The Vršac Mountains (, sr-Cyrl, Вршачке планине, ), also known as Vršac Hill (, sr-Cyrl, Вршачки брег, ), are located in the

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

region near the city of

Vršac Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, and partially also in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. They represent an independent and distinct massif, long and spreading across an area of , of which belong to Serbia and to Romania.

Geography

The Vršac mountains have a shape of an arch, where the basic mountain mass takes the central position, while the hills extend to the south and north. The mountains are built of

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

rocks (which date back over 260 million years) which are surrounded by Neogene sediments (about 60 mya), including those of the ancient Pannonian sea (about 25 mya). Contrary to some literature data, the Vršac Mountains are not part of the

Carpathians 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 Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...

but are a Pannonian island mountain according to their geotectonic position and geological structure. Specific forms of geomorphological diversity, naturally sculpted – made of

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

and

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

are represented in solitary or clustered hummocks.

Peaks

In respect to the appearance of the Vršac mountains, four distinct shapes are clearly visible: * Vršac Tower (''Vršačka kula''), *Gudurica peak (Gudurički vrh), the highest peak of Vojvodina, with its altitude *Fox's Head (Lisičija glava), with its three peaks, where the highest is Vršac Peak (Vršački vrh), *Vršišor, Between them there are vast rifts. Turska glava (402 m), Đakov vrh (449 m), and Kamenarica are also interesting places for climbers.

Fauna

Owing to the exceptional natural conditions, the Vršac mountains with 120 registered species of birds are one of the richest ornithological habitats in Vojvodina and the whole Serbia. It is necessary to mention some other representatives of the fauna, like grey and red fox, deer, wild boars and wolves that appear from time to time. Vršac Mountains have been classified since 1982 as a "landscape of outstanding features" in the national Registry of Protected Natural Resources.

Culture

The most important cultural monuments include The Tower of Vršac from the 15th century and Mesić monastery, which according to the documents from 18th century was built in the 15th century, while tradition claim that it was erected in 1225.

References

External links

The Vršac Mountains

Rare Birds Of Vršac Mountains
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vrsac Mountains Geography of Vojvodina Mountain ranges of Romania Banat Vršac Mountains of Serbia Pannonian island mountains