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49-507: Administratively, it falls within Blagoevgrad Province , where it occupies its southwestern-most parts in is divided in four municipalities . It is named after the two most populous cities in the area, Sandanski and Petrich . The mild climate, numerous mineral springs and the abundance of natural and cultural landmarks within the valley and in its proximity favour agriculture, tourism and related industries. Sandanski–Petrich Valley has

98-709: A Mughal garden near Srinagar with over 700 chinar trees has been developed as a Chinar Heritage Park by the University of Kashmir . In 2011 a specimen planted by Capability Brown at Corsham Court in Wiltshire was identified by The Tree Register of the British Isles as the tree with the greatest known spread in the United Kingdom. An example dating to at least 1762 is one of Kew Gardens ' thirteen 'Heritage Trees'. The Pococke Garden at Christ Church, Oxford contains

147-465: A shrine. Pliny 's Natural History records the westward progress of the plane "introduced among us from a foreign clime for nothing but its shade", planted first at the tomb of Diomedes on the island of Tremiti, then imported to Greek Sicily by Dionysius the Elder (c. 432-367 BC), tyrant of Syracuse. He had plane-trees conveyed to the city of Rhegium (Reggio di Calabria), where they were looked upon as

196-455: A specimen, known as The Pococke Tree, which is understood to have been planted by Edward Pococke from seed he collected in 1636 from Aleppo . With a girth of around 9 metres it is the oldest in the UK. A plane tree is the main theme in the aria Ombra mai fu composed by George Frideric Handel , in which the main character, Xerxes I of Persia , admires the shade of a plane tree. The Chinar leaf

245-505: A stem. Considerable variation exists among trees in the wild, and this may be complicated by crossbreeding with planted London planes ( Platanus x acerifolia ), the hybrid of P. orientalis with the American sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis ). The tree is capable of being grown in most temperate latitudes, though it benefits greatly from warm summers. As a very large and wide tree with broad, thick leaves that tend to orient horizontally, it

294-519: A strategic location at the border with Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia and lies on the shortest route between the capital Sofia and the Mediterranean Sea . The valley is located between the mountain ranges of Pirin to the east, Maleshevo and Ograzhden to the west and northwest, Belasitsa to the southwest, Sengelska and Slavyanka to the southeast. To the north, along the course of

343-508: A territory of 6,449.5 km (2,490.2 sq mi) and a population of 323,552 (as of 2011 ). It is the third largest in Bulgaria after Burgas and Sofia Provinces and comprises 5.8% of the country's territory. Blagoevgrad Province includes the mountains, or parts of, Rila (highest point of the Balkans  — Musala summit, 2925 m), Pirin (highest point — Vihren summit, 2914 m),

392-925: A total discharge of 1200 L/min and temperature of 33 °C to 83 °C have been utilised since Antiquity. The valley is among the gateways to numerous hiking trails in the Pirin mountain range to the northeast, as well as to the Melnik Earth Pyramids . The important ancient city of Heraclea Sintica is situated near the village of Rupite . Blagoevgrad Province 41°45′N 23°15′E  /  41.750°N 23.250°E  / 41.750; 23.250 Blagoevgrad Province ( Bulgarian : област Благоевград , oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast ), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( Bulgarian : Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония ), ( Pirinska Makedoniyа oblast )

441-827: Is 28.6 °C and Petrich — 27.0 °C. The annual amount of precipitation is 527.3 mm in Sandanski and 471 mm in Petrich, with the maximum in winter, making the region among the driest in Bulgaria. The snow cover lasts only a few days. Sandanski–Petrich Valley is drained by the Struma river and its numerous tributaries from the surrounding mountain ranges, including left tributaries such as: Vlahina reka , Sandanska Bistritsa , Melnishka reka , Pirinska Bistritsa , and right tributaries, such as Tsaparevska reka, Lebnitsa and Strumeshnitsa. Significant amounts of groundwater are formed in

490-479: Is a province ( oblast ) of southwestern Bulgaria . It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, the Greek region of Macedonia to the south, and North Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns. Its principal city is Blagoevgrad , while other significant towns include Bansko , Gotse Delchev , Melnik , Petrich , Razlog , Sandanski , and Simitli . The province has

539-494: Is about 550 km. Its maximum length is 42 km and its width reaches 13 km. It is divided into the larger Sandanski Valley to the east and the smaller Petrich valley to the west. Between these two sections is situated the eroded extinct volcano Kozhuh , which raises nearly 200 m above the riverbed of the Struma. Geologically, the formation of the valley began in the early the Tertiary by graben-like subsidence. During

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588-495: Is among Bulgaria's most important herpetofauna regions, including all four land and freshwater turtles species in the country, as well as most of the autochthonous snake and lizard species. The area and its surroundings are Bulgaria's only habitat of four-lined snake , and hold important populations of other range-restricted species in the country, such as European ratsnake , European cat snake , eastern Montpellier snake , Dahl's whip snake and European blind snake . The valley

637-603: Is considered a national symbol in Azad Jammu and Kashmir . The government seal continues to include the leaf. Many universities, including the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also include the symbol. It is the State tree of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir . During the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony , held in India, the chinar tree was featured prominently in

686-419: Is densely populated and has a dense network of settlements that includes three towns and 53 villages in four municipalities — Kresna , Petrich , Sandanski and Strumyani . The three towns are Sandanski (pop. 24,682 as of 2021), Petrich (26,778) and Kresna (3,267). The region is served by several roads of the national network, as well as numerous local roads. The valley lies on the strategic route from

735-613: Is diverse with many animal species. Mammals include gray wolf , Eurasian otter , marbled polecat and numerous bat species. The avifauna includes numerous nesting species, and in addition the valley is situated on one of the most important bird migration routes in the country. Typical birds of conservation importance include Levant sparrowhawk , short-toed snake eagle , white stork , pygmy cormorant , masked shrike , lesser grey shrike , olive-tree warbler , many of them with restricted range in Southeast Europe. Sandanski–Petrich Valley

784-521: Is especially prized for the shade and coolness it provides during the hot season. It grows best in rich soil in a sunny location and can survive drought well, although young plants appreciate regular watering. The leaves and bark have been used medicinally. A fabric dye has been made from the twigs and roots. The timber , often called lacewood , is figured and valuable for indoor furniture. The leaves are also often used by artists for leaf carving . The Tree of Hippocrates , under which Hippocrates —

833-567: Is established. It can grow into a massive tree with many examples hundreds of years old. Around ten trees are known from the past and present with a diameter of 4 m (13 ft) or more with several specimens around 100 m (3,500 cu ft) in total volume. Like other plane trees , its leaves are borne alternately on the stem, deeply lobed, and palmate or maple -like. It usually has flaking bark, occasionally not flaking and becoming thick and rugged. Flowers and fruit are round and burr-like, borne in clusters of between two and six on

882-594: Is located in the former headquarters of the communist party . Annually the city draws around 10,000 students from the country and abroad. The number of schools in the province is 182. A number of the province's towns were renamed in honor of major figures such as Sandanski (after Yane Sandanski ). The province had a population of 323,552 according to the 2011 census , of which 49.3% were male and 50.9% were female . Total population (2011 census): 323 552 Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 283,556 persons: The ethnic Bulgarian population in

931-547: Is named Platanus occidentalis ). The tree was called platane in ancient Greek history and literature and by related names in continental Europe. Equally well known in Asia from Anatolia to India and usually called chinar or chenar . The native distribution is from Italy east through the Balkans, Turkey, and the Caucasus to Iran . Some accounts extend its native range west to

980-607: Is seen as a symbol for the region, locally known as bouin in Kashmiri and chinar in Hindustani . Excavations from the Burzahom archaeological site have revealed charcoal remains of the tree from the Neolithic period. Muslim Kashmiris believe that the chinar was brought to Kashmir valley by Islamic preachers from Iran in 14th century AD, while Hindu Kashmiris hold a view that the tree

1029-576: Is widely considered an important resource. A number of national parks and protected territories care for the biodiversity. Arable land is 38.8% and forests constitute 52% of the province's territory. The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 saw the annexation of the area to the Bulgarian state. Before the wars, it had been under Ottoman rule for over five centuries. The Blagoevgrad province (област, oblast ) contains 14 municipalities (singular: община, obshtina - plural: общини, obshtini ). The following table shows

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1078-705: The Chattergam village by an Islamic mystic Syed Abul Qaim Hamadani who accompanied Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Iran to Kashmir , is believed by many in Kashmir to be the world's oldest surviving chinar tree. Planting of chinar trees in Kashmir was greatly patronised by the Mughals, and later by Dogra rulers . Chinar trees are being felled rapidly in Kashmir, although a ban was enacted in 2009 to curb cutting. Chinar trees are now required to be registered, considered State Property, and painted white at their base. Naseem Bagh ,

1127-522: The Iberia , Palestine to the south and to the Himalayas in the east. As it has been known in cultivation from early times in much of this region it can be difficult to determine if it is truly indigenous in peripheral areas. The oriental plane is found naturally in riverine settings, together with such trees as alder , willow and poplar . However, it is quite capable of survival and success in dry soils once it

1176-506: The Oriental plane , is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family , growing to 30 m (98 ft) or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red, amber, and yellow. The species' name orientalis means 'eastern' (in comparison, the 'western' plane (or American sycamore), the only other species known to Linnaeus,

1225-631: The Pliocene , an extensive freshwater basin was formed, which drained through the Quaternary . It is segmented by numerous small valleys and the extinct volcano Kozhuh. In its southern reaches is situated the small Marikostinovo Gorge formed between two elevations along the Struma. The extensive floodplain of the Sandanski–Petrich Valley is in some places swampy. The two main valleys along the rivers Struma and Strumeshnitsa have wide alluvial bottoms. In

1274-560: The Rhodopes , Slavyanka , Belasitsa , Vlahina , Maleshevo , Ograzhden , and Stargach . There are two major rivers — Struma River and Mesta River  — with population concentrations along their valleys, which are also the main transport corridors. The climate varies from temperate continental to Mediterranean in the southernmost parts. Natural resources are timber, mineral springs, coal, construction materials, including marble and granite . The beautiful and preserved environment

1323-634: The "Father of Medicine" — taught at Kos , is reputed to have been an oriental plane. A 500-year-old tree presently there may be on the same site and may have been planted from a succession of cuttings from the original. The Athenian Academy , outside Athens, featured a sacred grove of planes where the students listened to the masters and where among others the Peripatetics practiced philosophy. Many villages in Greece feature plane trees in their main squares, frequently found alongside them are water springs that in

1372-571: The Republic of North Macedonia to the west, to the village of Katuntsi to the east, continuing to the town of Gotse Delchev in the Mesta valley further east. Railway line No. 5 operated by the Bulgarian State Railways runs in parallel to the I-1 road along the Struma river; a short railway branches off at the village of General Todorov at the direction of Petrich. The mild Mediterranean climate of

1421-436: The Sandanski–Petrich Valley favours intensive agriculture, with orchards, vineyard, vegetable gardens and greenhouses. Important commercial crops include grapes, peaches, kiwis, figs, peanuts, anise and tobacco. The manufacturing industry in centred at Petrich and Sandanski, the leading sectors being machine-building, food industry and textiles. The most important spa resort in the valley is Sandanski, whose 11 mineral springs with

1470-424: The alluvial cones at the bottom of the valley. Numerous mineral springs gush along the surrounding faults, along which the valley has sunk — near Sandanski , Levunovo , Marikostinovo , Rupite and Petrich . Although most of the valley's territory is arable land under intensive cultivation, it is nonetheless an important biodiversity hotspot in Bulgaria due to the strong Mediterranean influence. The banks of

1519-631: The architecture from the Ottoman period (like Melnik , the Rozhen Monastery and Bansko ). A theatre, a library with 345,000 tomes, and an opera house are situated in the provincial centre, Blagoevgrad . There are art galleries in Bansko , Blagoevgrad and Sandanski . Many small cultural institutions, chitalishta , are dispersed around the province. The Pirin State Ensemble is the most prominent among

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1568-515: The area around Velingrad one of the few places where Bulgarian Muslims make up the majority of the Muslims while in Bulgaria general most Muslims are from Turkish background. Blagoevgrad Province is currently one of the best-represented provinces in Bulgarian football , with 3 teams playing in the Bulgarian A PFG (second only to Sofia with 4) — FC Vihren Sandanski , PFC Belasitsa Petrich and PFC Pirin 1922 Blagoevgrad . One more team from

1617-551: The capital Sofia to Thessaloniki on the Aegean Sea, which is served by a 32 km section of the Struma motorway and 47 km section of the first class I-1 road between Kresna to the north and Kulata at the border with Greece to the south, both part of European route E79 . The second most important road bisects the valley along 53 km from the Zlatarevo border crossing with

1666-643: The early 1990s, the region has also attracted Greek manufacturers who moved their production line from Greece , especially to Petrich . It was an important tourist destination during the communist years for East Germans and is slowly picking up again. The unique town of Melnik was once a wealthy centre built on the back of exiled phanariots from Constantinople . Now it is a centre for wine production and offers eco-tourism. Infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, especially regarding road and rail communications. It remains an important target for potential EU funding. There are two major infrastructural projects in

1715-582: The great marvel of his palace, according to Pliny's sources. From there it spread by the first century CE as far as the lands of the Morini in Belgic Gaul. Regardless of why it may have been introduced, the tree had medicinal uses from early times. Pliny details 25 remedies using preparation from the bark, leaves and excrescences of plane. Pliny prescribes it for burns, bites, stings, frostbite and infections. Pliny goes on to describe some legendary plane trees. There

1764-574: The names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic , the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2011. The region is characterized with diversified economic branch structure: food and tobacco processing industries, agriculture , tourism , transport and communications , textile industry , timber and furniture industries, iron processing and machinery industry, construction materials industry, as well as pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and shoes production. Approximately 10% of

1813-499: The northern part, at the foothills of Maleshevo mountain range there are deposits of fluorite . The valley has a humid subtropical climate and is among the warmest regions of Bulgaria. It has the highest average annual temperatures in the country — 16.3 °C in Sandanski and 15.5 °C in Petrich. The average January temperature in Sandanski is 3 °C and in Petrich ;— 4 °C; average July temperature in Sandanski

1862-840: The numerous folklore and music bands. There are 10 museums in the province that preserve the rich historical, ethnographic and archaeological heritage. Cultural events include the Theatre Festival in Blagoevgrad, the Jazz Festival in Bansko and the Melnik Evenings of Poetry. The Southwestern University and the American University in Bulgaria are situated in Blagoevgrad; the latter is the second largest American university campus in Europe and

1911-445: The past would serve as the main water source for the villagers; usually these are quite old trees with their age seen as a point of pride for the local inhabitants. Occasionally the oldest trees exhibit partially hollowed out trunks, with cavities large enough to provide amusement opportunities for local or visiting children and teenagers, and even serving (along with the rest of the tree) as tourist attractions or at least in one occasion

1960-459: The population is unemployed (close to the national average). There are 4 major hospitals in the province. With its railway line and road connection, the region forms the heart of the land-based trading route between northern Greece , Bulgaria and Romania . Since the early 2000s the province enjoys a mini boom in trade from thousands of Greek day-trippers from across the border, purchasing cheaper goods and services (dental, opticians, etc.). Since

2009-534: The province also has a regional Macedonian identity , distinct from the ethnic Macedonian identity of Macedonians in the Republic of North Macedonia . According to the 2011 Bulgarian census, there were 561 ethnic Macedonians (0.2%) in the Blagoevgrad Province, out of a total of 1,654 Macedonians in the entire country. During the same year, a total of 429 citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia resided in

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2058-517: The province is higher. However, the vast majority of these people do not permanently reside in the Blagoevgrad Province. Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census: 306,118 Bulgarian ( 89.7%), 19,819 Turkish ( 5.8%), 9,232 Romani ( 2.7%) and 6004 others and unspecified ( 1.6%). Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census: Most Muslims in the province are Bulgarian Muslims , also called Pomaks . That makes Blagoevgrad Province together with Smolyan Province and

2107-518: The province, PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad (as distinct from Pirin 1922), began the 2005/06 season in the highest Bulgarian division, but disbanded shortly afterwards due to financial problems. Owing to the alpine features and accessible location, the northern and eastern regionof Blagoevgrad Province is also a centre of winter sports . The main centre is Bansko which is becoming a leading skiing resort at European level with rapidly rising property prices. Platanus orientalis Platanus orientalis ,

2156-473: The province. Since registering a permanent residence in Bulgaria is a requirement for becoming naturalized in Bulgaria, a total of 18,000 Macedonian nationals were registered as residents in the Blagoevgrad Municipality alone by 2017. They are citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia , but have also Bulgarian citizenship , based on declared Bulgarian ethnic origin; their number in the whole of

2205-711: The region. The Struma motorway , which is planned to connect the capital Sofia with the Greek border and the port of Thessaloniki , is going to run through the valley of the Sruma River, and will be ready in a few years. The second project is the airport of Bansko . The cost is currently estimated at around € 30,000,000. Historical and archaeological monuments include the ruins of antique Thracian and Roman settlements, Early Christian basilicas, medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian towns, monasteries and fortresses, as well as many preserved buildings and whole villages — examples of

2254-726: The river Struma , it connects with the Simitli valley through the Kresna Gorge between Maleshevo and Pirin. To the south it connects with the large Serres Valley in Greece through the Rupel Gorge between Belasitsa and Sengel. To the west it is wide open to the Strumitsa Valley in the Republic of North Macedonia , along the course of the Strumeshnitsa river. The average altitude is about 200 m. The total area of Sandanski–Petrich Valley

2303-481: The rivers Struma and Strumeshnitsa are dominated by hydrophilous trees, including some of the most significant natural woodlands of Oriental plane ( Platanus orientalis ) in Bulgaria, European black alder ( Alnus glutinosa ), silver poplar ( Populus alba ) and white willow ( Salix alba ). Sandanski–Petrich Valley is the only place of Bulgaria where plant species such as dragon lily ( Dracunculus vulgaris ) or wild almond ( Prunus webbii ) may be found. The fauna

2352-577: Was one on the grounds of the Athenian Academy, he says, that had roots 50 feet (15 m) long. Licinius Mucianus held a banquet for 19 in a hollow plane-tree of Lycia, and the emperor Caligula another for 15 plus servants in a tree house (nest) built in the branches of a plane-tree at Velletri . The chinar tree can be found throughout the landscape of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian western Himalayas , planted across hillsides and cities, and

2401-513: Was traditionally planted near Hindu holy places in Kashmir and is associated with Hindu goddess Bhavani , from whom it derives its Kashmiri name bouin . After the advent of Muslim rule, especially under the Mughals , chinar became a major garden and landscape tree, and dominates many historic gardens. The tree known for its elegance and exuberance has remained an attraction for artists and litterateurs. One tree believed to be planted in 1374 A.D at

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