„Vitosha is a gift from God for Sofia, but climbing it became torture“, this is how the Chairman of the Board of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria Petar Dikov commented on the program „EuroDikoff“ the closure of the cable car from the „Simeonovo“ district to the mountain.
The only way to travel to Vitosha became with not quite regular buses or by private cars, said Dikov. However, this turns it into „one huge parking lot“. This affects the children who have a vacation ahead of them and who want to learn to ski. The mountain was the place where Bulgarian ski champions were created, the architect commented, citing the star in alpine disciplines Albert Popov as an example.
The reason for the mountain's problems lies in the regulations, as they are scattered across 7 different laws, Dikov emphasized. Some texts contradict each other, while others Dikov described as "not particularly reasonable". The management is also extremely weak. The budget of the Directorate of the "Vitosha Nature Park" is only 650 thousand leva, of which 470 thousand go to salaries, he announced. However, the most crucial thing is the protection of the mountain nature and its preservation from private interests that would pollute it. However, nearly 1,000 buildings have already been built on Vitosha, which discharge their wastewater into septic tanks that have not been maintained for years. The roads are owned by the Forestry Agency.
Thus, the Sofia Municipality has almost no authority over the management of the mountain, said Arch. Dikov. Since 2007, the lifts have been privately owned, and therefore, in his opinion, it is better for the municipality to enter into co-ownership and treat them as part of public transport. The Union of Architects will send these proposals to all interested parties, he added. However, management is complicated by the fact that the territory of the nature park falls within three districts and four municipalities. In such a case, experts and the media must unite in the form of public pressure on decision-makers, Dikov summarized.