"greatest extent of any single mountain range in Bulgaria. The mountains are about long and about wide, with an average altitude of . To the north the mountain slopes descend steeply towards the Upper Thracian Plain. To the west, the Rhodopes reach the Avram saddle, Yundola and the valley of the Mesta River. To the south and east they extend to the coastal plains of Greek Thrace. The Rhodopes are a complex system of ridges and deep river valleys. Fifteen reserves have been established in the region, some of which are under UNESCO protection. The mountains are famous for the"
"Rhodope (regional unit) Rhodope (, ""Rodópi"", ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with the regional units Evros and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace. The capital of the prefecture is the city of Komotini. The second largest town is Sapes. Most of the Muslims of Thrace, the only officially recognized minority in Greece, are settled in this area, where they form around half of the population."
"no longer hold any legal status in Greece. Rhodope (regional unit) Rhodope (, ""Rodópi"", ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its name is derived from the Rhodope Mountains, which cover the northern part of its territory. Together with the regional units Evros and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace. The capital of the prefecture is the city of Komotini. The second largest town is Sapes. Most of the Muslims of Thrace, the only officially recognized minority in Greece, are settled in this area,"
"the area are Haskovo and Kardzhali, as well as the smaller Momchilgrad, Krumovgrad, Zlatograd and Kirkovo. The Eastern Rhodopes, being significantly lower, are also more populated than the western part. Almost every species of the European birds of prey nest in the rocks and forests of the Eastern Rhodopes including the rare Black vulture and Egyptian vulture. The Southern Rhodopes are the part of the mountain range that is located in Greece. The Rhodope regional unit in the northern part of the country is named after the region. This area includes the Rodopi Mountain Range National Park. The Southern Rhodopes"
"Rodope montane mixed forests The Rodope montane mixed forests constitute a terrestrial ecoregion of Europe defined by the WWF. It belongs in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome and the Palearctic ecozone. There are three national parks in the ecoregion, all of them situated in Bulgaria: Central Balkan National Park, Pirin National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and Rila National Park. The Rodope montane mixed forests cover the higher parts of the Balkan Mountains, the Rhodope Mountains, Rila, Pirin, Vitosha, Sredna Gora, Ograzhden and Maleshevo, situated almost entirely in Bulgaria, as well as in some adjacent areas in"
"Indo-European root as the Bulgarian ""руда"" (ore, ""ruda""), ""ръжда"" (rust, ""rǎžda""), ""риж"" (red-haired, ""riž""), Latin ""rufus"" (red) and German ""rot"" (red). In Greek mythology, Queen Rhodope of Thrace, the wife of King Haemus of Thrace, offended the gods, and was changed into a mountain by Zeus and Hera as a punishment along with her husband. The mountains are associated with the mythic figure of Orpheus. In geomorphological terms, the Rhodopes are part of the Rilo-Rhodope massif, which is the oldest landmass on the Balkan peninsula. The Rhodopes are spread over , of which are on Bulgarian territory. They have the"
"conservatories in several countries throughout the six inhabited continents. Held primarily in Smolyan, Bulgaria, in the center of the Rhodopi Mountains (or Rhodope Mountains), and hosted at the Rodopa Drama Theater (RDT) complex, the Lab served as a meeting ground for international collaboration. The Rhodopa Mountains is the mythological birthplace of Orpheus and the original terrain of the cult of Dionysus, thus a mythological birthplace of Western theatre and performance. The Lab was co-directed by Bulgarian theatre director Peter Karapetkov and American theatre director Jared J. Stein. It was founded by Karapetkov, Stein, RDT Artistic Director Krustyo Krustev, and American"
"has typical Rhodope architecture. It has 63 cultural monuments, of which five have national significance. Most known is the Church of Ascension from 1851. The village has its own ethnographic museum. The village has typical Rhodope kitchen. Kosovo, Plovdiv Province Kosovo is a village in Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria. Kosovo is located in Rhodope Mountains, in their central part, five kilometers away from a spa. It is surrounded with untouched nature, with four rivers flowing through it. It could be easily reached from cities of Asenovgrad (30 km), Pamporovo (36 km), Plovdiv (50 km) and Sofia (197 km). Kosovo was settled"
"Greece, the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. They span an area of 31,600 km and are replaced at lower altitudes by the Balkan mixed forests. The number of species of vascular plants in the ecoregion are estimated at 3,000. The lower areas are covered with mixed deciduous woods, most prominently with European beech, Oriental hornbeam, European hornbeam and several oak species. The higher zones are dominated by coniferous forests — Scots pine, Bosnian pine, Macedonian pine, Bulgarian fir, Silver fir, Norway spruce, etc. The highest altitudes support shrubs, heath and Alpine tundra. The Rodope montane mixed forests are sanctuary to"
"work on supporting nature-based enterprises in and around corridor areas, and raising awareness about wildllife and nature conservation amongst local communities and people visiting the area is. The Rhodope Mountains is the only breeding area for griffon vultures in Bulgaria and also the most important breeding site for the globally threatened Egyptian vulture on the Balkan peninsula. The work of Rewilding Europe focuses on restoring food chains in Rhodope Mountains. Restoring natural food chains is a flagship project of Rewilding Europe, supported by the European Commission through the LIFE project “Conservation of black and griffon vultures in the cross-border Rhodope"
"Chech Chech (, ) or Chechko () is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe in modern-day Bulgaria and Greece. It consists of about 60 settlements and was traditionally mostly Pomak with an Orthodox Greek and Bulgarian minorities. The Chech region is situated on the border of the much larger regions of Macedonia and Thrace. It covers the western Rhodope Mountains and the northern slopes of Falakro (, ""Bozdag""). It is divided in two: ""Drama Chech"" and ""Nevrokopi Chech"". The first one and partially the second one is in Greece. According to Vasil Kanchov the"
"Merope (region) In the 14th-century Balkans, Merope (, , ""Meropa"") was a subregion of Thrace in modern northern Greece and southern Bulgaria. The region lay in the western and middle part of the Rhodope Mountains. The term is only found in the writings of Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos. Merope extended to the Nestos River in the west and to the town of Gratianopolis in the east. Bulgarian historian Plamen Pavlov defines Merope as encompassing the course of the Arda River up north until the Chepelare River and including the fortresses Sveta Irina (""Saint Irene"") and Podvis. In 1343, John"
"scholars from the University of Heidelberg confirmed that the two rather small fragments discovered by archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov in the Eastern Rhodopes mountains are written in the Minoan Linear A script from about 15th century BC. In the Middle Ages the mountain was part of the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires and often changed hands between the two countries. There was a dense network of castles which guarded the trade routes and the strategic heights. The largest and most important castles include Lyutitsa, Ustra, Tsepina, Mezek, Asenova krepost and many others. Between 1371 and 1375 the Rhodopes fell under Ottoman occupation"
"located in the western areas of the range. There are a number of hydro-cascades and dams used for electricity production, irrigation and as tourist destinations. In Greece there are also the HPPs of Thisavros and Platanovrysi. The Rhodopes have a rich cultural heritage including ancient Thracian sites such as Perperikon, Tatul and Belintash, and medieval castles, churches, monasteries and picturesque villages with traditional Bulgarian architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. The name of the Rhodope mountains has a Thracian provenance. Rhod-ope (Род-oпа) is interpreted as the first name of a river, meaning ""rusty/reddish river"", where ""Rhod-"" has the same"
"by Vasil Kanchov in two of his works. Chech Chech (, ) or Chechko () is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe in modern-day Bulgaria and Greece. It consists of about 60 settlements and was traditionally mostly Pomak with an Orthodox Greek and Bulgarian minorities. The Chech region is situated on the border of the much larger regions of Macedonia and Thrace. It covers the western Rhodope Mountains and the northern slopes of Falakro (, ""Bozdag""). It is divided in two: ""Drama Chech"" and ""Nevrokopi Chech"". The first one and partially the second one"
"there are some of the most important forest massifs in the Balkan Peninsula. The Rhodopes are one of the main hydro-power generation regions of Bulgaria with a number of major HPPs such as Batak, Peshtera, Aleko, Studen Kladenets, Kardzhali, Vacha and Thisavros and Platanovrysi in Greece. Tourism is an important industry with growing significance. Pamporovo and Chepelare are major winter resorts and during summer there is a number of resorts, camp sites and refuges on the shores of the dams or in the green valleys. The caves along the Greek border such as Yagodinska, Uhlovitsa, Devil's Throat Cave, Snezhanka (near"
"Geology of Greece The geology of Greece is highly structurally complex due to its position at the junction between the European and African tectonic plates. Some of the oldest rocks in Greece are from the Paleozoic and are usually metamorphosed with no fossils. The Rhodope Massif spans the northern mainland, divided into amphibolite schist and gneiss, with comparatively recent granite intrusions from the Oligocene and Miocene. West of the Strymonas River is the Serbo-Macedonian Massif, covering the Chalkidiki Peninsula with thick marble and gneiss, with granite intrusions. Alpine cycle sedimentary rocks are situated between the European hinterland in the Rhodope"
"village of Dorkovo. In the early 17th century, the Eastern Orthodox Bulgarian inhabitants of the valley were Islamized by the Ottoman authorities of the time, and thus today the population is mixed, with both Orthodox Bulgarians and Pomaks (Muslim Bulgarians) inhabiting the valley. Chepino Valley The Chepino Valley (, ""Chepinska kotlovina"") or Chepino (Чепино) is the largest valley in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. It is situated along the course of the Chepino River near the Batak Mountain in the northwestern part of the Rhodopes. Located at around 750 m above sea level, it is between 4 and 7"
"the Ottoman Empire, it was part of the Ottoman İskeçe sanjak in Edirne vilayet between 1867 and 1912. Rudozem Heights on Fallières Coast in Antarctica is named after the town. Rudozem Rudozem (Bulgarian Cyrillic: Рудозем) is a town in southern Bulgaria, near the Greek border, located in the Rhodope Mountains, where the Elhovo and Chepino rivers flow into the Arda, and is part of Smolyan Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Rudozem Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,583 inhabitants. The name ""Rudozem"" is a compound word made up of Bulgarian ""ruda"""
"largest coniferous woods in the Balkans, their mild relief and the lush vegetation in the western parts as well as the abundance of birds of prey in the eastern areas. The location of the Rhodopes in the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula determines the climate in the region to a great extent. It is influenced both by the colder air coming from the north and by the warmer breeze from the Mediterranean. The average annual temperature in the Eastern Rhodopes is , the maximum precipitation is in December, the minimum in August. In the Western Rhodopes, the temperature varies"
"Geology of Bulgaria The geology of Bulgaria consists of two major structural features. The Rhodope Massif in southern Bulgaria is made up of Archean, Proterozoic and Cambrian rocks and is a sub-province of the Thracian-Anatolian polymettalic province. It has dropped down, faulted basins filled with Cenozoic sediments and volcanic rocks. The Moesian Platform to the north extends into Romania and has Paleozoic rocks covered by rocks from the Mesozoic, typically buried by thick Danube River valley Quaternary sediments. In places, the Moesian Platform has small oil and gas fields. Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by"
"the most important agricultural activities. Due to the large Muslim population the number of pigs is relatively low but there are many sheep which are traditional for the Rhodopes. Tobacco is grown in the Eastern Rhodopes and forms a large part of the total national production. The industrial sector is well-developed. One of the largest industries in the area is mining. There are around 80 mines for lead and zinc whose reserves are among the largest in Europe. They are situated mainly in central parts of the mountain and along the border with Greece as well as to the east."
"along a ridge of the Rhodope mountains running west of Daridere and east of Madan up to the Bulgarian-Greek border. After the retreat of both the Bulgarian and Greek armies an autonomous state was declared with Ottoman support, in order to avoid Bulgarian rule after the Treaty of Bucharest, in which the Ottomans had not taken part. Under British pressure, the Bulgaria and the Ottomans signed the Treaty of Constantinople, which satisfied the Turkish claims to recognition of Eastern Thrace and recognized Western Thrace as part of Bulgaria. The Ottomans withdrew their forces and by 25 October, and the area"
"the European Union, while others refer to the geographical aspects. Each of these countries aims to be part of the future enlargement of the European Union and reach democracy and transmission scores but, until then, they will be strongly connected with the pre-EU waiting program CEFTA. Croatia, considered part of the Western Balkans, joined the EU in July 2013. Most of the area is covered by mountain ranges running from the northwest to southeast. The main ranges are the Balkan mountains, running from the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria to its border with Serbia, the Rhodope mountains in southern Bulgaria"
"Chepino Valley The Chepino Valley (, ""Chepinska kotlovina"") or Chepino (Чепино) is the largest valley in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. It is situated along the course of the Chepino River near the Batak Mountain in the northwestern part of the Rhodopes. Located at around 750 m above sea level, it is between 4 and 7 km wide and 18 km long. The bottom of the Chepino Valley is comparatively flat, although hills can also be met. The valley's fault structure is the reason for the frequent earthquakes in the area, as well as for the high number of"
"influences. An ancient custom named ""Davidkovska Poprelka"" is continuing to this day and the local Rhodopean folk dress is regarded as particularly colourful and beautiful. Davidkovo, as part of the Rhodopes, is also known for its particular folk music. Davidkovo Davidkovo () is a village in the Central Rhodope Mountains of southernmost Bulgaria, part of Banite Municipality, Smolyan Province. The village has a mixed population of Eastern Orthodox and Muslim Bulgarians. A landmark in the vicinity is Svoboda Peak 13 km to the north, which is an ancient sacred site today worshipped by the Muslim population as the final resting"
"Kardzhali Kardzhali (, ""Kǎrdžali""; ; , ""Kártzali""), sometimes spelt Kardzali or Kurdzhali, is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Province. The noted Kardzhali Dam is located nearby. Named after the 14th-century Ottoman conqueror Kırca Ali, from the Turkish name Kırca and the Islamic name Ali, derived from an Arabic root which means ""high"" or ""Elevated"". Kardzhali is located in the low eastern part of Rhodope Mountains, on both banks of the river Arda between the Kardzhali Reservoir to the west and the Studen Kladenets Reservoir to the east. The town is southeast"
"of metal ores, especially copper, zinc and lead, situated mainly in the southern half of the country. The two largest iron ore mines are located in Kremikovtsi near Sofia and Krumovo, Yambol Province with total reserves of 430 million tons. Manganese ore is extracted near Obrochishte in Dobrich Province (reserves of 85 million tons), as well as in the provinces of Sofia and Varna. The reserves of chromium are small and are scattered in the Rhodope Mountains. Bulgaria possesses important reserves of lead and zinc, of them 60% are situated in the southern reaches of the Rhodope Mountains along the"
"a separate yard surrounded by a common wall with a richly-decorated tower in the southeastern corner. The estate has a total of 221 windows, 86 doors and 24 chimneys and is situated near the banks of the Arda. Northwest of the village lie the ruins of an old fortress, possibly from Thracian times. Three kilometres to the east of Mogilitsa is Uhlovitsa, one of the twenty caves in the vicinity of the village, which features water cascades and small underground lakes. Mogilitsa Mogilitsa (; also ""Mogilitza"", ""Mogilica"", meaning ""hillock"") is a village in the Rhodope Mountains in southernmost Bulgaria, part"
"Rhodope Mountains with the assistance of Henry, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. Boril launched unsuccessful military campaigns against the Latin Empire and the Kingdom of Thessalonica during the first years of his reign. He convoked the synod of the Bulgarian Church in early 1211. At the assembly, the bishops condemned the Bogomils for heresy. After an uprising broke out against him in Vidin between 1211 and 1214, he sought assistance from Andrew II of Hungary who sent reinforcements to suppress the riot. He made peace with the Latin Empire in late 1213 or early 1214. After Henry died in 1216"
"Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Archean rocks outcrop in the south and west of Bulgaria as part of an ultrametamorphosed polymetamorphic complex including low-grade migmatite, gneissoid granite, and anatexite. Marble, amphibolite and gneiss from the Proterozoic are found in the Rhodope Massif. During the Precambrian, the Variscan Thracian Suture was part of the Balkan-Carpathian ophiolite segment. This feature left behind a highly stratified obducted ophiolite island arc assemblage with tectonized peridotite, dunite, lherzolite, wehrlite and troctolite, as well as pillow lava meta-basalt,"
"Krkonoše The Krkonoše (Czech: ), Karkonosze (Polish: ), Riesengebirge (German), Riesageberge (Silesian German) or Giant Mountains, are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech-Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak, Sněžka (, ), is the Czech Republic's highest point with an elevation of . On both sides of the border, large areas of the mountains are designated national parks (the Krkonoše National Park in the Czech"
"important role in the political and religious life of the Thracian tribes that lived on it. On the tops of the mountain there was a famous oracle, which they had visited to consult Alexander the Great and later the father of Octavian Augustus. On the mountain were also sanctuaries of various other deities, as was Apollo, Zeus, the Thracian Horseman, Mithras, etc. Finally, Rhodope served as a true bastion of freedom of the Thracians and last refuge of resistance against the Romans. This explains the fact that Thrace became a Roman province about 200 years after Macedonia. In 2005, German"