Presentation Waterfalls in Bulgaria. What is a waterfall? introduced by Borislav Alexandrov and Momchil Tsvetanov:
On September 8, 2023, at the initiative of mountain guide and author of the book Bulgarian Mountains, Momchil Tsvetanov, an official measurement of the Devil's Spray waterfall in the Stara Planina mountain range was made. The measurements, carried out under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Borislav Alexandrov from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, in the presence of experts from Central Balkan, led to a surprising result - a height of 202.5 meters.
This measurement raised a number of questions related to the reliability of data on waterfalls in Bulgaria and led to the launch of a research project at the Center for Scientific Research and Projects at the UACEG and the creation of an official Register of Waterfalls in Bulgaria, which would provide accurate and reliable information about this valuable natural resource. A number of specialists were involved in the project, including lecturers from the UACEG, led by Assoc. Prof. Borislav Alexandrov, climatologist Prof. Georgi Rachev, and Assoc. Prof. Ahinoora Baltakova, a geomorphologist from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," mountain guide Momchil Tsvetanov, and others.
Over 200 waterfalls were located and measured, including the Mechkul Waterfall (which became the highest in Pirin with a height of 51.2 meters), Vidimski Pruskalo (declared to be 80 meters high, but turned out to be 159 meters), Plana Mountain, where there were no known waterfalls, but now there are over 50, and many others, which made a number of mountaineers think about what a waterfall actually is.
Borislav Alexandrov is a lecturer in Geodesy and Marine Geodesy at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG) in Sofia, associate professor, and head of the Department of Geodesy and Geoinformatics. He is the author of a textbook, a monograph, several teaching aids, and a participant in a large number of scientific projects.
He is a long-standing member of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, with six participations in Antarctic expeditions. He was the first Bulgarian geodesist to set foot in Antarctica in 1998. He is a volunteer rescuer in the Mountain Rescue Service, a mountain guide, and an OWD diver. Author of the book "Basics of Survival."He has visited or worked in over 55 countries on 6 continents.One of the creators of the project for researching and measuring waterfalls in Bulgaria and its leader.
Momchil Tsvetanov is a professional mountain guide with over 1,050 professionally guided groups in the mountains in Bulgaria and around the world. He is a member of the international Wilderness Guides Association. He is the author of the book Bulgarian Mountains.
Survival instructor, consultant for international television productions on survival adventures in the wild, including Bear Grylls, Naked and Afraid, Double Survival, The Lost Ones, Hunted: Into the Wild, Special Forces, and many others.
One of the creators of the project for researching and measuring waterfalls in Bulgaria.
