The Bebresh (Bulgarian: Бебреш) is a 46 km-long river in western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the river Malki Iskar, itself a right tributary of the Iskar.[1] It is the largest tributary of the Malki Iskar.
| Bebresh | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | NW of Zvezdets summit, Balkan Mountains |
| • coordinates | 42°47′21.12″N 23°53′24″E / 42.7892000°N 23.89000°E |
| • elevation | 1,430 m (4,690 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Iskar |
• coordinates | 43°0′54″N 23°52′35.04″E / 43.01500°N 23.8764000°E |
• elevation | 215 m (705 ft) |
| Length | 46 km (29 mi) |
| Basin size | 492 km2 (190 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Malki Iskar→ Iskar→ Danube→ Black Sea |
Geography
editThe Bebresh takes its source under the name Klisura at an altitude of 1,430 m, about a kilometer northwest of the summit of Zvezdets (1,655 m) in the Etropole Mountain of the Balkan Mountains.[1] Until the village of Vrachesh the river flows in a deep forested valley between the mountains of Bilo to the northeast and Murgash to the south west in general direction northwest and then north, before entering the Botevgrad Valley. Near the village of Novachene, it turns east, crosses the Gola Glava ridge of the fore-Balkan through the Novachene Gorge and flows into the Iskar at an altitude of 215 m at the village of Svode.[1]
Its drainage basin covers a territory of 492 km2 or 38.3% of the Malki Iskar's total.[1]
The Bebresh has rain-snow feed with high water in April–June and low water in July–October. The average annual discharge at its mouth at Svode is 4.2 m3/s.[1]
Settlements and economy
editThe river flows entirely in Sofia Province. There are three villages along its course: Vrachesh, Skravena and Bozhenitsa, all of them in Botevgrad Municipality. The river and the homonymous reservoir 3 km upstream of Vrachesh are utilized for irrigation and potable water supply of the Botevgrad Valley. Bebresh reservoir has a volume of 15.1 million m3 and is a popular spot for anglers, with fish autochthonous species such as common barbel, Romanian barbel, European chub, Danube bleak and gudgeon.
Along its valley through the Vitinya Pass runs a 21.7 km stretch of the first class I-1 road Vidin–Sofia–Kulata. The river is also bridged by the 120 m high Bebresh Viaduct on the Hemus motorway.[2]
Close to the river are located the Skravena Monastery and the Transfiguration of God Monastery, both founded during the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 12–14th centuries.[3]
Gallery
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Citations
edit- ^ a b c d e Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 1980, p. 34
- ^ "A Map of the Republican Road Network of Bulgaria". Official Site of the Road Infrastructure Agency. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Tsenova 2005, p. 46
References
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- Мичев (Michev), Николай (Nikolay); Михайлов (Mihaylov), Цветко (Tsvetko); Вапцаров (Vaptsarov), Иван (Ivan); Кираджиев (Kiradzhiev), Светлин (Svetlin) (1980). Географски речник на България [Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). София (Sofia): Наука и култура (Nauka i kultura).
- Ценова (Tsenova), Емилия (Emilia) (2005). Община Ботевград [Botevgrad Municipality] (in Bulgarian).