Cherni Vrah, Mountain summit in Vitosha, Bulgaria

Cherni Vrah is the highest peak of the Vitosha range near Sofia. The mountain features a broad flat summit area surrounded by expansive stone fields and multiple hiking routes.

A legend holds that Philip V of Macedon climbed the peak in 181 BC. On 27 August 1895 Aleko Konstantinov led 300 tourists, among them Ivan Vazov, to the summit, an event considered the birth of Bulgarian organized tourism. The weather station was built in 1935, a year after Vitosha became the Balkans' first national park.

The first organized group ascent in 1895, led by Aleko Konstantinov with 300 participants, established the beginning of Bulgarian organized tourism.

The easiest route is a 1.4-km track from the upper station of the Romanski chairlift on Malak Rezen Peak (2191 m). Aleko Chalet lies 3 km to the north-northeast at 1810 m, reached by bus and gondola lift from Simeonovo in Sofia; Kumata Chalet is 5.5 km to the northwest at 1725 m. The 1935 weather station has a cafeteria with hot meals and a Mountain Rescue Service post, but no overnight accommodation. A 600-m surface lift serves a ski run on the northern slope.

Water draining from this location flows toward two different seas, splitting between river systems heading north and south across the Balkans. This natural watershed quality makes the peak a geographical crossroads for regional waters.