General information and infrastructure Territory - 866 sq. km Number of population centers - 30 Population - 24,000 Administrative center - Svoge townThe municipality is located in and around the Iskar Gorge of the Balkan Range. Transport - 218 km of fourth-class municipal road network, mostly mountainous roads, of which 80% are asphalt roads. A major railway line passes through the gorge of the Iskar River, as well as a third-class road connecting the capital city with North Bulgaria. A third-class road passes along the course of the Iskretska River; it connects the town of Svoge with the E-81 highway, which is expected to become part of the Trans-European Corridor ¹8. Woodlands cover 495,970,000 sq. m, farming land covers 322,705,000 sq. m, most of it consisting of natural pastures and meadows. Only 1.41% of the total area are arable lands, which is 12,242,000 sq. m. Natural sights and monuments of culture Svoge Municipality lies in a geographic area of strongly rugged mountainous terrain, with a number of gorges, precipices and caves. The mountain massif in the region is mostly of karst origin. Some of the municipality's landmarks include the picturesque scenery of the Iskar Gorge, the Lakatnik Rocks and the numerous caves. An interesting natural site is the Grohoten Peak -1,045 m. The locality is home of a number of plant varieties and animal species, including over 40 species included in Bulgaria's Red Book, the most famous being the imperial eagle. On the territory of the municipality there are two big karst springs - near the village of Iskrets and near the Lakatnik Rocks. Natural sights: The Skaklya Waterfall; The Juglata rock formation near the village of Tserovo; The Elata Cave located near the village of Zimevitsa; the Temnata Doupka Cave; The Sinia Vir Waterfall, a cluster of centenarian trees; Babin Plast in the village Redina; The Treskavets Protected Area; The Lakatnishki Skali Protected Area. Tarsava - located 60 km above Sofia in a beautiful wooded part of Stara Planina of an area of 55 sq.km below Mourgash Peak. It provides numerous opportunities for large game hunting - wolves, wild boars, deer and roe. There are two fish-breeding ponds attracting many fishermen. The beautiful nature and the hunting and fishing places provide good conditions for hunting and adventure tourism. Environmental Protection and Tourism The area downstream the Iskretska River has a very specific microclimate suitable for treatment of respiratory diseases. The region has long traditions in mass tourism. There are some popular rest houses such as Trastenaya and Proboynitsa, as well as the forest hostel Skaklya and the hunting hut Tarsava. The so-called Vazova Path is located here. The most visited caves are Temnata Doupka near Lakatnik village and Elata near Bov village. Svoge municipality is a cultural tourism area. It is home to over 80 cultural, historical and archaeological landmarks, monasteries and others that have preserved the Bulgarian spirit, culture and alphabet. The Sedemte Prestola (The Seven Thrones) monastery is the most visited landmark. Built in the 11th century, the monastery keeps the miraculous icon Rojdestvo Presvetaya Bogoroditsa (Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin) that was brought from Mount Athos and has been in the monastery since the late 14th century. At weekends the monastery accommodates around 50 tourists from all over the country. There are good conditions for the construction of a holiday village of bungalows on the meadows in front of the monastery that would increase its accommodation capacity.
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