Midžor ( sr-cyr, Миџор, ) or Midzhur ( bg, Миджур, ) is a peak in the
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...
, situated on the border between
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 Macedon ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. At , it is the highest peak of the Western
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...
, as well as the highest of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
outside
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
.
[The highest peak of Serbia is officially ]Velika Rudoka
Velika Rudoka ( Macedonian and sr-cyr, Велика Рудока; sq, Maja e Njeriut, Rudoka e Madhe) is the highest peak of the Rudoka Mountain, situated in the Šar Mountains range, exactly on the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia. Wi ...
in the Šar mountain range at , but it is located in Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. If Kosovo is not included, then Midžor is the highest peak of Serbia.
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, the peak is called Midzhur.
Since the early 1990s, it has been accessible to tourists from both sides; previously, access was forbidden due to the peak being in the border area. Due to those restrictions, the nature around the peak has been preserved untouched. On the Bulgarian side, the peak is reachable from the villages of
Chuprene
Chuprene ( bg, Чупрене, ) is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vidin Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chuprene Municipality, which lies in the southern part of Vidin Province. The village is located 20 ...
and
Gorni Lom
Gorni Lom ( bg, Горни Лом) is a village in north-western Bulgaria, Vidin Province. The population of Gorni Lom is 784.
The village is situated in a mountainous region, on the upper stream of the Lom River. It is located in the foot of ...
in
Vidin Province
Vidin Province () is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia to the west and Romania to the northeast. Its administrative centre is the city of Vidin on the Danube river. The area is divided into 11 municipalities. As of De ...
.
Chuprene
From
Chuprene
Chuprene ( bg, Чупрене, ) is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vidin Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chuprene Municipality, which lies in the southern part of Vidin Province. The village is located 20 ...
there are two possibilities for climbing. There is a 17 km dirt road following the river Chprenska to the Gorski Ray refuge (1,450 m) or a 9 km foot track following the river Manastirska.
From the refuge there is a marked track which passes through the
Chuprene biosphere reserve and leads to the main summit on a saddle between the peaks Replyanska Tsarkva (1,969 m) and Ostra Chuka (1967 m). To the south east through the peaks Ostra Chuka and Oba (2,033 m) the track reaches a saddle from where the
Lom River
The Lom ( , ) is a river in northwestern Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Danube flowing into it 1 km east of the town of Lom.
The river takes its source from the foot of Midzhur (2,168 m), the highest peak of western Stara Planina, on t ...
and the
Timok
The Timok ( Serbian and Bulgarian: Тимок; ro, Timoc), sometimes also known as Great Timok ( sr, Велики Тимок, Veliki Timok; ro, Timocul Mare), is a river in eastern Serbia, a right tributary of the Danube. For the last 15 k ...
flow out at border stone 336. From there the peak can be climbed from the north-western slope.
Gorni Lom
At 7 km from the village of
Gorni Lom
Gorni Lom ( bg, Горни Лом) is a village in north-western Bulgaria, Vidin Province. The population of Gorni Lom is 784.
The village is situated in a mountainous region, on the upper stream of the Lom River. It is located in the foot of ...
is located the Gorni Lom refuge (840 m). There is also another refuge upstream called Mudzhur. There are steep tracks from there leading to the saddle between Oba and the peak at border stone 336 from where both tracks from the two villages merge.
Economy
The source of the
Lom River
The Lom ( , ) is a river in northwestern Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Danube flowing into it 1 km east of the town of Lom.
The river takes its source from the foot of Midzhur (2,168 m), the highest peak of western Stara Planina, on t ...
is at the foot of the peak. A cascade of small hydroelectric power plants is in operation on the river near the peak and four more are under construction. Chuprene biosphere reserve which is under the protection of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
is situated to the west of the peak. It is one of the last sanctuaries in Bulgaria where the
Capercaillie
''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Tetrao'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ...
nests.
A special permission from a border police office (such as the ones in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
,
Dragoman
A dragoman or Interpretation was an interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish-, Arabic-, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts. A ...
,
Chiprovtsi
Chiprovtsi ( bg, Чипровци, pronounced ) is a small town in northwestern Bulgaria, administratively part of Montana Province. It lies on the shores of the river Ogosta in the western Balkan Mountains, very close to the Bulgarian-Serbian bo ...
, etc.) is required in order to ascend to the peak.
Serbia
In Serbia the peak is known as Midžor.
The extreme peak of the western mountain is north of the village of
Topli Dol
Topli Dol is a village located in the municipality of Surdulica
Surdulica ( sr-cyr, Сурдулица) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of 2011, the population of the town is 11,400, while the mu ...
, located in the centre of Serbian
Stara Planina
The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...
, between
Tri Čuke (1936 m) on the SE side and
Babin Zub (1758 m) on the SW side. The massif of the Midžor peak is substantial. Its western, eastern, and southern slopes are grassy and not so steep, while its northern side is rocky and very steep. This side is also the most attractive and very popular among rock climbers.
It is the highest peak in Serbia outside of
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
, and the 24th highest in the whole of Serbia if Kosovo is included.
[See: List of mountains in Serbia#Peaks over 2000 meters]
There is a hotel called "Babin Zub" on the slopes. There are no fees or permits needed to enter the Serbian Stara Planina.
Midžor
/ref>
Gallery
file:Piramida.jpg, Peak
file:Midžur.jpg, Trail to the summit
file:Midzor.jpg, Border stone
file:Voda-nebo.jpg, Sky and water
file:Midzor-u-oblacima.jpg, Clouds
See also
* Midzhur Peak in Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, named after Midzhur mountain
Footnotes
;Notes
;References
External links
Midžor on Summit post
Peakbagger link
Video of a hike to the top of Midžor from The Armchair Mountaineer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midzor
Balkan mountains
Bulgaria–Serbia border
International mountains of Europe
Landforms of Vidin Province
Two-thousanders of Bulgaria
Two-thousanders of Serbia
Highest points of countries