Belasica Mountain

Belasica – a mountain in the southeastern part of Macedonia and is divided between the countries Macedonia (35%), Greece (45%) and Bulgaria (20%). In Macedonia, this mountain rests near Strumica. It has a parallel direction of east-west and a length of over 70 km. It belongs to the group of the oldest mountains not only in the Republic of Macedonia, but also on the Balkan Peninsula. It was created during the creation of the Rhodope Mountains. It was later destroyed and rebuilt during the youngest alpine gathering. According to the morphological structure, the mountain is a distinct horst with very steep slopes that descend to the north and south side.

From the neighboring mountains Belasica is separated by the valleys of the river Vardar in the west, Struma in the east, Strumica Valley in the north and Dojran and Serres Valley in the south. According to the height, it belongs to the group of high mountains. The highest peak is Radomir (Kalabak) – 2,029 meters, named after Emperor Gabriel Radomir, son of Emperor Samuel. At the top of Tumba is the border between Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece. A pyramid-shaped border stone is placed here, which marks the border between these three states. Belasica is rich in forests and on it are found oak, beech, pine, fir, ash and others. Numerous thermal and mineral springs spring at the foot of Belasica. The most famous of them is the spring in the village. Bansko. The water from this spring is healing, mineral and sulfur with a temperature of 75 ° С. According to the water temperature, this spring is the warmest in Macedonia. On the slopes of Belasica is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Macedonia – Smolare Waterfall.

Smolare waterfall

Smolare waterfall is located on the northern slopes of Mount Belasica, along the river Lomnica, at an altitude of 600 m in the region of the village Smolari. The total height of the vertical section of the Smolare Waterfall is 39.5 meters. The waterfall is tectonically predisposed with a fault structure that lies transversely to the direction of water flow of the Smolarska River. A giant pot is formed at the bottom of the waterfall, the length of which in the direction of the river water flow is 5 meters, the width is 11 meters, and the depth ranges from 0.5 to 0.7 meters. Smolare Waterfall is the only permanent waterfall in Macedonia with a water drop of 39.5 meters.

Source: Wikipedia