A walk along the alleys of "Vrana". During the week, the royal family has been raising the alarm about the poor condition of the park and the lack of maintenance there. The institutions have once again passed the ball, while rare species are dying and citizens are suffering accidents.
Over 990 acres of area, over 800 valuable plant species and a bunch of questions mark the 120-year history of the "Vrana" park.
"The creation of the park and the palace dates back to 1900. Before that, this territory belonged to the Sofia mayor Osman Pasha.
Ferdinand won it at an auction. The king, as an ornithologist and botanist, began the construction of the park with his interests. The name is popular, it is known that he said that he would name it after the first bird that lands. A flock of crows lands and the park gets its name", explained Assoc. Prof. Dr. Plamen Aleksandrov, specialist in "Tree and Shrub Species".
We walk along the alleys of the historic royal park, we walk with him. He has repeatedly explored "Vrana" throughout his scientific career, he also regularly takes his students from the Forestry University on internships here.
"There was a nursery near the park that for many years reproduced the vegetation that was possible. This sequoia is one of the largest individuals, in 2003 lightning struck it and until recently it stood about 10-12 meters tall in the form in which it was split. It was a whole forest of sequoias that you can see drying up. The other conifers are drying up due to the drop in groundwater levels, which has caused the park to dry out," he recalls.
We reached the park's alleys, which are closer to Tsarigradsko Shosse, far from the entrance to the Palace. There are dying trees that are found only here in Bulgaria.
"The crowns that are visible above are leafless, not coniferous. You can see the crowns of two or three individuals of "Acer nicuenzi", which is only found here in the park.
The royal family came out with a position on the peculiar jungle that thrives in "Vrana" last week.
"Ignorance, lack of skills, or is this natural paradise being deliberately destroyed? The state gave millions of leva in fees and is suing for the ownership of the park and took it away from the Sofia Municipality, but for more than a year now it has not wanted or taken any professional care."
In 2001, Simeon Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his sister Maria Luisa donated the park to the Sofia Municipality. In 2013, the park came under the influence of the Municipal Enterprise "Parks and Gardens". For nearly a year now, the management of "Vrana" has been in a vicious circle between the Municipality and the state in the person of the Ministry of Regional Development and the Sofia Regional Government.
"… so far, the Sofia Municipality has not handed over to the state – in the person of the regional governor – ownership of the "Vrana" park, say the regional administration in Sofia.
A day after this position, Deputy Mayor Nadezhda Bobcheva explained to "Dnevnik" that the Municipality has been trying to transfer the property to the regional administration for more than a year, but they are delaying the procedure. While the vicious circle between the institutions is spinning, however, valuable species are dying and citizens are suffering accidents.
In February of this year, a 57-year-old woman was injured after a tree fell on her car on "Tsarigradsko Shose" Blvd. in the area of the entrance to the "Vrana" park. The last incident with fallen trees was two weeks ago.
As of today, "Vrana" is open to visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and on holidays, and the entrance fees are reported to the Municipality. However, no institution can yet say when the park will receive the care it deserves.