Professor Vladimir Popov was born and grew up in Stara Zagora, the city of lyricists and romantics. It was not accidental that he chose Geography for his life dedication: it is an unfathomable science about the world in which we live, about its variety and its driving forces. He focused his research efforts to Geomorphology, which studies the complex interactions forming the Earth’s visage and its secrets. His geomorphologic interest brought him to the underground karst castles and he remained in a life-long captivity of caves and their still splendor.
Prof. Vl. Popov was a researcher of great creative energy; he had a romantic, and even sometimes adventurous spirit. More than 60 years he studied actively the miraculous cave morpho-sculpture. At the same time, using his talent of taleteller and artist, he created a community of the underground beauty admirers, from children, to people of advanced ages.
Under his pen a series of emotional and lyrical descriptions of the Bulgarian cave pearls was born. Those include the caves of Ledenika, Saeva dupka, Snejanka, Bacho Kiro, Magurata, Dyavolsko garlo, Gradeshnica cave. These descriptions are saturated by love and adoration to the Nature-sculpturer, but also by deep anxiety about Cave world, which is defenseless to Man’s aggression.
As a mythical champion, prof. Vladimir Popov distributed generously sparks from his never-dying love to caves. This love was inherently with him when his eyes closed forever. Quietly, he immersed into the silence of Eternity, to which his spirit yearned. But he left to us the embers of his love…
THE RESEARCHER AND SCIENTIST VLADIMIR POPOV
BIOGRAPHY07.03.1912 - born in the village of Gostilya (Pleven district)
1935 - graduated from the Sofia University, speciality "geographer"
1936-1955 - geography teacher in the Exemplary Trade Secondary School,
1944-1945 - participated in the first phase of the Patriotic War against Germany
1955-1975 - worked as a researcher in the Institute
1955-1976 of Geography, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
(since 1955 - geomorphology researcher, since 1965 - Assoc. Professor)
1975-1998 - as a pensioner continued his active research work and expert activity
19.09.1998 - died in Sofia
REWARDS
PUBLICATIONS:
Publications on Karst Studies:
- Karst morphology in the region between the valleys of the river Vit and river Batuliiska. 1962 (in Bulgarian)
- Morphology of the Golemia Kazan cirque in Pirin Mountain. 1962 (in Bulgarian)
- Morphology and genesis of the Ledenika cave. 1964 (in Bulgarian)
- Karst morphology and karst hydrology in Bulgaria. 1964 (in Bulgarian)
- Karst morphology and hydrology in the Fore-Balkan northern part between the rivers Yantra and Osam. 1965 (in Bulgarian)
- The karst in the Fore-Balkan northern part between the rivers Iskar and Vit. 1969 (in Bulgarian)
- Karst distribution in the Stara Planina Mountains and some of its characteristic features.1970 (in Russian).
- Karst distribution in Bulgaria and some of its characteristic features. 1970 (in Bulgarian)
- Comments on karst denudation in Bulgaria. 1972.
- Geomorphology of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. 1974 (in Bulgarian)
- Cave zoning in Bulgaria. 1976 (in Bulgarian)
- Morphology, genesis and age of the Magura cave. 1977 (in Bulgarian)
- Basic terms on karst morphology. 1980 (in Bulgarian)
- Travels under the ground. 1982 (in Bulgarian)
- Genesis and age of the Prohodna rock bridge. 1985 (in Bulgarian)
- Caves with man-made facilities in Bulgaria. 1987 (in Bulgarian)
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Publications on Protected Areas:
- The beauty spots of our native land. 1957, 1970, 271.
- Distribution and problems of the protected natural sites in Bulgaria. 1975.
- Protected natural sites in Bulgaria. 1980.
- Natural recreational resources on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and its rational use. 1983.
- Bulgaria's natural scenery (a photo-album) 1984
- Protected natural areas, sites, forms and species in North Bulgaria. 1989.
- The natural pearls of Bulgaria (unpublished)
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Complete Bibliographic List on Protected Areas
PUBLICATIONS ABOUT VLADIMIR POPOV:
- Mishev, K. Vladimir Popov is getting on for 60. - Изв. Бълг. геогр. д-во, 1972, Т. ХІІ (ХХІІ), 179-181 (in Bulgarian)
- Vaptsarov, I. Vladimir Popov at the age of 70. - Пробл. геогр., 1982, 3, 82-84 (in Bulgarian)
- Kiradzhiev, S. Vladimir Popov. - Обучението по геогр., 1982, 2, 47-48 (in Bulgarian)
- Beshkov, Vl. Associate Professor Vladimir Popov. - In: Български пещери, Сб. материали - 4, С., 1986, 120-122 (in Bulgarian)
- Mikhailov, Tzv. Vladimir Popov - on the occasion of his 75th birthday anniversary. -География, 1987, 22-23 (in Bulgarian).
- *** Vladimir Popov at the age of 75. - Обучението по геогр., 1987, 44-45 (in Bulgarian).
- *** Vladimir Popov at the age of 80. - Обучението по геогр., 1992, p. 34 (in Bulgarian)
- Vaptsarov, I. Vladimir Popov at the age of 80. - Пробл. геогр., 1992, 2, 80-83 (in Bulgarian)
- Stefanov, P. Prof. Vladimir Yordanov Popov (7.03.1912-19.09.1998). - Kras I speleologia. 2000, T. Х (XIX). Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego, Katowice, 155-156.
MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROF. VLADIMIR POPOV TO THE BULGARIAN KARSTOLOGY:
- Clarified the distribution and the most important features of karst in Bulgaria (1968, 1970, 1973);
- Explored and described regional geomorphologic karst complexes: surface and underground land forms and their relations (basically in the Pre-Balkan and Stara Planina, Northern Pirin, North Black Sea Coast);
- Established traces of old (Pre-Quaternary) karst relief in the Vrachanska Planina - “comic (kegel) karst” (1964);
- Described the spelo-genesis of big Bulgarian caves such as Ledenika, Magura, Saeva dupka, Orlova chukka, Bacho Kiro, Dyavolsko garlo, Snejanka, Prohodna, Gredehsnishka.
- Analyzed the first quantitative data about karst denudation in Bulgaria (1972 – together with M. Pulina and M. Markovicz from Poland).
- Organized and participated personally in the instrumental mapping of famous Bulgarian caves, such as Saeva dupka, Ledenika, Snejanka, Bacho Kiro, Dyavolsko garlo, Magura etc. and introduction of speleo-morpho-metrical analysis and laboratory analytical methods in karst research; introduction of unified symbols for cave mapping (UIS);
- Systematized and specified the Bulgarian terminology of Karst Morphology (89 terms, 1982, together with P. Stefanov);
- Described disclosures of volcanic glass in some Bulgarian caves (1968);
- Compiled the first regionalization of Bulgarian caves (1973, 1977), (М 1:600 000) - karst provinces (4) karst regions (51);
- Promoted public interest to caves suitable for tourism (about 15 in Bulgaria), analyzed visits and worked on different problems of speleo-protection and rational use of caves;
- Created a school of karst research in Bulgaria and formulated the need of a specialized institution of Karstology in Bulgaria.