Makaza ( bg, Маказа, gr, Μακάζα), previously also known as Balkan Toresi, is a mountain pass in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, connecting southernmost central

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

with north-easternmost

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and thus the regions of Northern and

Western Thrace Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, �υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and histori ...

. The Makaza pass forms part of

Pan-European Corridor IX The Corridor IX is one of the Pan-European corridors. It runs between Helsinki in Finland and Alexandroupolis in Greece. The corridor follows the route: Helsinki - Vyborg - Saint Petersburg - Moscow - Kyiv - Chișinău - Bucharest - Ruse - Sta ...

, connecting

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

with the Greek port of

Alexandroupolis Alexandroupolis ( el, Αλεξανδρούπολη, ), Alexandroupoli, or Alexandrople is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Western Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. It ...

on the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

. The international border between Bulgaria and Greece lies at the highest point of the pass, at above sea level. The Makaza pass runs from the Bulgarian village of Strizhba in

Kirkovo Kirkovo ( bg, Кирково) is a village in Kardzhali Province, southern Bulgaria, near the Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a br ...

municipality,

Kardzhali Province Kardzhali Province ( bg, Област Кърджали, Oblast Kărdžali, tr, Kırcaali ili) is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros to the south and east. It is 320 ...

, to the Greek town of

Komotini Komotini ( el, Κομοτηνή, tr, Gümülcine, bg, Комотини) is a city in the region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope-Evros super-p ...

, the capital of the

East Macedonia and Thrace Eastern Macedonia and Thrace ( el, Ανατολική Μακεδονία και Θράκη, translit=Anatolikí Makedonía ke Thráki, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It consists of the northeastern parts of the cou ...

region. Thus, it provides quick access from central Bulgaria to the Aegean Sea, some from Komotini, and to the Greek motorway Egnatia Odos. The distance from

Kardzhali Kardzhali ( bg, Кърджали , ''Kărdžali''; tr, Kırcaali; gr, Κάρτζαλι, ''Kártzali''), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Pro ...

to Komotini via Makaza is around and takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes by car. The pass goes through a

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...

saddle which separates the Maglenik and Gyumyurdzhinski Snezhnik ridges of the Eastern Rhodopes. On , the Makaza pass was the site of a major battle of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

, the Battle of Balkan Toresi, a Bulgarian victory over the Ottomans which solidified Bulgarian control over the Eastern Rhodopes and led to the Bulgarian invasion of Western Thrace. The pass had been closed since the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, when Bulgaria and Greece ended up on different sides of the Iron Curtain. Efforts to reopen the pass recommenced in 1995 and the construction of new roads started around a decade later. The new roads over the pass and the Makaza–Nymfaia

border checkpoint A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders ofte ...

were opened for traffic on 9 September 2013. The Makaza checkpoint is only open for cars and light trucks (up to 3.5 tonnes) until the road connecting the checkpoint to Egnatia Odos is completed. Border control is carried out once per crossing (jointly by the Bulgarian and Greek side), shortening control times down to an estimated 2–3 minutes. The new border checkpoint is expected to boost economic ties and tourism between the neighbouring regions of the two countries. Makaza–Nymfaia is the sixth functioning border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Greece, along with

Kulata Kulata ( bg, Кулата , , el, Κούλα or Κούλατα) is a village in Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, in southwestern Bulgaria. it has 892 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Manolev. The village is a major border chec ...

–

Promachonas Promachonas ( el, Προμαχώνας, bg, Драготин, ) is a village and a former community in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal un ...

, Ilinden–Exochi,

Zlatograd Zlatograd ( bg, Златоград, , ) is a town in Smolyan Province, southern-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Zlatograd Municipality. In December 2009, the town had a population of 7,110.Thermes Thermes ( el, Θέρμες; tr, Ilıca) is a former community in the Xanthi regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Myki, of which it is a municipal unit. The municip ...

Ivaylovgrad Ivaylovgrad ( bg, Ивайловград, "city of Ivaylo") is a town in Haskovo Province in the south of Bulgaria set near the river Arda in the easternmost part of the Rhodope Mountains, and is the administrative centre of the homonymous Ivayl ...

–

Kyprinos Kyprinos ( el, Κυπρίνος) is a town and a former municipality in the Evros regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Orestiada, of which it is a municipal unit. T ...

, and Svilengrad–

Ormenio Ormenio ( el, Ορμένιο, tr, Çirmen, bg, Черномен, Chernomen) is the northernmost place in all of Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Trigono in the Evros regional unit of Thrace. It is situated near the right bank of the r ...

References

External links

Photo gallery of the Makaza pass and surrounding area in 1997 and 2013
{{coord, 41.2652, N, 25.4292, E, display=title, region:BG_type:landmark Bulgaria–Greece border crossings Landforms of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Landforms of Kardzhali Province Mountain passes of Bulgaria Mountain passes of Greece Rhodope Mountains Transport infrastructure completed in 2013 Landforms of Rhodope (regional unit)