History

Borovets is Bulgaria’s oldest resort. In 1896 the mayor of Samokov built a log cabin for his sick wife in the hope that the crystal-clear air would help her restore her health. In the 19th century it became possible for private citizens and enterprises to build villas there. In the early 20th century Knyaz   Ferdinand built three palaces in Borovets – Bistritsa, Sitniakovo, Sarigyol and the Yastrebets Chalet. Thus he laid the foundations of the attractive mountain resort. The Knyaz and his family used to visit the place quite often to hunt and rest. The first hotels and holiday houses were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Today Borovets is one of Bulgaria’s best-established and most popular mountain resort visited by thousands of Bulgarian and international tourists.


General Information

Rila is the highest mountain in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula. It has rugged peaks and ridges, spacious pastures, thick pine forests and about 180 perennial lakes formed in the Ice Age.

Located at an altitude of 1230-1390m on the Borovets Saddle and the northern slopes of the Mussala Ridge in Eastern Rila Mountains, Borovets is an attractive and internationally renowned resort.  It is tucked in centuries-old pine forests beneath Mount Mussala(2925m) that gave his original name “Chamkoriya”.  A scenic road links it with Samokov (12 km), Sofia (72km) and Dupnitsa(52 km).

Borovets offers a rich variety of sports activities and entertainments – hiking, climbing, village tourism, eco-tourism, spa tourism, biking, lift rides, jeep safari, horse-riding, angling, mushroom and herb picking etc.

The excellent ski conditions and facilities make Borovets a preferred site of national and international sports events. It has twice hosted world cup alpine races and biathlon championships. The total length of the ski runs is 45km. Their highest point is 2560m. The ski lifts can service 10, 000 persons per hour. Borovets has a temperate climate that makes it usable all year round. The skiing season starts in mid-December and lasts up to April. The mean annual temperature is 5,5 degrees C. The snow is over 1,5m thick from November to May. The summer is nice and cool with a mean temperature of 15, 2 degrees C. The winter is mild and snowy with a mean January temperature of – 4, 78 degrees C.


Place to see

Tsarska Bistritsa

 Open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Closed  Mondays.

 Tucked amidst a centuries-old forest, the palace has a history of almost   100 years. It was built in the period 1898-1914. Construction started in 1898. Originally, the building was designed as a hunting lodge with several rooms, a study and bedrooms. Later two more wings were added with a spacious drawing room, a dining room and a second floor with bedrooms, boudoirs and another study. In 1914 the palace was completed as a complex of buildings located in a beautiful park crossed by the Bistritsa Musalenskla River. Ferdinand I and Boris III used it as a hunting lodge. The palace is an original interpretation of National Revival architecture with a smacking of some European architectural styles.

The visitors’ tour starts in the so-called old palace. The first room is furnished as a ship cabin. In 1902 Ferdinand undertook a voyage to Brazil on board the New America liner. According to one account the captain of the ship presented the furniture to the Tsar. Another version says that the Frenchman lost to Ferdinand in a game of cards.

The walls of the hunting section of the palace are covered with hundreds of trophies – heads of boars, deer, wild cock, etc. Boris III shot most of the game.

The portrait of the King’s personal hunter dominates the dining room; he was attacked and killed by a bear. The carved wood-carved ceilings are the work of masters from Tryavna, Samokov and Kopriivshtitsa. There is a large Jewish candlestick on the piano – the so-called “menorah” presented to the Tsar by the Jewish community in Bulgaria.

The palace has its own electric power station, which is still used to supply electricity.


История

Боровец е най-старият български курорт. През 1896 г. тогавашният кмет на град Самоков построява дървена барака за своята болна съпругата. Той се надява чистият въздух да помогне за подобряване на физическото й състояние.

През XIX век се разрешава на частни лица и предприятия да строят свои вили в курорта.

В началото на ХХ век княз ФердинандФЕРДИНАНД I Сакс-Кобург-Готски (1861-1948). Германски принц, български княз (от 25 юни 1887) и цар (22 септ. 1908 – 3 окт. 1918). Син на княз Август, австрийски генерал, и на княгиня Клементина, дъщеря на френския крал Луи Филип. През 1893 сключва брак с княгиня Мария-Луиза Бурбон-Пармска. След провъзгласяване независимостта на България през 1908 Фердинанд I е обявен за цар. Повторно сключва брак с Елеонора фон Рейс Кьостриц. До 1912 се стреми да бъде в добри отношения с руско-френския съюз; търси доброжелателството и на Великобритания, Австро-Унгария, Италия. През 1913-15 под влияние на Фердинанд I българската външна политика се ориентира към австро-германския блок, към който България се присъединява (1915). По време на царуването му България претърпява 2 национални катастрофи – в Междусъюзническата война 1913 и в I световна война 1914-18. Абдикира на 3 окт. 1918 в полза на сина си Борис III. До смъртта си живее в гр. Кобург, Германия, и получава пенсия от германското правителство. започва изграждането на три двореца – „Бистрица”, „Ситняково” и „Саръгьол”, както и на хижа „Ястребец”, с което се поставя начало на развитието на привлекателния планински курорт. Тук князът идва със своето семейство и антураж, за да ловува и да си почива в лятната резиденция.

До 1942 г. Боровец е известен с името Чамкория, което в превод от турски език означава „борова гора”.

През 60-70-те години на миналия век започва строителството на първите хотели и почивни станции, които са неразделна част от днешния облик на курортния комплекс.

Днес Боровец е един от най-известните и развити планински курорти, предпочитано място за почивка на множество българи и чужденци.

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