Ritlite

Ritlite were declared a protected natural site of national importance in order to preserve unique rock formations. They represent a group of rocks on the left bank of the Iskar River, above the village of Lyutibrod - four almost parallel vertical rock walls. They start nearly from the river, protrude above it by 50-80 m and rise along the slope. Their length varies from 200 to 400 meters, and the thickness from 2.6 to 7 meters.

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  The first one to describe the Ritlite was the Hungarian traveler Felix Kanitz in 1873. He also left us an engraving of the rocks and ruins along them in addition to a description. Thus, Ritlite became known to the Central European public. A little later, the Viennese professor Franz Tula made the first more detailed geological description. The white Aptian limestones were formed 120 million years ago, when the area was the bottom of the sea. Later the layers tilted vertically and their slow collapse made possible the formation of this exceptional natural phenomenon.
  The rock walls, called ‘Litri’ or ‘Ritli’ (the side covers of a cart) are vertical layers of solid rocks rising above the surrounding slopes. Their base is at the level of the Iskar River at an altitude of 250m, and up the slope they reach 850m above sea level. Their formation is due to the different erosion resistance of the layers. The strongest are the layers of limestone, sandy limestone or calcareous sandstone, and the most unstable are the marl layers. Thus, as a result of uneven erosion, the stronger sandstones and limestones have been preserved as high protruding vertical walls, while the more unstable marl and clay layers between them have been carried away by the waters.
  This is the first protected geological phenomenon in Bulgaria, declared a natural and historical site and entered under №2 in the old Register of Natural Landmarks back in 1938. Right next to the rocks are the remains of the ancient settlement of Korintgrad (Koritengrad), an early Christian three-nave basilica - 5th-6th centuries and the church of St. George - 10th-12th centuries.