of Rila Mountains as favourite place for the members of the Bulgarian monarchy before WWII. They built the mountain resort of Borovets, some hunting lodges and paths around the mountain, some of them with the only purpose to organize a panoramic walk and show the beauty of the mountains to their guest – the Austrian Kaiser, during his visit to Bulgaria.
