St. Kliment Ohridski Base ( bg, База Св. Климент Охридски, Baza Sv. Kliment Ohridski, ) is a

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 ...

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

base 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 195 ...

. The base, originally known as ''Sofia University Refuge'' or ''Hemus Base'', was named in 1993 for medieval Bulgarian scholar St.

Clement of Ohrid Saint Clement of Ohrid (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian: Свети Климент Охридски, ; el, Ἅγιος Κλήμης τῆς Ἀχρίδας; sk, svätý Kliment Ochridský; – 916) was one of the first medieval Bulgarian ...

(840–916). The name is often shortened by non-Bulgarians to Ohridski Base, and sometimes misspelt as ''Ohridiski''.

Location

The base is located at , which is at an elevation of 12 to 15 m on

Bulgarian Beach Bulgarian Beach (Balgarsko Kraybrezhie \'b&l-gar-sko krI-'bre-zhi-e\) is a coast in the north part of Hurd Peninsula, eastern Livingston Island, extending 2.3 km from Hespérides Point to the southwest to Perunika Glacier to the northeast ...

, 130 m inland from the shore of

Emona Anchorage Emona Anchorage ( bg, залив Емона, zaliv Emona, ) is a roughly square embayment, the internal part of South Bay, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica used as an anchorage for ships visiting the Bulgarian base ...

, between Pesyakov Hill and

Sinemorets Hill Sinemorets Hill (Halm Sinemorets \'h&lm si-ne-'mo-rets\) is the second most prominent (after Hesperides Hill) in the chain of hills surmounting Bulgarian Beach in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Sinemorets ...

, overlooking the Grand Lagoon. The base area is crossed by the melt-water Rezovski Creek in the summer, providing a water supply.

History

Following an unsuccessful landing attempt at Cape Vostok on the northwestern extremity of

Alexander Island Alexander Island, which is also known as Alexander I Island, Alexander I Land, Alexander Land, Alexander I Archipelago, and Zemlja Alexandra I, is the largest island of Antarctica. It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land, Antarc ...

, two prefabricated huts — the Lame Dog Hut and Russian Hut — were assembled on Livingston Island between 26 and 28 April 1988 by a four-member Bulgarian party supported logistically by the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Research Ship ''

Mikhail Somov Mikhail Mikhailovich Somov (russian: Михаил Михайлович Сомов; , in Moscow – 30 December 1973, in Leningrad) was a Soviet oceanologist, polar explorer, Doctor of Geographical Sciences (1954). Somov graduated from the Moscow ...

'' under Captain Feliks Pesyakov. The facilities were later refurbished and inaugurated as a permanent base on 11 December 1993.L. Ivanov
General Geography and History of Livingston Island.
In: ''Bulgarian Antarctic Research: A Synthesis''. Eds. C. Pimpirev and N. Chipev. Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 2015. pp. 17-28. An expansion programme at St. Kliment Ohridski including the construction of a new multi-purpose building was carried out between 1996 and 1998 and subsequently. The St. Ivan Rilski Chapel built in 2003 is the first

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

edifice in

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 contine ...

and the southernmost Eastern Orthodox building of worship in the world. A post office of the

Bulgarian Posts The Bulgarian Posts ( bg, Български пощи, lit=, translit=Balgarski poshti) are the national postal service of Bulgaria. The company was established in 1992. Although it was transformed into a joint-stock company in 1997, it is fully ...

has been in operation at St. Kliment Ohridski since 1994/1995. The base is visited regularly by representatives of the institutions responsible for Bulgaria's activities in Antarctica, including President

Georgi Parvanov Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov ( bg, Георги Седефчов Първанов, ) (born 28 June 1957) is a Bulgarian historian and politician who was President of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012. He was elected after defeating incumbent Petar Sto ...

of Bulgaria during January 2005.

Description

Personnel and cargo from supply ships are offloaded by Zodiac boats at the southwestern extremity of the beach, 300 m away from the main base facilities. A designated helipad site is located on the northern side of the Grand Lagoon. St. Kliment Ohridski enjoys the exceptional advantage of several convenient overland routes leading from

to a variety of internal and coastal areas of Livingston Island including the

Balkan Snowfield Balkan Snowfield (Plato Balkan \'pla-to bal-'kan\) is an ice-covered plateau of elevation ranging from in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, situated south of lower Perunika Glacier, northwest of Huntress Glaci ...

Burdick Ridge Burdick Ridge is a ridge rising to an elevation of on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Extending for between Orpheus Gate in the southeast and Rezen Saddle in the northwest, it is bounded by Perunika Glacier to the northeast a ...

and

Pliska Ridge Pliska Ridge ( bg, връх Плиска, vrah Pliska, ) is a three-peaked ridge rising to 667 m in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Its central and highest summit, ''Pliska Peak'', is located 2.48 km eas ...

Tangra Mountains Tangra Mountains (in Bulgarian ''Тангра планина'', 'Tangra planina' \'tan-gra pla-ni-'na\) () form the principal mountain range of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The range had been nameless until 20 ...

and the glaciers Perunika, Huntress,

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

and

Kaliakra Kaliakra ( bg, Калиакра; ro, Caliacra) is a cape in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, which ends with a long and narrow headland east of Kavarna, northeast of Varna and southwest of Mangalia. The ...

, and

Saedinenie Snowfield Saedinenie Snowfield ( bg, ледник Съединение, lednik Saedinenie, ) on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is situated southwest of Rose Valley Glacier, west of Panega Glacier, northwest of Kaliakra Glacier ...

. The Spanish base

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

is situated 2.7 km to the south-southwest, and is reached either by sea or by a 5.5 km route, while the central location of

Camp Academia Camp Academia ( bg, лагер Академия, lager Akademiya, ) is a geographical locality in eastern Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of Academy’s contributi ...

site is 11 km due east in the Tangra Mountains. The base is used by scientists from Bulgaria and other nations for research in the field of

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

glaciology Glaciology (; ) is the scientific study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. Glaciology is an interdisciplinary Earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climato ...

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

and

geographic information Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also cal ...

. St. Kliment Ohridski is visited by

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

s from

Hannah Point Hannah Point is a point on the south coast of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It forms the east side of the entrance to Walker Bay and the west side of the entrance to South Bay. Surmounted by Ustra Peak to the nor ...

, one of the most popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

destinations in Antarctica situated but 12 km to the west. Lame Dog Hut, the 1988 principal building of the base (the oldest on the island since the renovation of the Spanish base started in 2009) hosts the Livingston Island Museum, a branch of the

National Museum of History The National Museum of History (NMH; ) is located in the Nanhai Academy in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. After the Republic of China government moved to Taiwan, the National Museum of History was the first museum to be established in Taiwa ...

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 ...

since October 2012. The hut and its associated artefacts are considered part of the cultural and historic heritage of the island and Antarctica, designated a Historic Site or Monument of Antarctica.ATCM Measure V (2015). Annex: Revised List of Historic Sites and Monuments.
ATCM Sofia, 1–10 June 2015. pp. 21–42.Proposal to add the Lame Dog Hut at the Bulgarian base St. Kliment Ohridski on Livingston Island to the List of Historic Sites and Monuments.
Working Paper CEP WP017. ATCM Sofia, 1–10 June 2015. Under a joint Bulgarian-Mongolian project, a Monument to the

Cyrillic Script The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic languages, Slavic, Turkic languages, Turkic, Mongolic languages, ...

was erected on Pesyakov Hill in March 2018.B. Lazarov
The Three Monuments of the Cyrillic Alphabet.
EUSCOOP ''News from Bulgaria'', 13 March 2018

Maps

Isla Livingston: Península Hurd.
Mapa topográfico de escala 1:25 000. Madrid: Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, 1991. * L.L. Ivanov. St. Kliment Ohridski Base, Livingston Island. Scale 1:1000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 1996. (The first Bulgarian Antarctic topographic map, in Bulgarian) * L.L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands (from English Strait to Morton Strait, with illustrations and ice-cover distribution). Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005. * L.L. Ivanov
Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands
Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009.
Antarctica, South Shetland Islands, Livingston Island: Bulgarian Antarctic Base. Sheets 1 and 2.
Scale 1:2000 topographic map. Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Agency, 2016. (in Bulgarian, map images on slides 6 and 7 of the linked report)
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD).
Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated. * L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Smith Island. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2017.

Gallery

File:St.-Kliment-Ohridski-Base-2003.JPG, Bulgarian base in 2003 File:Ohridski-Livingston.jpg, Main Building with

Friesland Ridge Friesland Ridge (Hrebet Frisland \'hre-bet 'fris-land\) is a ridge on Livingston Island in the South Shetlands, part of the Tangra Mountains. The summit, Mount Friesland, which rises to , is the northwesternmost of the ridge's six main peaks. I ...

in the background File:Rilski.jpg, The old St. Ivan Rilski Chapel File:Cyrillic monument.jpg, Cyrillic Script Monument File:Livingston-Island-Map-2010-15.png, Topographic map of Livingston Island with the bases and base camps on the island File:Ohridski-Map.PNG, Base area and facilities in 1996 File:Bulgarian-Base-Map-EN.PNG, Base area and facilities in 2014

References

Bibliography

* J. Stewart

Jefferson, N.C. and London: McFarland, 2011. 1771 pp. * L. Ivanov and N. Ivanova. St. Kliment Ohridski base. In
''The World of Antarctica''.
Generis Publishing, 2022. pp. 158-162. {{Bulgarian-named Antarctic place Buildings and structures completed in 1988 Bulgaria and the Antarctic Geography of Livingston Island Outposts of the South Shetland Islands South Shetland Islands Sofia University 1988 establishments in Antarctica