The Ministry of Energy has launched a competition for the best proposal for prospecting and exploration of metallic minerals – gold in the area of Kyustendil village of Treklyano. The winner will be granted a permit. The permit is for 3 years on a territory of 197,8 sq. km in Treklyano, Kyustendil and Zemen, Pernik. The topographical points for fixing the areas where the goldsmiths will be able to work are labeled.
Underground minerals experts commented that gold in Treklyano was mined in Roman times, even there are remains of an open pit at the village of Gorno Uyno and some traces of water facilities such as the bars for washing the precious metal.
The amount of gold in Treklyano is enormous – perhaps the largest deposit in Europe, but it is deep in the ground, say geologists. The journalist Petar Selnicky from Kyustendil had even described in his memoirs where to dig in order to find the gold deposits. There is gold also nearby Struma river valley – up to 4 tons of spilled gold, with a content of 0.17 grams in cubic meter of ballast and river material, geologists comment.
In 2009, mineral researches were conducted for gold deposits. Then nothing was said officially about the results of the research. Currently there are gold deposits in Treklyano, as well as in neighboring Tran – where there will be a referendum about the regulated gold mining. Ecological risks , however, should be counted, warn environmentalists.
"We have to try to stop this thing: this area of Bulgaria is almost the only one, unaffected by the industry. Near Gorno Uyno, a century ago, the situation has been horrifying. The state has expelled people and have started afforestation , which has managed to stop the collapsing, and the erosion of the soil , "warns through the social networks the former councilor in Kyustendil, engineer Sevdilin Atanasov.