Belogradchik Rock- A Strange shaped Limestone and Sandstone formation

The Belogradchik rock sculptures, situated west of the town of Belogradchik, in the fore hills of the western Balkan mountain range in Bulgaria. The Belogradchik rocks form a 3 km wide and 30 km long belt, and the rock formations reach some 200 meters in height. They were formed at the bottom of a sea as the product of compression about 230 million years ago by the sediment at the bottom of a shallow sea, and then erosion over the last 45 million years.

The rocks are made largely of limestone and Sandstone.  Belogradchik holds 100 caves, In the sandy and calcareous rocks. In the Magura Cave, the bones of prehistoric flora and fauna species have been discovered. The site also has cave paintings dating from 10,000 BC – to 600 BC. The rock formations create a natural fortress with a high defensive potential that has been used by humans for ages. With the natural assets, the area contains historical treasures as well. From the first to third centuries Romans built their first fortress here. This site was reconstructed and enlarged in 1805-1837. Belogradchik area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Belogradchik rocks Bulgaria

Belogradchik contains groups of rock figures resembling people, animals, fortresses, pyramids with sizes from a few meters to several meters. With their red color, they contrast beautifully in the green forests below and the lush meadows and amazing vineyards around the formation. The prevailing reddish color of the rocks is due to the ferrous oxides and hydroxides.

From a geological and geotourism site’s point of view, the rocks of Belogradchik have global significance. The surrounding area extraordinarily beautiful landscape, where nature has created original and unique rock sculptures. The rocks of Belogradchik are a phenomenon, unique to the Balkans and an important feature in Europe.

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The site is a very important Geotourism destination from an educational, scientific, and ecological point of view. The rocks of Belogradchik are astonishing, with the dozens of legends for the strange natural forms named after many of the rock formations. Examples include the Madonna, the monks, the horseman.

There are rock formations in the world that can be compared to the rocks of Belogradchik in terms of geologic formation, type, and origin. The rock formations in the Arches National Park (USA), the Three Sisters Hanging Rock in the Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia), the Pankorbo pass in Spain, the Alps, the most astonishing mountains of Tirol in Switzerland. and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (Turkey) are similar.

Geology

The Belogradchik Rocks are located in the Western part of the Belogradchik anticlinorium of the Fore-Balkan morphotectonic zone. The region consists of sedimentary, intrusive, and metamorphic rocks, diverse in age and petrographic content and integrated into the complex structure of Belogradchik anticlinorium. The Belogradchik anticlinorium reflects the development of the region from the Precambrian period, Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.

The rocks of Belogradchik are created by natural forces – water, wind, sun, climatic characteristics, and vegetation. There are features that relate to the Triassic period layers and the Paleozoic period. These geologic features can be used to date Paleozoic period tectonic processes and are unique for Bulgaria and the region. Several late Paleozoic plant species and fish species have been found in the rock outcrops of Belogradchik and This is the first locality of fossil vertebrate species in Bulgaria.