Yane Sandanski hut

Yane Sandanski hut (Bulgarian: Хижа „Яне Сандански“) is a mountain lodge in the northern part of the Pirin mountain range in Bulgaria. It stands at an elevation of 1,230 metres in the Popina laka locality, close to the Bashliytsa river, between the confluence of the Bashliytsa with the Sarchaliytsa and Begovitsa rivers. It is the lowest-lying hut in the Pirin range. The site lies about 18 kilometres northeast of the town of Sandanski, reached by an asphalt road, and the surrounding Popina laka area is a mountain climatic resort set among centuries-old coniferous forests mixed with some broadleaf species. The current lodge is a solid three-storey building with a total capacity of 75 beds in 20 rooms holding 2–4 or more beds. Most rooms have private sanitary facilities and bathrooms, while the rest use shared facilities on each floor. The hut is electrified, supplied with water and centrally heated, and has a parking area. It also offers a tourist kitchen and a tavern (mehana). The clean mountain air and the freshness of the old forests make it a base for ecological and mountain tourism and for holiday stays away from the noise and stress of the big city. For winter-sports enthusiasts there is a ski run 5 kilometres from the hut. The lodge is a starting point for numerous marked hiking routes in northern Pirin. Destinations include the Popinolashki waterfall (15 m, about 5 minutes away), hut Begovitsa (2:00 h), the Spano pole shelter (3:30 h), hut Sinanitsa (4:30 h), the Tevno ezero shelter (5:00–6:00 h) and hut Vihren (6:00 h). The Popinolashki waterfall, on the Bashliytsa river about a hundred metres above its confluence with the Sarchaliytsa, is 15 metres high and was declared a natural landmark on 11 October 1965. Short outings also lead to the Turichka cherkva locality (1:00 h). The original hut was a two-storey building erected in 1931 by the tourist society "Elin vrah" of Sveti Vrach (today Sandanski), at a cost of 150,000 leva of society funds. It briefly carried the name of the Popina laka locality and in 1932 was renamed hut "Elin vrah". After 1977 a new solid three-storey building was constructed immediately next to the old hut. The lodge is electrified and supplied with water, has sanitary facilities, and its capacity is given as 70 places in the Bulgarian Wikipedia entry and 75 beds on the official site. It remains an active mountain hut and a gateway to the northern Pirin.

The history of Yane Sandanski hut begins in 1931, when the tourist society "Elin vrah" of Sveti Vrach (the present-day town of Sandanski) built a two-storey hut in the Popina laka locality in the northern part of the Pirin mountain range. The construction was financed with 150,000 leva of the society's own money. The building briefly bore the name of the locality, Popina laka, and in 1932 it was renamed hut "Elin vrah". The site lies at 1,230 metres above sea level, close to the Bashliytsa river, between the confluence of the Bashliytsa with the Sarchaliytsa and Begovitsa rivers. This makes it the lowest-lying hut in the entire Pirin range. Popina laka itself is a locality and mountain climatic resort in northern Pirin, about 18 kilometres northeast of Sandanski and at roughly 1,250 metres elevation, set among centuries-old coniferous forests mixed with some broadleaf species. The Sandanska Bistritsa river flows nearby, and hunting and fishing are practised in the area. After 1977, a new solid three-storey building was constructed immediately next to the old hut. The modern lodge is electrified and supplied with water, has sanitary facilities, and offers a total capacity of 75 beds in 20 rooms with 2–4 or more beds; most rooms have private sanitary facilities and bathrooms, while the rest use shared floor facilities. It has central heating, a parking area, a tourist kitchen and a tavern (mehana). The Bulgarian Wikipedia entry gives the capacity as 70 places, while the official website states 75 beds. The hut serves as a starting point for many tourist routes in northern Pirin. From Sandanski, an 18-kilometre asphalt road leads to the Popina laka locality. Marked trails connect the hut with other destinations: hut Vihren (6:00 h) via the Dushevadnika locality, the bare grassy cirque Golyamo Spano pole, Muratov vrah and the Banderishka porta; hut Sinanitsa (4:30 h) via the yellow-marked trail and the Sinanishka porta; the Spano pole shelter (3:30 h); hut Begovitsa (2:00 h) via the blue-marked trail toward hut Demyanitsa and Bansko; and the Tevno ezero shelter (6:00 h) via the Begovishki cirque and Belemeto. Short outings include the Popinolashki waterfall (5 min) and the Turichka cherkva locality (1:00 h). The Popinolashki waterfall, a 15-metre waterfall on the Bashliytsa river about a hundred metres above its confluence with the Sarchaliytsa, was declared a natural landmark on 11 October 1965. It is reached by an asphalt road and lies right beside the road. The hut remains an active base for ecological and mountain tourism, holiday stays and winter sports, with a ski run 5 kilometres away.

• 1977

  New solid three-storey building constructed next to the old hut.

• 1965

  Popinolashki waterfall declared a natural landmark on 11 October.

• 1932

  Hut renamed from Popina laka to hut "Elin vrah".

• 1931

  Two-storey hut built by the tourist society "Elin vrah" of Sveti Vrach at a cost of 150,000 leva.

A cozy, solid three-storey mountain hut in northern Pirin, the lowest-lying hut in the range, positioned for ecological and mountain tourism, family holidays and winter sports, with a tavern and tourist kitchen.

• Mountain hut accommodation (75 beds, 20 rooms)

• Tourist kitchen

• Tavern (mehana)

• Parking

• Access to marked hiking routes and ski run

1. 1Хижа „Яне Сандански“ – official websitehutyanesandanski.com
2. 2За Хижата – official websitehutyanesandanski.com
3. 3Yane Sandanski hut – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Яне Сандански (хижа) – Wikipedia (Bulgarian)bg.wikipedia.org