Osogovo Mountain

Osogovo Mountain – a high and massive mountain massif that dominates the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is located between Slavishka Kotlina in the north, Kumanovska Kotlina in the northwest, Probishtipsko-Zletovo basin in the west, Kochanska Kotlina in the south, Pijanec in the southeast and the Strum basin with the Kyustendilska Kotlina in the east on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

As a natural entity that stretches across two countries, the Osogovo mountain massif covers a total area of ​​1,535 km2, of which 1,102 km2 or 71.8% belong to the Republic of Macedonia, while 443 km2 or 28.2% belong to the Republic of Bulgaria. In terms of its area, it is the second mountain massif in the Republic of Macedonia, after the Jakupica mountain massif (Mokra Planina). The highest peak is Rouen (2,252 m), and besides it, 5 other peaks are higher than 2,000 m.

The Osogovo mountain massif tectonically belongs to the Serbian-Macedonian massif, which represents an old landmass on the Balkan Peninsula. The tectonic movements with which this mountain was affected caused it to be raised, fractured and crushed, and it was formed as a horst. The geological composition is represented by Precambrian metamorphites and Paleozoic shales. During the Tertiary, intense volcanic activity took place, which enabled the creation of large reserves of lead-zinc ore.

The relief of the Osogovo mountain massif is represented by high, flattened and long mountain ridges, which are separated from each other by deep river valleys, volcanic mounds and craters. The most famous were the Ruensko bilo, a watershed between the Vardar and Struma basins; Sokolsko was; Kalinkamensko ridge; Kostadinečko-lisečko, which is a watershed between Pcinja and Bregalnica; Lopensko mountain; D’lgidelsko bilo and others. In addition to the ridges, river valleys with gorges are an important relief element. The most famous are the valleys of Toranicka Reka (source of Kriva Reka), Kamenička Reka, Orizarska Reka, Zletovska Reka, etc.

There are many legends about how Osogovo got its name, but the most famous is the one according to which it comes from the old Saxon miners who mined gold and silver in this area in the past. The story goes that the name was formed by combining the Old German words “osso” (lord) and “gov” (place), which means “God’s place”.

Source: Wikipedia