Vrontous ( el, Βροντούς, bg, Шарлия - Sharliya) is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

range in the northeastern

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

and the westernmost

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

regional units in

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 with ...

. Its highest peak is the Ali Babas ( el, Αλή Μπαμπάς) at 1,849 m elevation. Other notable peaks are the Kour Lof (1,667 m, southwest of Ali Babas), Mavro vouno (1,653 m, northeast), Siderovouni (1,475 m, east) and Sarligia (1,404 m, southwest). It is a densely forested and sparsely populated mountain range. It stretches between the village Vamvakofyto in the southwest and Perithori in the northeast, over a length of about 35 km. The nearest mountains are the Slavyanka/Orvilos to the north and the

Menoikio Menoikio ( gr, Μενοίκιο, also known to the local populations as "Bozdakas" and "Bozdas", Greek corruptions of the Turkish name "Boz Dag", which was applied to the mountain by the Turks in Ottoman time, bg, Змийница, ''Zmiynitsa' ...

to the southeast. The nearest larger towns are

to the south and

Sidirokastro Sidirokastro ( el, Σιδηρόκαστρο; Bulgarian and Macedonian: ''Valovišta''; tr, Demirhisar) is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipali ...

to the west. Villages in the Vrontous mountains include

Ano Vrontou Ano Vrontou ( el, Άνω Βροντού; bg, Горно Броди, ''Gorno Brodi'') is a remote mountain village and a former community in the northern Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the munic ...

, Kato Vrontou and Katafyto in the east, Achladochori in the north and Oreini in the south. The Greek National Road 63/ E79 (

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 ...

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 ...

) passes west of the mountains. The small ski resort Lailias is situated in the Vrontous mountains. The mountains were rich in minerals (silver and iron), which took advantage of the people from ancient to modern times. This is attested by the discovery of Roman mines and an iron smelter near the village Oreini, and also the mention of iron works, during the Byzantine and modern times, in the village

.
D. C. Samsaris, Ancient castle and iron smelter near the modern village Oreini of Serres (in Greek), "Makedonika" 19 (1979), p. 240-251 Chengel planina IMG 4621

References

{{Reflist

External links

Orvilos - Menoikio - Vrontou (Lailias) terrain map
by Geopsis Landforms of Drama (regional unit) Landforms of Serres (regional unit) Mountain ranges of Greece Geography of Macedonia (region) Landforms of Central Macedonia Landforms of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Rhodope mountain range

See also

References

External links