At 81,046 hectares, Rila National Park is the largest of the three National Parks in Bulgaria and among the largest in all of Europe. It was established in 1992 to conserve the natural ecosystems and inherent diversity of the area's plant and animal species, habitats of rare and endangered species and communities, and to protect and conserve scenic and characteristic landscapes, and geologic natural formations.
The Park is located in the southwest of Bulgaria. There are 27,565 hectares of unforested area along the mountain ridges and 53,481 hectares of coniferous and decid­uous forests in the lower altitudes. The Park encompasses some 30% of the Rila Mountain. It is within the territory of four administrative regions and eleven municipali­ties: Blagoevgrad, Simitli, Razlog, Belitza, Yakoruda, Belovo, Kostenetz, Dolna Banya, Samokov, Sapareva Banya and Dupnitza.
There are over 100 mountain peaks within Rila National Park that rise more than 2,000 m above sea level. Among these looms Mussala, the highest mountain peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, at 2,295 meters. As a result of glacial activity, erosion and deposition over 120 permanent and some 30 seasonal glacial lakes have formed in the high mountain zone. These are typically located in deep cirque beds, or kettle holes. Some of the longest and largest rivers in the Balkan Peninsula have their sources in Rila National Park: the Iskar, the Maritza and the Mesta. Rila National Park is a prime source of fresh water for the surrounding regions and municipalities, including 'Bulgaria's capital Sofia, as well as Some of the population of Greece and Turkey.
Rila National Park encompasses some of the most secluded forest ecosystems virtually sheltered from human impact Most representative in the Park are spruce and fir, in combi­nations with the endemic Macedonian pine and dwarf pine. About 95% of these are natur­al forests, averaging 90 years in age. This wide diversity of habitats has deservedly earned Rila National Park its second place ranking in the NATURA 2000 European Ecological Network.
Rila National park is extremely rich in biological diversity. It supports a stunning 1,400 species of higher plants. Of these, 98 are listed as rare or endangered in the Red Book of Bulgaria; 9 in the IUCN Red List, and 6,tn the European List of Rare, Endangered and Endemic Species. The Park's high conservation significance is also supported by the 105 relic and the large number of endemic species in its territory, of which 36 are endem­ic to the Balkans, and 21 to Bulgaria. Of the latter, three are local endemics that can only be seen in Rila: the Rila cowslip, lady's mantle and Rila rhubarb. There are also 282 species of mosses, 130 of freshwater algae and 233 species of mushrooms in the Park's ter­ritory. Rila National Park is among the most significant and resilient sanctuaries for moun­tain wildlife in Europe. It supports 172 species of vertebrate organisms: 5 species of fish; 20 species of reptilians and amphibians; 99 species of birds, and 48 species of mammals.
Rila National Park shelters the largest population of Balkan chamois in Bulgaria. It also supports the largest high-mountain population of hamster, one out of four locations of alpine newt, and one of two nesting locations in Bulgaria of the pygmy owl. The Park is one of the territories in Bulgaria with well-preserved, viable populations of predatory birds (15 species), and a protected area of vital significance for conserving the country's capercaillie population.
The Park's invertebrate fauna is also unique. Thus far, 2,934 species of invertebrates have been identified. Of these, 242 are endemic and 244 are relic. This gives the Park its status as a major world fireplaces of new species development.
Rila National Park is a gene pool of major significance; since 38% of all plants, 80% of all vertebrates, 80 % of the glacial pond fauna and 20 % of the terrestrial fauna known in Bulgaria are found within its territory.
There are four nature reserves (Parangalitza, Skakavitza, Ibar and Central Rila) in Rila National Park that correspond to the Category 1 protected area under IUCN. These 4 reserves have a combined territory of 16,222.1 hectares, or 20% of the total territory of the Park. Of these, Central Rila Reserve is the largest in Bulgaria, covering an area of 12,393 hectares. All reserves within the Park are on the UN List of National Parks and Equivalent Reserve Areas. Park personnel offer assistance to visitors, provide for their safety, enforce rules and prevent violations. The National Park Directorate comprises a Head Office, based in Blagoevgrad, and eight local branch offices responsible for management of the respective Park sections: Belitza, Yakoruda, Belovo, Kostenetz, Borovetz, Beli Iskar, Govedartzi, and Dupnitza.