The Balkan mountain rangeknown locally also as Stara Planina (Bulgarian and , , ) is located in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs for about , first in a south-easterly direction along the border, then eastward across Bulgaria, forming a natural barrier between the northern and southern halves of the country, before finally reaching the Black Sea at Cape Emine. The mountains reach their highest point with Botev Peak at .
In much of the central and eastern sections, the summit forms the watershed between the drainage basins of the Black Sea and the Aegean. A prominent gap in the mountains is formed by the predominantly narrow Iskar Gorge, a few miles north of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The karst relief determines the large number of caves, including Magura, featuring the most important and extended European post-Palaeolithic cave painting, Ledenika, Saeva dupka, Bacho Kiro, etc. The most notable rock formation are the Belogradchik Rocks in the west.
There are several important protected areas: Central Balkan National Park, Vrachanski Balkan, Bulgarka, and Sinite Kamani, as well as a number of nature reserves. The Balkan Mountains are remarkable for their flora and fauna. Edelweiss grows there in the region of Kozyata stena. Some of the most striking landscapes are included in the Central Balkan National Park with steep cliffs, the highest waterfalls in the Balkans and lush vegetation. There are a number of important nature reserves such as Chuprene, Kozyata stena and others. Most of Europe's large mammals inhabit the area including the brown bear, wolf, boar, chamois and deer.
The mountains are the source of the name of the Balkans (sometimes considered as a distinct peninsula or region). In Bulgarian and Serbian the mountains are also known as (pronounced in Bulgarian as and in Serbian as ), a term whose literal meaning is 'old mountain'.
Etymology
It is widely believed this name was brought to the region by the Ottoman Turks but it may have ultimately derived from the Persian bālkāneh or bālākhāna, meaning "high, above, or proud house". In Bulgarian, the archaic word balkan (балкан) was borrowed from Turkish and means "mountain". The name is still preserved in Central Asia with the Balkan Daglary (Balkan Mountains) and the Balkan Province of Turkmenistan.
In Antiquity and the Middle Ages the mountains were known as Haemus (), derived from a Thracian word *saimon, 'mountain ridge'. The name of the place where the range meets the Black Sea, Cape Emine, is derived from Aemon.
There are two different folk etymologies for the name Haemus, derived from ancient Greek mythology. One suggests that the name 'Haemus' comes from the Greek word (), meaning "blood", based on the myth of the battle between Zeus and the monster/titan Typhon. The other attributes the name to King Haemus. See the Mythology section below for more details.
Other names used to refer to the mountains in different time periods include Aemon, Haemimons, Hem, Emus, the Slavonic Matorni gori and the Turkish Kocabalkan.
The modern Slavic name "Stara Planina" was first attested at the beginning of the 16th century by Antun Vrančić.
Mythology According to the mythology, the origin of the range is that King Haemus and his wife Rhodope were transformed into mountains, Haemus Mons (now known as the Balkan Mountains) and the Rhodope Mountains respectively, for daring to call themselves Zeus and Hera.
Another myth states that during the clash between Typhon and Zeus, Typhon hurled entire mountains at the god, but Zeus deflected them with his thunderbolts, causing Typhon's blood to spill across the land. The mountain was named Haemus after this event, as the Greek word haima (αἷμα) means "blood".
Geography The Balkan Mountains are, technically, a chain of fold mountains—mountains formed by the compression and breaking of layers of rock. On a geological time scale, they are a rather young and recently formed part of the Alp-Himalayan chain which stretches across most of Eurasia. The Balkan Mountains can be divided into two parts—the main Balkan Chain and the Pre-Balkans (Fore-Balkan) to the north, which extend slightly onto the Danubian Plain. To the south, the mountains border the Sub-Balkan valleys, a row of 11 valleys running from the Bulgarian-Serbian border east to the Black Sea, separating the Balkan Mountains from a chain of other ranges known as Srednogorie (which includes Vitosha and Sredna Gora).
The Balkan Mountains consist of around 30 distinct peaks; within Bulgaria, the range can be divided into three sections: The Western Balkan Mountains extend from Vrashka Chuka, at the border with Serbia, to the Pass of Arabakonak, with a total length of . The highest peak is Midžor, at . The Central Balkan Mountains run from Arabakonak to the Vratnik Pass, with a length of . Botev Peak, the highest mountain in the Balkan range at , is located in this section. The Eastern Balkan Mountains extend from the Vratnik Pass to Cape Emine, with a length of . The highest peak is Balgarka, at . The eastern Balkan Mountains form the lowest part of the range.
+ Distribution of the height belts in Stara Planina Section Area,km2 % Average altitude, m 0 – 200 m, km2 % 200 – 600 m, km2 % 600 – 1000 m, km2 % 1000 – 1600 m, km2 % over 1600 m, km2 % Western Balkan Mountains 4 196,9 36.19 849 – – 907.1 21.61 2 074,9 49.44 1 139,6 27.15 75.3 1.79 Central Balkan Mountains 3 400,9 29.33 961 – – 549.8 16.17 1 512,7 44.48 1 076,7 31.66 261.7 7.70 Eastern Balkan Mountains 3 998,6 34.48 385 560 14.00 2 798,9 70.00 624.1 15.61 15.6 0.39 – — Total 11 596,4 100 722 560 4.83 4 255,8 36.70 4 211,7 36.32 2 231,9 19.25 337 2.91
Hydrology
In their central and eastern sections, the mountains form a water divide between the rivers flowing to the Danube in the north and those flowing to the Aegean Sea in the south. However, they are crossed by Bulgaria's longest river, the Iskar, which forms the Iskar Gorge. Rivers that take their source from the Balkan Mountains and flow northwards to the Danube include the Timok, Archar, Lom, Tsibritsa, Ogosta, Skat, Vit, Osam, Yantra, and Rusenski Lom. The mountains are also the source of the Kamchiya, which flows directly into the Black Sea. Although not so abundant in mineral waters as other parts of Bulgaria, there are several spas such as Varshets, Shipkovo and Voneshta Voda.
Developments in modern times have completely changed the geography of Serbia, especially when it comes to waterfalls. Still, there are a number of waterfalls to be seen, especially in the western and central parts of the range, such as Raysko Praskalo (the highest waterfall in the Balkans), as well as Borov Kamak, Babsko Praskalo, Etropole Waterfall, Karlovsko Praskalo, and Skaklya, among others. The area of the Stara Planina has always been sparsely populated and inaccessible because of the rugged and forested terrain, but also as a location of the Serbian-Bulgarian border. As armies relinquished the borders, giving control to the border police, civilians were allowed to explore the area. As a result, higher and higher waterfalls have been discovered on the Serbian side of the Stara Planina in the years since, including Čungulj (1996) at ; Pilj (2002) at ; Kopren (2011) at ; and Kaluđerski Skokovi (2012) at .
Passes
The mountains are crossed by 20 passes and two gorges. There are paved roads crossing the Balkan Mountains at the following passes (listed from west to east): Petrohan Pass: Sofia - Montana Iskar Gorge (Iskarski prolom): Sofia - Vratsa (also railroad) Vitinya Pass: Hemus motorway (A2), Sofia - Botevgrad Zlatishki Pass (Zlatishki prohod): Zlatitsa - Etropole (closed) Beklemeto Pass: Troyan - Sopot Shipka Pass: Gabrovo - Kazanlak (also railroad) Pass of the Republic (Prohod na republikata): Veliko Tarnovo - Gurkovo Vratnik Pass: Elena - Sliven Kotel Pass (Kotlenski prohod): Kotel - Petolachka (Pentagram) crossroads Varbitsa Pass (Varbishki prohod): Shumen - Petolachka crossroads Rish Pass (Rishki prohod): Shumen - Karnobat Luda Kamchiya Gorge (Ludokamchiyski prolom): Provadiya - Karnobat (also railroad) Aytos Pass (Aytoski prohod) - Provadiya - Aytos Dyulino Pass (Dyulinski prohod): Varna - Aytos Obzor Pass (Obzorski prohod): Varna - Burgas, future Cherno More motorway (A5)
Peaks Botev Peak (named after Hristo Botev) Malkiyat yumruk Golyam Kademliya (Triglav) Mlechen chal Zhaltets Paradzhika Vezhen Peak Midžor , the highest peak in Serbia proper and north-western Bulgaria, 12th in the Balkan Mountains. Golyam Kupen Levski (named after Vasil Levski) Yurushka gramada Martinova chuka Malak Kupen Tetevenska Baba Buluvaniya Golyam Krastets Kostenurkata (The Turtle) Oba Kartala Pascal Ravnets Kom Peak Kositsa Replyanska tsarkva Golema chuka Svishti plaz Mara Gidia Todorini Kukli Haydushki kamak Murgash Koznitsa Chukava (Golema mountain) Gorno Yazovo Chumerna Ispolin Ravno buche Buzludzha Manyakov kamak Guvnishte Golemi Del Vetren Peak Shipka (Stoletov, St. Nikola) Goten (Sofiiska mountain) Petrovski krast
History
The Balkan Mountains have had a significant and special place in the history of Bulgaria since its founding in 681. It was a natural fortress of the Bulgarian Empire for centuries and formed an effective barrier to Moesia where most of the medieval capitals were located. The Balkan mountains were the site of numerous battles between the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires including the Battle of the Rishki Pass (759), Battle of the Varbitsa Pass (811), the Battle of Tryavna (1190) and the Battle of Devina (1279). In the battle of the Varbitsa Pass, Khan Krum decisively defeated an enormous Byzantine army, killing Emperor Nikephoros I. For many centuries, the Byzantines feared these mountains, their armies reportedly retreating upon approaching them.
During the Ottoman rule, many haiduks found refuge in the Balkan Mountains. Close to the highest summit, Botev Peak, is Kalofer, the birthplace of Hristo Botev, a Bulgarian poet and national hero who died in the western Balkan Mountains near Vratsa in 1876 in the struggle against the Ottoman Empire. Also close to Botev is Shipka Pass, the scene of the four battles in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78, which ended Turkish rule in the Balkans.
Protected areas and ecology Bulgaria
Significant areas of the Balkan mountains are under protection by Bulgarian law, including one national park — Central Balkan National Park; three nature parks — Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park, Bulgarka Nature Park and Sinite Kamani Nature Park, over 20 nature reserves, as well as numerous natural landmarks.
Central Balkan National Park is among the largest and most valuable of the protected areas in Europe. Since 2017, its ancient beech forests have been included in the Primeval Beech Forests UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the third largest protected territory in Bulgaria, spanning an area of 716.69 km2 with total length of 85 km from the west to the east and an average width of 10 km. Within its territory are located the highest summit of the mountain range, Botev Peak (2376 m), as well as the highest waterfall in the Balkans Raysko Praskalo (124.5 m). The rugged and diverse relief determines the presence of numerous gorges, cliffs, water features and caves, including Raychova Dupka, the second-deepest cave discovered in Bulgaria and in the mountain range, reaching depth of -377 m.