The Silkosia reserve

Created in July 23, 1931, Silkosia is the oldest reserve in Bulgaria. The territory was protected with the purpose of saving the evergreen bushes in its highest parts. The area of the reserve is 396 hectares, covering part of the catchment basin of Veleka river. There are 260 species of high plants, 16 relicts and 3 endemic. They are 22,6% of all the vegetation in Strandzha Mountain. Large part of the plant species is similar to the plants in Asia Minor and Western Caucasus. For some plants, for example the bear blueberry, this region is their only habitat in Europe. The phenomenon plant inversion is observed in Silkosia. Normally the beech trees are in the colder areas, at higher altitude, and the oak trees are in the lower areas. The situation is just the opposite in the reserve. There you can also see more than 50 protected animals. There are deers, wild-boars, hares, foxes, weasels, squirrels, hedgehogs and many others.