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The Rhodope Mountains are the most lyrical of Bulgarian mountains combining the relief of mild oval forms, the colourful “rugs” of nature animated by the architecture of picturesque villages, by the hospitality of the people and the legendary songs of Orpheus.

Over 83 per cent of its area are on Bulgarian territory, the remaining are in Greece. It is located in the most southern part of the country and is the main mountain system in the Rila-Rhodope Massif. With its highest peak – Mt. Golyam Perelik (2191 m) it occupies the 7th place among Bulgarian Mountains.

The Rhodope Mountains do not have a clearly outlined orthographic skeleton. They are a huge maze of hills of different length, height and direction divided by deep river valleys. The mountain has left an imprint on the history of Bulgarian nation. Its present name has been preserved through the centuries since the legendary Orpheus. It has been also called Slaveevi Gori (Nightingales’ Woods) and Dospatdag but these names haven’t remained, and the Rhodope (Rodopa) has survived. The origin and the sense of this name still remains unclear. Some people relate it to the ancient pagan goddess Rhodopa but others argue that is composed of the Slavonic words “ruda” (ore) and “ropa” - pit and this hypothesis has some reason given the fact that the mountain has been known for its ore-mining since ancient times.

The Rhodope Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in Bulgaria, composed mainly of gneiss, amphibolits, karst and granite rocks. Very interesting are the karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms. The tuff in the Eastern Rhodopes has created strange natural sculptures - mushrooms, pyramids, etc. The mountain had not undergone a glacier period so typical glacier forms can not be found.

The location of the Rhodope Mountains in the south-eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula determines to a great extent the climate here. It is influenced both by the colder air coming from the north and by the warmer breeze from the Mediterranean (The White Sea coast). The average annual temperature in the Eastern Rhodopes is higher and steadier and is about 12-13°C. The temperature in the Western Rhodopes under the influence of the higher altitude varies from 5°C to 9°C. The transitional character of the climate in the Rhodope Mountains is demonstrated in the annual record of precipitation. The maximum value of precipitation in the Eastern Rhodopes is in December, while the minimum is in August. On the contrary, in the Western Rhodopes summer rainfalls prevail. The mild climate combined with some other factors favours the development of recreation and tourist activities. The Pamporovo Resort is an excellent example, where the microclimate permits a thick snow cover to be preserved for a long time - a real paradise for skiing.

The borders of the Mountain. Clockwise, from the north it is the valley of the Maritsa river, that borders the Rhodope Mountains from the north and east; to the south - the White Sea Plain; to the west - the valley of Mesta River, the Dreshenets River, the Avramovi Kolibi Saddle, Lyuta Reka River, the Yundola Saddle, Yundola River and the river Yadenitsa till itd pouring in Maritsa River. The western border of the Rhodope Mountains separates (or connects) it to Pirin and Rila. The mountain has an orthographic connection solely to the Rila Mountain - the saddles Avramovi Kolibi and Yundola.

The Rhodopes are spread over 14 737 sq. km of which 12 233 sq. km are on Bulgarian territory, the remaining - in Greece. The mountain is about 220 km long and about 100-120 km wide with an average altitude of 785 m.

The Rhodopes have two main ranges - Western Rhodopes and Eastern Rhodopes the border between them passes (from north to south) along the valley of Kayaliika River (right tributary to Maritsa River), Kitkata Saddle, Yailudere River, Borovitsa River, Kurdzhali Dam, Vurbitsa River to the Tri Kamuka Saddle on the Greek border. This division is made on Bulgarian territory only. The two ranges are subdivided into many sub-ranges. What is typical for the Rhodope Mountains is that they are the most populated mountain in Bulgaria. Unlike the other high (over 2000 m) mountains in Bulgaria there are many cities and villages (14 of them are resorts) within the range. This fact provides essential advantages for development of tourism. The best conifer woods in Bulgaria are in the Rhodope Mountains as well as the best preserved natural environment in the country.

Fifteen reserves have been established, some of these are included in UNESCO list. There are many mineral water springs - a great natural wealth of the mountain. The European Pedestrian Route E-8 to Turkey passes through the Rhodope Mountains.

The Western Rhodopes is the bigger part (8061 sq. km, constituting 66% of the total area), the higher, more developed and visited part of the mountain. The highest and best known peaks are also here (more of 10 are over 2000 m) including the leader – Mt. Golyam Perelik (2191 m). Among the interesting peaks are Mt. Shirokolushki Snezhnik (Karlak – 2188 m), Mt. Golyam Persenk (2091 m) covered with the impenetrable spruce forest, the beautiful Mt. Persenk (2074 m), the blueberry paradise – Mt. Batashki Snezhnik (2082 m), the huge massif of Mt. Syutkya - Golyama (1286 m) and Mt. Syutkya - Malka (2078 m), the wonderful Mt. Turlata (1800 m) with a sharp straight peak, overgrown with spruces, and many others. Some of the deepest and most picturesque river gorges are here, too - the Trigrad, Buinovsko, of the Gerzovitsa River, of the Mostova Sushitca River and others. The rocky phenomenon Chudnite Mostove (Wonderful Bridges), the Chaira Lakes and the dams Dospat, Batak, Shiroka Polyana, Iglika, Toshkov Chark and others excellently fit into the environment. The unbelievable architecture reserves Shiroka Luka, Kovachevitsa, Momchilovtsi, Kosovo and many other interesting villages are in the Western Rhodopes, too.

The town of Batak is also located here as well as the large tourist centres Smolyan and Velingrad, the winter resort of Pamporovo, the Christian sanctuary - Bachkovo Monastery, the ruins of Assenov Fortress and many others. There are approximately 40 tourist chalets and near 15 hostels and tourist dormitories in the Western Rhodopes. There are hundreds of kilometres marked tourist routes good not only for hiking and skiing but for mountain biking as well.

The subranges of the Western Rhodopes with their highest peaks are: from the west to the east - Alabak with Mt. Chernovets (1834m), bordered by the Rila Mountain – there are 3 chalets and many marked hiking tracks; Velishko-Videnishki subrange with the Mt. Golyama Syutkya (2186 m) - the largest and the longest but with few chalets and relatively few marked tourist routes; Dabrash with Mt. Beslet (1938 m) bordered by the Pirin Mountain, where there are no tourist chalets but there is the village of Kovachevitsa (where there is a tourist hostel) - practically no marked tracks; Batashka Planina with Mt. Batashki Snezhnik (2082 m) - a lot of towns (Batak, Rakitovo, Peshtera, Bratsigovo) and Batak Dam. There are 2 chalets and 3 toursit dormitories as well as many marked routes; Perelik with Mt. Golyam Perelik (2191 m) - the leader of the whole mountain as well - this is one of the most visited areas. Here are the towns of Smolyan, Pamporovo Resort, the town of Shiroka Luka. There are 4 chalets, 1 tourist base and 3 tourist dormitories, as well as tens of kilometres of marked tracks; Chernatitsa with Mt. Golyam Persenk (2091 m) - one of the most beautiful and definitely most visited subsection of the Western Rhodopes. Here are the rock phenomenon Chudnite Mostove (Wonderful Bridges) and the 7 Persenk Peaks. There are more than 10 chalets, some hostels and dormitories and this is the area with highest density of marked tracks; Dobrostan with Mt. Staria Bunar (1517 m) - a karst massif with many caves (some of them explored, others - not). There are 3 chalets and a tourist hostel as well as enough marked tracks.

One of the smallest subranges of the Western Rhodopes is the Prespan sector with Mt. Prespa (2000 m). The highest village in Bulgaria - Manastir (over 1500 m) is crouched in the northern foot of the peak. There are 6 chalets and 4 tourist dormitories and many kilometres of marked tracks. The range of Ardino is relatively less visited because of the border with Greece. The famous building Agushevi Konatsi is here - in the village of Mogilitsa and in the hills of Kainadina, immediately to the south of Smolyan is Mt. Srednogorets (referred to as the Shipka Peak of the Rhodope Mountains). There are no chalets or hostels but nearby Smolyan offers lodging and food. Marked routes are available only in the Kainadina rocky area. The eastern sub-range of the Western Rhodopes is Zhalty Dyal (the Yellow range) with Mt. Buchovitsa (1319 m), but most impressive is Mt. Alada (1214 m) with the Alada Shelter next to it. Near the beautiful Belite Brezi area is the only chalet in the region with the same name. There are almost no marked tracks.

The Eastern Rhodopes are spread over a territory of 4127 sq. km, or about 34 per cent of the whole area of the mountain. This is a much lower part - the highest peaks are Mt. Orlitsa (1483 m) and Mt. Veikata (1463 m) on the Greek boundary. Here the large flat wood covered massifs of the Western Rhodopes are replaced by wide, low hills with almost no verdure, with rocks and cliffs. But this landscape is extremely interesting and one finds himself in an unbelievable world! Such an experience is offered to you in the valleys of the Borovitsa and Varbitsa rivers and some smaller ones. Here are the large artificial dams Kurdzhali and Studen Kladenets that together with the rivers mentioned above offer great opportunities for water tourism.

Due to their lower altitude the Eastern Rhodopes are much more populated than the Western part. Here are the major cities of Haskovo and Kurdzhali as well as the smaller Momchilgrad, Krumovgrad, Kirkovo. There are about 10 tourist chalets and hostels here but the towns and villages provide additional lodging opportunities. There are marked hiking tracks, too. The opportunities for biking are very good given the road network spreading throughout the area.

The Rhodope Mountains are the greatest accumulator of water resources in the country although the Balkan watershed does not pass here. The rivers from the mountains flow into the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. Three independent hydrographic systems have been formed - the Mesta River, the Maritsa River and the Arda River and only the latter takes its source from the Rhodope Mountains. The other larger rivers here are Dospat, Vacha, Chepelarska (Chaya), Borovitsa, Varbitsa, Harmanliiska, Krumovitsa and many others.

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