Vandalism on the Šar Mountains: about 50 of 120 trail posts destroyed, hiker rescued

At the end of August, trail markings between Popova Šapka and Titov Vrv on the Šar Mountains were deliberately damaged, and shortly afterwards a hiker became lost in that section. State funds and emergency resources were mobilized to locate and save the woman, who was found on the opposite side of the mountain after straying from the trail.

The markings had been installed by the organization "Sustainable Adventure Travels" with donations from foreign embassies. Local volunteers and donors helped build the infrastructure that was later targeted by vandals.

"The appeal is to all mountain lovers, to all visitors to the mountains not to damage the markers. They are important for the safety of climbers, for visitors to the mountains and, most importantly, for the development of tourism, active tourism. Therefore watch over and protect the markers and respect nature," says Aleksandar Bogoevski.

Long-term damage and the local response

Officials warn that destroying a single marker post takes only minutes, while installing the trail infrastructure requires months of work, coordination and commitment. Mayor Bilal Kasami and Austrian Ambassador Martin Pamer, together with the leadership of the National Park and the Popova Šapka ski center, inspected the path recently to begin repairing part of the damage.

"They sent a strong message that perpetrators of such vandalism will be punished, so we all stand behind this that markers must be protected and that any damage in the mountains should be reported immediately," Bogoevski adds.

The "Slavkov" project made it possible to install roughly 120 metal posts for trail marking, of which around 50 were destroyed. Local officials and the trail team called on visitors to report vandalism and to help protect the mountain infrastructure that supports safe hiking and local tourism.

Photo: press material from the event