BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Vrattsata (Вратцата) or Vratsa Pass.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 26.10.1964.
Face value: 1 Bulgarian stotinka.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 10,000,000 copies.
Size: 22 x 33 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1470.
- Scott No. 1372.
- StampWorld No. 1482.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1481.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1285.

The Vrattsata Pass is a narrow passage amidst the tall cliffs formed by the Leva River, in the Vrachanski Balkan, which is part of the Balkan Mountains. It is located between the towns of Vratsa (393 m, or 1,289 ft, above sea level) and Zgorigrad (465 m, or 1,525 ft), in northwestern Bulgaria. In the Middle Ages, it was called Vratitsa and remains of the fortress of the same name (10th - 12th centuries) are preserved in it. The sheer cliffs of Vrattsata are the highest on the Balkan Peninsula (over 400 m, or 1,312 ft) and are the most popular climbing spot in Bulgaria. The third category road III-1002 runs through the pass. It was declared a natural monument in 1964, with an area of 2 hectares, and is part of the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park.

YUGOSLAVIA (Serbia)

YUGOSLAVIA (Serbia) / ЈУГОСЛАВИЈА (Србија - Srbija).

Airmail definitive stamps.
Danube River at the Iron Gates.
First stamp in a set of 9, issued on 16.06.1951.
Face value: 1 Yugoslav dinar.
Design: Janez Trpin (1908-1973).
Engraving: Kocmut.
Printing: Recess.
Size: 39 x 24 mm.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 635.
- Michel No. 644A.
- Scott No. C34.
- StampWorld No. 676.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 675.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA 32.

The Iron Gates (Serbian: Ђердапска клисура / Đerdapska klisura; Romanian: Porțile de Fier) is a gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia (to the south) and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of 134 km (83 mi); in the narrow sense it only encompasses the last barrier on this route, just beyond the Romanian city of Orșova, that currently contains two hydroelectric dams, with two power stations. At this point in the Danube, the river separates the southern Carpathian Mountains from the northwestern foothills of the Balkan Mountains. The Romanian side of the gorge constitutes the Iron Gates Natural Park (Parcul Natural Porțile de Fier), whereas the Serbian part constitutes the Đerdap National Park (Национални парк Ђердап / Nacionalni park Đerdap). A wider protected area on the Serbian side was declared the UNESCO global geopark in July 2020.

-
Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Iskar Gorge (Искърски пролом) and Iskar river, in the Balkan mountains.

First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 03.02.1962.
Face value: 1 stotinka.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- StampWorld No. 1289.