Bulgaria: Belogradchik Rocks Rank 2nd on 7 Wonders Reserve List

Sofia News Agency

The Bulgarian natural phenomenon, the Belogradchik rocks, have been placed on the New 7 Wonders of Nature Reserve List where they currently rank second.

The first temporary reserve place is held by the Devil City in Serbia. The rankings of the first 14 reserves are updated monthly.

The Reserve List contains nominees from the second phase of the Official New7Wonders of Nature that qualified as one of the top 77 nominees from over 440 nominees participating, but that did not qualify as one of the 28 Official Finalist Candidates announced on 21 July 2009.

These nominees also qualify to be on the Reserve List in virtue of their status as having an Official Supporting Committee and in special recognition of their campaign efforts during the second phase.

If one of the 28 Official Finalist Candidates is suspended and then eliminated from the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign, for example for non observation of the rules of participation, then New7Wonders will select a replacement Official Finalist Candidate from the top seven Reserve List nominees.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature is the second campaign organized by the Swiss non-profit New7Wonders Foundation. Voting will continue throughout 2010 and into 2011. During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit each of the finalists to allow them to present themselves to the voters across the globe. The final announcement of the New 7 Wonders of Nature is scheduled for 2011.

The Belogradchik Rocks, located near the northwest Bulgarian town of Belogradchik, are miraculous sandstone and limestone rock formations of up to 200 m in height with various shapes resulting from erosion. They form a strip which is 30 km in length and 3 km in width in the northwestern part of the Stara Planina (Balkan) Mountain.

Every single rock is named after a real object that it resembles. The rock range varies in color. The Belogradchik Rocks were declared a natural landmark in 1949. The ancient Belogradchik fortress is also located among the rocks.