The Shumen Plateau Nature Park is located in the Shumen Plateau of the northern province of Shumen of Bulgaria, the highest plateau of the Danubian Plain. The Park encloses the Bukaka Reserve Forest, which is known for indigenous Fagus sylvatica Fagus sylvatica (common beech) moesiaca (the Balkan beech) forest. This Park was declared a National Park in 1980 and a Nature Park in 2003 to conserve its ecosystems and floral and faunal biodiversity, and to preserve its tableland landscape together with many tourist sites such as the Shumen fortress, the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria, cave monasteries, and surface and underground karst caves. The park has the first thematic educational trail in the Karst Nature Park, constructed as part of a project titled “Natural Park of Shumen Plateau” with funds provided by the EU Cohesion Fund and the Republic of Bulgaria; the trail is integral to the Operational Program “Environment 2007–2013”.
Cultural heritage
The Shumen fortress, also known locally as the Old Town of Shumen, is an archaeological site. It was built on a hill with a commanding view of the city. The fortress is located within the park. The fortress was the location of the town of Shumen during the First and Second Bulgarian Empire (12th – 14th centuries). Thracians ruled over the territory from the 5th to 2nd century BC, followed by Romans who ruled from first century BC to 3rd century AD, and then by the early Byzantine from 4th to 6th century AD. The site consisted of refined residences, religious buildings, and defense fortifications. After the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, the fortress was besieged and occupied in 1444 by the forces of King Władysław III of Poland during the Crusade of Varna. Following this battle the fortress was looted and gutted, and the Ottoman rulers eventually abandoned the fortress completely. It has since been partially restored.”Creators of the Bulgarian State” monument on the top of a hill in the park
The Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument or Creators of the Bulgarian State monument, is another notable monument within the park, built to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the establishment of Bulgaria, starting from the First Bulgarian Empire (7th century – 11th century). This monument, which is about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) distance from the entrance of the Shumen fortress, was built in 1981 during the communist regime. An information center is situated 300 metres (980 ft) away from this monument and a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) track from here leads to the Shumen fortress.
There are cave monasteries which functioned during the Second Bulgarian Empire as religious and cultural centres. They are located in karstic rock formations in the plateau and are difficult to access. Some of the notable caves are the Biserna Cave (Pearl Cave) and the Taynite Ponori Cave (the Secret Ponors Cave).
Karstic limestone formations, which comprise the main geological formations of the park and the plateau, are found in the park in the form of ponors (sinkholes) in small canyons and rock rims.
