Vitosha

The ancient Scomius or Scombrus, Vitosha, is a mountain massif on the outskirts of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital. Vitosha is one of Sofia's icons and the nearest location for trekking, alpinism, and skiing. The mountain is easily accessible thanks to convenient transport lines and ropeways.

The silhouette of a gigantic dome may be seen at Vitosha. The mountain's territory contains Vitosha Nature Park, which includes the most well-known and often visited areas. Sofia's resort neighborhoods are nestled in the Vitosha slopes, and Knyazhevo boasts mineral springs. Vitosha is the Balkans' oldest nature park. The mountain was formed by the slow folding of granite rock layers and a series of progressive uplifts of the surrounding area as a result of volcanic activity.

The mountain, which is 19 km long and 17 km wide, appears dome-shaped at first glance, but it is actually made up of concentric denudational plateaus that rise in layers one above the other. Vitosha is divided into four sections, with the major ridges converging at Cherni Vrah. This is the mountain's highest point, at 2290 meters, and one of Vitosha's 12 peaks exceeding 2000 meters. Together with Sredna gora, Plana (mountain), Lyulin Mountain, Greben Mountain, Viskyar Mountain, and others, it is the highest massif of the Srednogorie mountain chain system.

They're all the product of the Mesozoic's bending of the earth's strata, which resulted in a magma sheet-like intrusion (or concordant pluton) injected between sedimentary rock layers. Vitosha's laccolithic domed form is a good illustration of gradual uplifts in the area.

Location: Sofia City Province, Sofia Province, Pernik Province

Elevation: 2,292 m (7,520 ft)