One of the most famous, along with Hoverla, mountains of the Ukrainian Carpathians is Mount Bliznitsa, sung many times in legends and fairy tales. A variety of winter and summer tourist routes of different complexity, amazing nature of local places, clean air and breathtaking panoramas — this is what attracts tourists here all year round.
Mount Bliznitsa is a part of Svidoveckij ridge of the Ukrainian Carpathians, one of the most beautiful and unusual. It is formed by two peaks, similar in shape and resembling, as tourists who have been here often say, human figures. Because of this shape, the mountain is often called not Bliznitsa, but Bliznitsy. The higher peak is the southern one — 1883 meters. Such a shape of Bliznitsa could not but give rise to interesting legends.
According to one legend, once upon a time there lived in these parts a beautiful girl who was loved by two brothers. The girl could not choose which of them to give her hand and heart to, and promised that she would give them to the one of them who would be the first to bring her a silk flower (edelweiss). The brothers searched for the flower for a long time, and one day in the mountains they met an old man who told them that the flower grew on a two-horned mountain, which was difficult and dangerous to climb. Not being afraid of anything, the brothers went to the mountain, and when they found edelweiss, which grew on a steep cliff, they couldn’t resist and crashed. Since then the mountain has been called Bliznitsa.
It is interesting that Bliznitsa is actually the only mountain in Ukraine, on which grows the edelweiss flower, listed in the Red Book today.
There are many legends about Bliznitsa, another one tells about a brave brother and sister who managed to defeat a terrible half-man half-beast, who also died on this peak. Residents of nearby villages and settlements, who cherish the memory of local legends, like to tell the legends to tourists.
The way to the spacious mountain valley with high-mountain meadows, covered with bright flower carpets in spring and summer, leads through dense, ancient beech and coniferous forests, presenting mesmerizing, fairy-tale landscapes, delighting with their beauty. To the top of the mountain there are routes of varying difficulty, including very comfortable, accessible to unprepared tourists.
Climbing to the summits of Bliznitsa gives bright and unforgettable impressions, especially in spring and summer during the blossoming and blooming of nature, but not only the beauty of the pictures that open on the way causes the desire to make the ascent of many tourists. The panorama that opens up from Bliznitsa is no less delightful: a view of endless expanses, neighboring mountain ranges, river valleys and scatterings of village houses drowning in greenery.
In the winter season, climbing Bliznitsa gives an opportunity to admire fabulous winter landscapes, bizarre and amazing. The abundance of snowy expanses, light and purest snow takes you to some other, light and airy, as if weightless, world.
Another reason why Bliznitsa has become one of the most popular mountain peaks in the Carpathians is its convenient and varied ski slopes. The climate on the mountain is rarely harsh, mostly mild and pleasant, and snow lies here about 6 months a year even in low-snow winters.
For all those who wish to spend their vacations in the magnificent nature, to ski or snowboard, to enjoy the cleanest air, the mountain Bliznitsa, not far from the famous resort town Rakhiv, will be an excellent place. Climbing, walking, skiing down this landmark of Ukraine gives an unforgettable feeling and leaves only pleasant memories.