Kom Peak ( bg, Ком ) or Golyam Kom (Голям Ком, "Big Kom") is a peak in the western Balkan Mountains, located in western

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 ...

, not far from the

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n border. The peak is 2,016 metres high and lies south of the town of

Berkovitsa Berkovitsa ( bg, Берковица ) is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets. , it has a population of 13 ...

, of which it is a traditional symbol. Kom, along with the lower peaks Sreden Kom ("Middle Kom") and Malak Kom ("Little Kom") to the east, form a west-east elevation with a round grassy ridge, a steep rocky northern slope and a slant grassy southern slope. Looking north, one can see Berkovitsa and the surrounding fields, as well as

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

and the Ogosta Reservoir some 30 kilometres away. The peak inspired national writer

Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov ( bg, Иван Минчов Вазов; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley ...

to create the poem ''On Kom''. In his honour, a

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

plaque bearing his image and excerpts from the poem has been installed on the peak. Kom also marks the start of the Bulgarian section of the European walking route E3, also known as the Kom–Emine path along the main ridge of the Balkan Mountains, as well as the eponymous off-road race. There are several

climbing route A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and grade; once committed to that ascent, it can sometimes be difficult to stop or return. Choice of rou ...

s to the summit, such as from the Kom

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...

(two-hour climb), from the Petrohan Pass (taking 3 hours 30 minutes to reach the peak), from the villages of Komshtitsa and Gintsi (3 hours away). The Nishava River, a major tributary of the

South Morava The South Morava (Macedonian and Serbian: Јужна Морава, ''Južna Morava'', ; sq, Lumi Morava) is a river in eastern Kosovo and in southern Serbia, which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km long, ...

, originates east of Kom Peak, as does the Visochitsa. Along with Midzhur, Kom is among the highest and best known peaks of the western Balkan Mountains. A Bulgarian brand of

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

is branded after Kom. The peak is part of the

100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria is a Bulgarian national movement established in 1966 to promote tourism among Bulgaria's most significant cultural, historic, and natural landmarks. As part of this program, sites of cultural and historical signific ...

, together with the museum of ethnography in Berkovitsa. There are several

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s descending from the peak.

Honours

Kom Glacier Kom Glacier ( bg, ледник Ком, lednik Kom, ) is the 10 km long and 8 km wide glacier on the west side of Hemimont Plateau, Fallières Coast in Graham Land, Antarctica. It is situated south of Forbes Glacier and north of Swithin ...

Fallières Coast The Fallières Coast is that portion of the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between the head of Bourgeois Fjord and Cape Jeremy and lies on Marguerite Bay and the Wordie Ice Shelf. On the south it is joined by Rymill Coast, and in the north ...

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 cont ...

is named after the peak.

Interesting facts

* The impressive view from the top has inspired the writer

to write the poem "На Ком". In his honor near the elevation at the top is a stone plate with the writer's

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

and verses of "На Ком". * From Mount Kom began the annual

off road race Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments (e.g. snow, dirt, mud, etc.). North America Desert racing Desert ...

"Ком – Емине".

Gallery

Image:Kom stara planina pano.jpg, Panoramic view of the plains to the north looking from the peak Image:Kom-basrelief-view.JPG, Bas-relief of Vazov on Kom Image:Hut-kom-old.JPG, The old Kom chalet Image:Hut-kom-new.JPG, The new Kom chalet

References

* * {{Bulgarian ski resorts Mountains of Bulgaria Balkan mountains Landforms of Montana Province Two-thousanders of Bulgaria