site.btaHut of the Year Awards 2025: Winners Announced at Sofia Ceremony

The awards in the Hut of the Year competition, a joint initiative of 360Mag and the Bulgarian Tourist Union (BTS), were presented at a ceremony at the Cinema House in Sofia, the organizers said here on Thursday.

Over 42,900 votes were cast in the campaign between May 15 and October 15, alongside more than 490,000 website views and over 3.5 million views of Hut of the Year materials on social media.

The votes of Bulgaria’s mountaineers determined the following winners in the competition categories (2025):

Exemplary Hutkeeper (SiteGround) – Dimitar Vulchev, hutkeeper of Belmeken Hut.

Hut/Shelter with Best Nature-Friendly Practices (Photomate) – Septemvri Hut, Vitosha
Second place: Eho Hut
Third place: Balkanity Hut

Hut/Shelter with Best Cuisine – Buzludzha (Old) Hut, Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina)
Second place: Kamen Del Hut
Third place: Murgash Hut

Cleanest and Neatest Hut/Shelter (Kärcher) – Fenera Hut, Sredna Gora
Second place: Kamen Del Hut
Third place: Balkanity Hut

Best Unstaffed Shelter – Strashno Ezero Shelter
Second place: Koncheto Shelter
Third place: Veliytsa Shelter

Best Hut Served by Light Vehicle (Subaru) – Malka Yurta Hut, Rila
Second place: Buzludzha (Old) Hut
Third place: Partizanska Pesen Hut

Best Hut/Shelter Served by High-clearance Vehicle/Lift – Malyovitsa Hut, Rila
Second place: Spano Pole Shelter
Third place: Ruy Hut

Best Hut/Shelter Served Without Vehicle (DEVIN) – Ivan Vazov Hut, Rila
Second place: Tevno Ezero Shelter
Third place: Belmeken Hut

Winners in grant programmes:

Colourful Huts and Shelters (Orgachim): 11 approved sites will receive paint, varnish, and coatings to improve their huts: Kikish Shelter, Proboynitsa Hut, Chumerna Hut, Grunchar Hut, Sinanitsa Hut, Eho Hut, Tevno Ezero Shelter, Balkanity Hut, Planinarska Pesen Hut, Vihren Hut, Skakavitsa Hut

Renewal of Trail Markings and Landscaping Around the Hut with BTS and Kaufland: Izgrev Hut

Cosy Hut with TED BED mattresses: Vasil Levski Hut

Energy Reserves for Huts with Photomate: Tevno Ezero Shelter

Bicycle Huts with SiteGround: Belasitsa Hut, Karandila Hut, Ruy Hut, Mazalat Hut, Fenera Hut

Between last year’s ceremony and this year, all upgrades to the 2024 winning huts were documented as part of the Hut of the Year campaign. Last year’s grand winner, Macedonia Hut, invested in technology to achieve energy independence by installing 15 kW batteries, a petrol generator, a hydroelectric turbine, and a repeater. The hut also improved building insulation with new high-quality windows, established a dedicated workspace, and launched a new website with an updated visual identity.

Strashno Ezero Shelter has been connected to electricity. Thirty mountain locations received standardized first aid kits to improve safety on the trails. Trail markings were upgraded along major routes, and a recreation area was established in front of Grunchar Hut. Hristo Smirnenski Hut now has a charging station for electric vehicles to help reduce local pollution, and accommodation at Belmeken Hut was upgraded.

To further support the winning huts and shelters, six volunteer initiatives were organised and carried out to make the spots even cozier and their keepers happier, the organizers noted.

This year’s edition included two extensive clean-up operations targeting bulky and construction waste in and around Sinanitsa Hut and Banderitsa Hut.

Organizations participating in the campaign: Bulgarian Mountaineering Union, Mountain Rescue Service (Bulgarian Red Cross), Mountains and People – Bulgarian Association of Mountain Leaders and Mountain Guides, Association of Parks in Bulgaria (APB), Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT), MTB-BG, Bulgarian Mountain Bike Association (BMBA), Bulgarian Extreme and Freeskiing Association (BEFSA), Balkani Wildlife Society, Za Zemiata (Friends of the Earth Bulgaria), For the Nature Coalition, The Hutkeeper’s Stories.