Orelyak ( bg, Ореляк), also known as ''Orelek'' or ''Orlovi skali'', is a peak in the Pirin mountain range, south-western

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. Reaching height of 2,099 m, it is the highest summit of Central Pirin, the second-highest subdivision of the mountain range. Orelayk is situated on Pirin's main ridge to the north of the Baba Peak and to the north-west of the Chala Peak. It has the shape of a triangular dome. The western slopes descend steeply, at places vertically, to the valley of the

Pirinska Bistritsa The Pirinska Bistritsa ( bg, Пиринска Бистрица) is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Struma. The river is 53 km long; the last 7 km before its confluence with the Struma forms the border between ...

river. Orelayk is built up of karstified

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

s. Near its highest point is located a 96 m-high radio and television repeater. The lower part of the northern slopes falls within the territory of the Orelyak Reserve, created to protect the old growth beech forests of Central Pirin. The main starting point for climbing Orelyak is the Popovi Livadi refuge. There is a marked trail, through which the peak may be reached for about 2 hours. A 10 km gravel road beginning from the same refuge leads to the very top of Orelyak.

Gallery

File:Orelek IMG 3880.jpg File:Oreliak Sveshtnik Ushite Mutorok IMG 6135.jpg File:Garmen-2020-PirinZGarmenu02 (1).jpg File:Orelyak.jpg

Citations

References

* * {{cite book , ref={{harvid, Dushkov, 1972 , title = Пирин. Туристически речник , trans-title = Pirin. Tourist Dictionary , last1 = Душков (Dushkov) , first1 = Добри (Dobri) , year = 1972 , language = Bulgarian , publisher = Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura) , location = София (

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

) , isbn = Mountains of Pirin Landforms of Blagoevgrad Province Two-thousanders of Bulgaria