Jezerca Peak ( sq, Maja Jezercë) is the highest peak in the

Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...

, the fifth highest in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and the sixth highest in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, standing at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. It is the 28th most prominent mountain peak in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most dangerous climbs in the Albanian Alps. Maja Jezercë is situated within the

Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

range, which is noted for several small

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s - among the southernmost glacial masses in Europe after

Snezhnika Snezhnika ( bg, Снежника 'the snow patch') is a glacieret in the Pirin Mountains of Bulgaria, a remnant of the former Vihren Glacier.Grunewald, p. 129. The glacieret lies at an elevation between and in the deep Golemiya Kazan cirque at t ...

glacier (latitude of 41°46′09″ N)Grunewald, p. 129. and Banski Suhodol Glacier in

Pirin , photo=Pirin-mountains-Bansko.jpg , photo_caption=Pirin scenery in winter , country= Bulgaria, , parent= , geology= granite, gneiss, marble, limestone , area_km2=2585 , range_coordinates = , length_km=80 , length_orientation= north-s ...

mountain in

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 ...

. Apart from certain areas north of the peak, the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

mountain massif is part of the

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

Theth Theth ( sq, Thethi) is a small village within Shkodër County, Albania. Following the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Shkodër, and has been declared a Protected Historic Center by the Albanian Government. The commu ...

and

Valbonë Valley Valbonë ( sq-definite, Valbona) is a village in the Kukës County, northern Albania. It is part of the former municipality Margegaj, and situated in the valley of the river Valbonë, south of the mountain Maja e Thatë. At the 2015 local governme ...

. It can be climbed from the north; most climbers come from

Gusinje Gusinje ( cyrl, Гусиње, ; sq, Gucia) is a small town in north-eastern Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

as well as from

. The summit is from the border with

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

, between the Valleys of

Valbonë Valbonë ( sq-definite, Valbona) is a village in the Kukës County, northern Albania. It is part of the former municipality Margegaj, and situated in the valley of the river Valbonë, south of the mountain Maja e Thatë. At the 2015 local governm ...

to the east and the

Shala Shala (Šala) was a Mesopotamian goddess of weather and grain and the wife of the weather god Adad. It is assumed that she originated in northern Mesopotamia and that her name might have Hurrian origin. She was worshiped especially in Karkar a ...

to the west. In part, the whole floor between the valley of Valbonë, Shala, Ropojana and Maja Roshit is known as Jezercë, in addition to the peak, Jezercës borders other peaks such as the

Maja e Popljuces Maja e Popljuces is a mountain in Albania in the Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( s ...

() and the Maja e Alisë in the west, Maja Rrogamit to the east, Maja Kolajet , Maja Malësores , Maja Bojs in the northwest, Maja Kokervhake and Maja Etheve in the north.

Name

Having been invaded by Serbs from the Ottomans in 1913 and annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia prior to the Treaty of London and the creation of the first Albanian state in that same year, the name is etymologically derived from the Serb word for lake: "Jezero". Jezerski Vrh means "lake peak". The toponym refers to the cirque lakes in the lower part of the ''Buni i Jezercës'' on the northern side of the mountain. During the Titoist era it was given the name of ''Maja e Rinisë'' (Mountain of Youth), which never stuck.

Topology

Jezerca is a large rocky peak of dolomitic limestone. There is almost no vegetation there. North, east and west of the mountain top is in great

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

from that in the glacial periods when

s were more extensive than today. Today the northern cirque is called ''Buni i Jezercës'' at a height of and in height around . Because it is located in the wettest region of Europe with around of rainfall equivalent believed to fall on the western slopes, snowfall is so great that only in dry years do even the less exposed sections melt away.

Gallery

File:Jezerski_Vrh_(2694)_sa_Karanfila_(2480).jpg, The summit seen from the top of Karanfili . File:Jezercës.JPG, The peak from the north. File:WK402_WikipediaWeekendTirana2015_Jezerca-Karanfil_074-2.jpg, Jezercë in front, Runica valley and Karanfil File:Zla_Kolata_summit_view_with_Jezerca_and_Rosni_Vrh_(cropped).jpg, View from summit Zla Kolata File:WK402_WikipediaWeekendTirana2015_Jezerca-Karanfil_075.JPG, View from a plane over the Albanian Alps File:Albanian_Alps_from_Air.jpg, The Jezercë massif from above

References

External links

archived page
from SummitPost.org
Balkan Natural Adventure
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maja Jezerce Mountains of Albania Accursed Mountains Two-thousanders of Albania Valbonë Valley National Park

Name

Topology

Gallery

See also

References

External links