Hikers will mark the 115th anniversary of organized hiking in Bulgaria this Sunday at the Cherni Vrah summit in the Vitosha mountain nearby capital Sofia.

The first hiking and tourist society in Bulgaria was founded on August 27, 1895 by Bulgarian writer and nature-lover Aleko Konstantinov on the top of Cherni Vrah (2290 m). The society transformed into the present Bulgarian Tourist Union, and the anniversary of its founding is marked yearly on the last Sunday of August.

A couple of days after the original event Aleko published an enthusiastic article under the title “Unbelievable but True: 300 People on Cherni Vrah.” Thursday the Bulgarian Tourist Union announced that some 4000 people are expected at the mountaintop Sunday.

The event will feature a concert by the Union's hiker's choir, as well as meetings with the Union's local organizations across the country.

Hiker's day will also be marked with the fourth annual Vitosha Run mountain running contest, setting out at 9 am at the National Palace of Culture in downtown Sofia to end at the Cherni Vrah summit (18 km track, 1734 m ascent).

All interested are invited to take part in the race, with professional runners, skiers and other athletes already having confirmed participation. The event is organized by the Marathon Society with the help of Sofia Municipality and the Bulgarian Athletics Federation. For more information about the mountain running race, see HERE.