The Slovak Ore Mountains ( , , ) are an extensive

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

within the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

, located mostly in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Spiš Spiš ( ; or ; ) is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland (more specifically encompassing 14 former Slovak villages). Spiš is an informal designation of the territory, but it is also the name of one ...

and Gemer region, with a small part in northern

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. Geomorphologically, the Slovak Ore Mountains belong to the

Inner Western Carpathians Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system. Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya S ...

. The mountains are bordered by

Zvolen Zvolen (; ; ) is a city in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers. It is famous for several historical and cultural attractions. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the ...

in the west,

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

in the east, the rivers

Hron The Hron (; ; ; ) is a long left tributary of the DanubeP ...

and

Hornád The Hornád ( Slovak, ) or Hernád ( Hungarian, ) is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. It is a tributary to the river Slaná (Sajo). The source of the Hornád is the eastern slopes of Kráľova hoľa hill, south of Šuňa ...

in the north, and the ''Juhoslovenská kotlina'' and

Košice Basin Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest ci ...

(''Košická kotlina'') in the south. The region includes the

Domica The Domica cave is a karst cave situated on the south-western border of the ''Silicka planina Plateau'' south-east of Plesivec in the Rožňava District of the Košice Region in southern Slovakia. In combination with the Baradla cave, it makes ...

Cave (jaskyňa Domica), one of the largest caves in Europe, Zádiel canyon and

Krásna Hôrka Castle The Krásna Hôrka Castle (, ) is a castle in Slovakia, built on a hilltop overlooking the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie near Rožňava, in Košice Region. The first recorded mention of the castle was in 1333. In 1961 Krásna Hôrka was de ...

Subdivision

Geomorphologically, the Slovak Ore Mountains are grouped within the

. The mountains do not have a central ridge - they consist of several independent sections, geomorphological regions:Mazúr, E., Lukniš M., 1986: ''Geomorfologické členenie SSR a ČSSR.'' Časť Slovensko. Slovenská kartografia, Bratislava *

Vepor Mountains Vepor Mountains () are a mountain range in Slovakia, a subdivision of Erzgebirge in Spiš region. Notable features * Fabova hola * Sihlianska plateau * Balocké vrchy See also * Muránska planina National Park Muránska planina National Pa ...

(''Veporské vrchy'') *

Spiš-Gemer Karst The Spiš-Gemer Karst (Slovak: ''Spišsko-gemerský kras'', Hungarian: ''Szepes-gömöri karszt'') is a part (a geomorphological area) in the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains. It consists of these two entities, both of which have been declared n ...

(''Spišsko-gemerský kras'') * Stolica Mountains (''Stolické vrchy'') *

Revúca Highlands Revúca (; formerly ''Veľká Revúca'' in Slovak language, Slovak; ; ) is a town in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Revúca is the seat of Revúca District. Etymology The name is of Slovak language, Slovak origin and was initially the name o ...

(''Revúcka vrchovina'') *

Volovec Mountains Volovec newyear 1

The Volovec Mountains (, ) is a mountain range ...

(''Volovské vrchy'') * Black Mountain (''Čierna hora'') *

Rožňava Basin Rožňava (, , Latin: ''Rosnavia'') is a town in Slovakia, approximately by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,182. The town is an economic and tourist centre of the Gemer. Rožňava is now a popular tourist att ...

(''Rožňavská kotlina'') *

Slovak Karst The Slovak Karst () is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské Rudohorie mountains in the Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians in southern Slovakia. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it has been a protected ...

(''Slovenský kras'') and

Aggtelek Karst Aggtelek Karst is a karst area in northern Hungary. The area is especially well known for its abundance of caves, which were recorded together with those in neighboring Slovakia in 1995 to the list of World Heritage Site under the name of the Ca ...

(Hungarian: ''Aggteleki-karszt''; lies in northern

)

Characteristics

Basic data: * highest peak: Stolica, 1,476 m

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

* length: c. * width: c. * area: c. Since this is a very extensive geomorphological unit, no general characterization is appropriate. The geomorphological structure is varied and has

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...

and volcanic rocks. The mountains were, as the name suggests, heavily mined but activity died out during the 19th century. There is evidence of copper mining since at least the

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. which grew in importance during the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

. Deposits included ores of copper, lead, silver, gold, zinc and some iron. From 1494 one of the first

multinational corporations A multinational corporation (MNC; also called a multinational enterprise (MNE), transnational enterprise (TNE), transnational corporation (TNC), international corporation, or stateless corporation, is a corporate organization that owns and cont ...

was set up by the Thurzó and

Fugger The House of Fugger () is a German family that was historically a prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists. ...

families to take advantage of the region's valuable economic resources. The towns of

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...

Špania Dolina Špania Dolina is a village and municipality in central Slovakia, near the city of Banská Bystrica. Although its permanent population does not exceed 200 people, it is a picturesque historic village situated 728 m above sea level and is surrounded ...

and

Ľubietová Ľubietová (; ) is a village in central Slovakia. Originally an ancient mining town, it is known for precious minerals. Geography Ľubietová is part of the Banská Bystrica District in the Banská Bystrica Region. It is situated 25 km east ...

were important centers of mining: in 1692, the first modern

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

was built in Ľubietová.

Protected areas

Slovenské rudohorie contains the

Muránska planina National Park Muránska planina National Park () is one of the youngest national parks in Slovakia. The core area measures 21,318 ha and the protective belt 21,698 ha. It includes 14 smaller protected territories. The headquarters are located in Revúca. Hist ...

Slovak Karst National Park Slovak Karst National Park (''Národný park Slovenský kras'') is a national park in the Slovak Karst (''Slovenský kras'') mountain range in South East Slovakia. It lies in the Gelnica, Rožňava and Košice–okolie districts in the Košice ...

and

Slovak Paradise National Park Slovak Paradise National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Slovakia, situated in East Slovakia. The National Park protects the area of the Slovak Paradise mountain range, which is located in the north of the Slovenské rudohorie Moun ...

References

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Slovakia Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians Spiš