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41-574: Kresna Gorge was the place of the Battle of Kresna Gorge between Bulgaria and Greece during the 1913 Second Balkan War . The Greek army was threatened by encirclement in the valley, but due to the Romanian army advancing against the undefended capital Sofia, Bulgaria had to agree to an armistice and the resulting peace treaty in Bucharest which was unfavorable to Bulgaria's territorial aspirations. Kresna Gorge

82-566: A battalion in strength. Romania's brief stint as a significant power thus started with the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, but ended in October 1916. Having joined the First World War on the side of the Allies on 27 August 1916, Romania launched an invasion of Transylvania . However, by 16 October, Transylvania had been cleared of Romanian troops. One week later, on 23 October, Romania's chief seaport

123-654: A foundation for the varied populations of birds and other animals who lives here. The Struma motorway , a project that is part of The European Transport Corridor No IV, is planned to cut through the Kresna Gorge. The motorway is seen by the European Union, as well as the Bulgarian government, as a vital trade and tourism route, and receives funding from the European Investment Bank ( EIB ). The motorway will provide

164-499: A new attack in order to advance towards the sector of Gorna Dzhumaya . On that day hostilities continued with the Bulgarian forces deployed on strategic positions north and northeast of the town. Meanwhile, King Constantine I, who had neglected a Bulgarian request for truce during the drive for Sofia, informed Prime Minister Venizelos, that his army was " physically and morally exhausted " and urged him to seek cessation of hostilities through Romanian mediation. This request resulted in

205-481: A passageway from Germany and Hungary to Greece, and aims to boost the Bulgarian economy. The project, however, will also have some destructive effects for the inhabitants of the gorge and its ecosystem . With the current road in the gorge, lack of proper mitigation has already led to many road kills over the years; with the construction of the new motorway project, animal mortality rate is expected to increase, not just because of direct traffic accidents but also because of

246-405: Is considered a Natura 2000 conservation site, signifying its importance in the protection of endangered species. Some species of birds, such as cormorants , may not nest and breed in the gorge, but are utilizing its resources as part of longer passageways and migratory routes. The resources provided by the gorge are crucial, and serve as the main resting sites to threatened and rare species such as

287-531: Is situated near the villages of Palat, Drakata, and Krupnik while surrounded by the Pirin and Maleshevska Mountains . The gorge is a transitory Mediterranean climate, as it is located between the Central-European and Mediterranean climate zones. The Struma River cuts through the gorge and is a main geological feature. Near the riverbank are sediment soils which transition into shallow alluvial soil with maroon soil on

328-744: The Bulgarians during the Second Balkan War . The battle was fought over an eleven-day period, between 8–18 July, over a front of 20 km, in a maze of forests and mountains. The battle marked the last phase of Greek advances into Bulgarian territory before the ceasefire and the peace treaty . With the Serbian front static and the Bulgarian Army defeated in Greece, King Constantine I of Greece ordered his army to march deeper into Bulgarian territory and capture

369-500: The Egyptian vulture . There are multiple types of forests located inside the gorge, including different types of oak trees such as Quercus pubescens , Carpinus orientalis , and Fraxinus ornus . Considering the climate, typical Mediterranean flora species such as Quercus coccifera and Phillyrea thrive here. The magnitude of the vegetation and plant population in Kresna provides

410-645: The Treaty of Bucharest being signed on 31 July [ O.S. 18 July] 1913 which ended one of the bloodiest battles of the Second Balkan War . The armistice left both parties claiming victory. From the Greek point of view, after eleven days of battle, the Bulgarians had clearly failed to turn the Greek army's flanks, and consequently the Greeks considered the battle a defensive victory. The Bulgarians believed that they were

451-405: The Bulgarian army continued advancing, especially in the south, where by 29 July the Bulgarian forces had cut the Greek line of retreat through Berovo and Strumica , leaving the Greek army with only one route of retreat. After three days fighting at the sectors of Pehčevo and Mehomia , however, the Greek forces retained their positions. On 30 July, the Greek headquarters planned to launch

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492-409: The Bulgarian army had apparently failed to turn the Greek flank, and as a result the Greeks considered the battle a defensive victory. The Bulgarians believed themselves victorious because their attack had stopped the Greek advance on Sofia and forced the Greeks to accept a truce. This view is supported by the view of some historians that the Greek army was threatened with encirclement and annihilation at

533-461: The Bulgarian capital, Sofia . Constantine desired a decisive victory in the war despite the objections of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos who realized that the Serbs, having won their territorial objectives, were now trying to put the remaining combat of the war onto the Greeks by staying passive. A truce resulted in both sides claiming victory. From the Greek point of view, after 11 days of fighting,

574-455: The Bulgarian government to build the motorway and the environmental groups that defend the endangered nature through construction. There has been a long battle between the government and construction companies on the one hand and residents and environmental groups on the other. Battle of Kresna Gorge Stalemate (truce) The Battle of Kresna Gorge was fought in 1913 between the Greeks and

615-568: The Concert of Europe had proved themselves to be rather helpless in Balkan crises. They had been unable to prevent the wars and subsequently could not ignore their results. The idea of revising the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest had to be abandoned. Subsequently, in 1914, Romania managed to impose its candidate for the throne of the Principality of Albania and support his reign by deploying military forces up to

656-562: The Great Powers could again intervene in their affairs. That's not to say, however, that the treaty went unnoticed, but the reactions among the Great Powers were mixed: there were rumblings from the capitals of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia, while the British and the French rejoiced in the "coming of age" of the Balkan states. The Great Powers did not revise the treaty. Overall, the six Powers of

697-456: The Greek and Serbian armies invaded Bulgarian-held territory in return. At the same time, the Ottomans advanced into Eastern Thrace and retook Adrianople , while Romania used the opportunity to invade Bulgaria from the north and advance against little opposition to within a short distance of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia . Isolated and surrounded by a more powerful coalition of opponents, Bulgaria

738-702: The Ottomans had also participated in the Second Balkan War, they were not represented at this treaty. Instead, bilateral treaties were later concluded with Bulgaria ( Treaty of Constantinople ) and Greece ( Treaty of Athens ). The eastern frontier of Serbia was drawn from the summit of Patarika, on the old frontier, and followed the watershed between the Vardar and the Struma rivers to the Greek-Bulgarian boundary, except that

779-554: The Ottomans remained high, however, in the face of persecutions of Anatolian Greeks, leading to a crisis and a naval race in summer 1914 that was stopped only by the outbreak of World War I . At the end of the war, Greece still had claims to territories inhabited, at the time, by some 3 million Greeks . Following the Second Balkan War , in which Romania's intervention proved decisive, and the subsequent 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, Romania 's dominant position in Southeastern Europe

820-431: The attack and captured a line stretching from Cherovo to Hill 1378, southeast of Gorna Dzhumaya . During the evening of 28 July, however, the Bulgarian army under heavy pressure was forced to abandon the town. The following day, the Bulgarians attempted to encircle the outnumbered Greeks in a Cannae -type battle by applying pressure on their flanks. Nevertheless, the Greeks launched counterattacks at Mehomia and to

861-589: The autonomy of the Balkan Vlachs. The status of the Vlachs in Bulgarian territories was settled on 4 August, in Greek territories on 5 August and in Serbian territories between 5 and 7 August. The 1913 Treaty of Bucharest itself was signed on 10 August. One notable aspect of this treaty was the lack of any real involvement from the European Great Powers. The Balkan states hurried to settle their differences before

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902-453: The effects of deforestation and habitat loss . The locals in the nearby villages are afraid their shops and livelihoods will be deserted when the motorway opens. They also fear that Kresna will attract fewer tourists and that young residents will migrate to other countries. The motorway will force some of the villagers to lose land and property during the construction, negatively impacting their livelihoods. The European Union financed both

943-445: The end of the war, although the fighting was eventually ended by an armistice. However, the Greeks argued that the Bulgarian army had put all its strength into the long battle, but lacked additional men to complete the Greek siege. After the victorious Battle of Doiran the Greek forces continued their advances north. On 18 July, the 1st Greek Division managed to drive back the Bulgarian rear guard and captured an important foothold at

984-697: The fortress of Silistra and the cities of Tutrakan on the Danube and Balchik ( Balcic ) on the Black Sea. The treaty awarded the regions of Berane, Ipek and Gjakova to Montenegro. According to Anderson and Hershey, the severe terms imposed on Bulgaria contrasted the ambitions of its government upon the entry into the Balkan War: the territory eventually gained was relatively circumscribed; Bulgaria had failed to gain Macedonia, which, with its large population of Bulgarians,

1025-531: The port of Kavala , still had outstanding issues. Italy was opposed to Greek claims to Northern Epirus , and controlled the Greek-inhabited Dodecanese islands. In addition, the status quo of the islands of the Northeastern Aegean , which Greece had taken from the Ottomans, remained undetermined until February 1914, when the Great Powers recognized Greek sovereignty over them. Tensions with

1066-440: The prolonged battle and lacked the additional manpower to complete an encirclement of the Greek forces. Treaty of Bucharest (1913) The Treaty of Bucharest ( Romanian : Tratatul de la București ; Serbian : Букурештански мир ; Bulgarian : Букурещки договор ; Greek : Συνθήκη του Βουκουρεστίου ) was concluded on 10 August 1913, by the delegates of Bulgaria , Romania , Serbia , Montenegro and Greece . The Treaty

1107-453: The scales of the war was accepted without serious objections, due in part to Bulgaria's attitude not attracting much compassion. Despite not annexing the areas inhabited by Balkan Vlachs, Romania nevertheless obtained protection of the schools and churches of the Vlachs in the other Balkan states. Thus, Romania was the only Balkan country to obtain guarantees from all three of its neighbors, which pledged to recognize its interest in, and respect

1148-584: The side. The rocky terrain varies throughout the gorge, including stony slopes, large vertical cliffs, and small rocky sections. Kresna Gorge is home to a diverse fauna and flora, as well as a ranging terrain. The southern reaches of the gorge bisect the Tisata nature reserve in two. The gorge is home to many important Mediterranean plant species, habitats, landscapes, and bird wildlife. There are approximately 31 species of reptiles, 75 species of mammals, and 232 species of birds in this relatively small gorge. Kresna Gorge

1189-560: The southern end of the Kresna Pass. In the pass, the Greeks were ambushed by the Bulgarian 2nd and 4th Armies which were newly arrived from the Serbian front and had taken up defensive positions. After bitter fighting, however, the Greeks managed to break through the Kresna Pass. The Greek advance continued and on 25 July, the village of Krupnik , north of the pass, was captured, forcing the Bulgarian troops to withdraw to Simitli . Simitli

1230-517: The territory between these two cities, or within a radius of 20 kilometers around Balchik. Bulgaria ceded to Romania Southern Dobruja , lying north of a line extending from the Danube just above Tutrakan ( Turtucaia ) to the western shore of the Black Sea , south of Ekrene ( Ecrene ); Southern Dobruja has an approximate area of 6,960 km (2,690 sq mi), a population of 286,000, and includes

1271-798: The upper valley of the Strumica remained in the possession of Bulgaria. The territory thus obtained by Serbia engulfed central Vardar Macedonia, including " Ochrida , Monastir, Kosovo , Istib, and Kotchana, and the eastern half of the Sanjak of Novi-Pazar ". These territories would today include Novi Pazar in Serbia, the disputed territory of Kosovo, and Ohrid , Štip , Kočani and Bitola in present-day North Macedonia . By this arrangement, Serbia increased its territory from 48,300 to 87,780 km (18,650 to 33,890 sq mi) and its population by more than 1.5 million. The boundary line separating Greece from Bulgaria

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1312-498: The victors since their attack successfully stopped the Greek Army's advance towards Sofia and caused the Greeks to accept an armistice. This view is supported by the opinion held by most historians that although the battle was ended inconclusively by the armistice, at the end of the war, the Greek army was threatened by encirclement and annihilation. The Greek claimed, however, that the Bulgarians had involved all their available forces in

1353-483: The west of Kresna . By 30 July, the Bulgarian attacks had largely subsided. On the eastern flank, the Greek army launched an attack towards Mehomia through the Predela Pass. The offensive was stopped by the Bulgarian army on the eastern side of the pass and fighting ground to a stalemate. On the western flank, an offensive was launched against Charevo Selo with the objection of reaching the Serbian lines. This failed and

1394-477: Was Sofia's avowed purpose in entering the war, and especially the districts of Ohrid and Bitola , which had been a main demand. With only a small outlet to the Aegean around the minor port of Dedeagach , the country had to abandon its project of Balkan hegemony. According to Anderson and Hershey, Greece, though a winner and triumphant after the acquisition of Thessaloniki and most of Macedonia up to and including

1435-506: Was captured on 26 July, while during the night of 27–28 July the Bulgarian forces were pushed north to Gorna Dzhumaya (now Blagoevgrad ), 76 km south of Sofia . Meanwhile, the Greek forces continued their march inland into Western Thrace and on 26 July, entered Xanthi . The next day the Greek forces entered Komotini , without incurring Bulgarian opposition. The Greek army was stopped in front of Gorna Dzhumaya by significant Bulgarian resistance. On 28 July, Greek forces resumed

1476-829: Was concluded in the aftermath of the Second Balkan War and amended the previous Treaty of London , which ended the First Balkan War . About one month later, the Bulgarians signed a separate border treaty (the Treaty of Constantinople ) with the Ottomans, who had regained some territory west of the Enos-Midia Line during the second war. Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its gains in the First Balkan War, and especially with Greek and Serbian gains in Macedonia , launched an attack on its former allies in June 1913. The attacks were driven back, and

1517-649: Was confirmed. Romania also gained Southern Dobruja from Bulgaria . Romania also raised the question of the Balkan Vlachs (that is, the Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians ), whom it considered its compatriots. Too distant to be annexed, however, Romania took Southern Dobruja as compensation. Romania was the strongest nation in the Balkans , and thus it believed that it had to acquire territory, given that its neighbors were being aggrandized. Romania's argument that it had turned

1558-742: Was drawn from the crest of Belasica to the mouth of the Mesta ( Nestos ), on the Aegean Sea . This important territorial concession, which Bulgaria resolutely contested, in compliance with the instructions embraced in the notes which the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary presented to the conference, increased the area of Greece from 64,790 to 108,610 km (25,020 to 41,930 sq mi) and its population from 2,660,000 to 4,363,000. The territory thus gained included large parts of Epirus and Macedonia , including Thessaloniki . The Greek-Bulgarian border

1599-403: Was forced to agree to a truce and to peace negotiations to be held in the Romanian capital, Bucharest . All important arrangements and concessions involving the rectification of the controverted international boundary lines were perfected in a series of committee meetings, incorporated in separate protocols, and formally ratified by subsequent action of the general assembly of delegates. Although

1640-403: Was moved eastwards to beyond Kavala , thus restricting the Aegean seaboard of Bulgaria to an inconsiderable extent of 110 km, with only Dedeagach (modern Alexandroupoli ) as a seaport. Within this region was also Florina . In addition, Crete was definitively assigned to Greece and was formally taken over on 14 December that year. Bulgaria's share of the spoils, although greatly reduced,

1681-476: Was not entirely negligible. Its net gains in territory, which embraced a portion of Macedonia, Pirin Macedonia (or Bulgarian Macedonia ), including the town of Strumica , Western Thrace , and 110 km of the Aegean littoral, were about 25,030 km (9,660 sq mi), and its population was increased by 129,490. In addition, Bulgaria agreed to dismantle all existing fortresses and bound itself not to construct forts at Rousse or Shumen or in any of

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