Cherni Vrah summit (2290 m) nearby Sofia, the site where the organized tourist movement in Bulgaria was founded by Aleko Konstantinov in 1895. Photo by raskoll.com
Bulgarians mark Sunday the 116th anniversary of organized hiking and tourism in the country.
The event is held traditionally at the Cherni Vrah peak in the Vitosha mountain, near the 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."
The 2011 event will feature a concert by the Planinarska Pessen (Mountain Song) choir to be held in front of the Vitosha mountain cabin with the same name.
Flowers will be laid at the Aleko Konstantinov bas-relief which is located near the Aleko mountain cabin.