Malyovitsa ( bg, Мальовица ) is a peak in the northwestern part of the

Rila Mountain Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila– Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2,92 ...

in southwestern

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 Macedo ...

. It is 2,729 m high and is one of the most popular tourist regions in the mountain. Its northern and eastern slopes are steep and almost inaccessible while the southern and south-western slopes are more oblique. The

Rila Monastery The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery "Sveti Ivan Rilski" ( bg, Рилски манастир „Свети Иван Рилски“), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situate ...

is situated at its southern foothills facing the valley of the

Rilska River The Rilska River ( bg, Рилска река, ''Rilska reka'', "Rila River") is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Struma. The river is 51 km long and drains the western sections of the Rila mountain range. Geogra ...

, and Malyovitsa Ski Centre — with two downhill tracks and two ski drags — is to the north. The main starting point for treks in the region is Malyovitsa Hut at an altitude of 1,700 m at about 2 hours walk from the top of the summit. The three Malyovishki Lakes are situated to the north of the summit, while to the southeast the Elenski Lakes, also three, are located in a deep cirque. The Malyovitsa region is the cradle of Bulgarian rock climbing and mountaineering. The first organized expeditions were made in 1921–22 by tourists from the town of

Samokov Samokov ( bg, Самоков ) is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a basin between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia. Due to the suitable winter sports conditions, Sam ...

. The imposant north wall of the summit was first climbed in 1938 by Konstantin Savadzhiev and Georgi Stoimenov (about 200 m, grade UIAA V+).Христофоров, Асен Г.
Пълзачи по скалите
'. В: Скици из Рила. С., Медицина и физкултура, 1957. That was the greatest success of Bulgarian climbers for its time and is deemed birth of Bulgarian alpine mountaineering. Later other walls in the region were climbed too with the most difficult routes being made in the 1970s. In the last 15 years, Malyovitsa region has become very attractive rock-climbing district with the possibilities it gives for mountaineering and sport rock climbing. Other interesting walls and summits in the vicinity are: Zlia Zab (200 m wall with one of the most famous climbing routes in the country — Vezhdite), Dvuglav (a 450 m high wall, with climbing routes often over 500 m long), Iglata, Dyavolski Igli (several aretes with the hardest climbs in the region), Ushite and others. A wall that is available for less experienced rock-climbers is "Kuklata". It is situated across Malyovitsa Hut, 10 minutes walking, and the main part of its tours is bolted. Malyovitsa Crag on

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

is named after Malyovitsa.

Gallery

File:Malyovitsa.JPG File:Мальовица.jpg File:Връх Мальовица през зимата.jpg File:Мальовишки дял, Рила 15.JPG

Citations

References

* {{Bulgarian ski resorts Mountains of Rila Landforms of Kyustendil Province Tourist attractions in Kyustendil Province Two-thousanders of Bulgaria