Cherni Vrah

Cherni Vrah (Bulgarian: Черни връх [ˈt͡ʃɛrni vrɤx], "Black Peak") is the summit of Vitosha Mountain in Bulgaria.

Cherni Vrah is bounded to the northwest by Torfeno Branishte (Turf Nature Reserve) which — like the extensive adjacent territory to the south — is a no-go drinking water catchment area.

Thanks to its proximity to Sofia the peak is by far the most visited mountain summit in the country, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually.

Another belief holds it that the name derived from the darker appearance the peak presumably had in the past, when the Subalpine zone of Vitosha used to be overgrown by mountain pine (Pinus mugo) that was burnt in the Middle Ages to expand sheep pastures.

Nowadays only few isolated mountain pine communities have survived in the vicinity of Cherni Vrah, and their process of expansion and recovery is very slow.

The weather station on Cherni Vrah in winter.
Torfeno Branishte Nature Reserve from Vrah Ushite (‘Ears Peak’); Cherni Vrah in the background.
Down the ski run on Cherni Vrah's northern slope, with Malak Rezen Peak in the background; Murgash Peak, Balkan Range on the horizon.
The path towards the hut on Cherny Vrah in Winter and in Summer