Balkan Mountains

View from Ray Resthouse towards the Central Balkan Mountains. The Raysko Praskalo waterfall is in the middle.

The Iskar River passing through the mountains in a gorge

The Kozya Stena Reserve

The Balkan mountain range (Bulgarian and Serbian: Стара планина, Stara planina, "Old Mountain") is an extension of the Carpathian mountain range, separated from it by the Danube River. The People who lived in the Balkan Mountains are called Balkandjii.

The Balkan range runs 560 km from eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea.

The highest peak on the Balkan peninsula is Musala in the Rila mountains near Sofia (Rila range), with 2,925 m, closely followed by Mount Olympus in Greece and Vihren (Pirin range).

The highest peaks of the Stara planina itself are in central Bulgaria. The highest peak is Botev (2,376 m), in the Central Balkan National Park (established 1991).

Passes

There are paved roads crossing Stara Planina at the following passes (listed from west to east):

Petrohan Pass: Sofia–Montana
Iskar Gorge (Iskarski prolom ): Sofia–Vratsa (also railroad)
Vitinya Pass: Hemus motorway (A2), Sofia–Botevgrad
Beklemeto Pass: Troyan–Karnare
Shipka Pass: Gabrovo–Kazanlak (also railroad)
Pass of the Republic (Prohod na republikata): Veliko Tarnovo – Gurkovo
Vratnik Pass: Elena–Sliven
Kotel Pass (Kotlenski prohod): Kotel–Petolachka (Pentagram) crossroads
Varbitsa Pass (Varbishki prohod): Shumen–Petolachka crossroads
Rish Pass (Rishki prohod): Shumen–Karnobat
Luda Kamchiya Gorge (Ludokamchiyski prolom): Dalgopol–Karnobat (also railroad)
Dyulino Pass (Dyulinski prohod): Varna–Aitos
Obzor Pass (Obzorski prohod): Varna–Burgas, future Cherno More motorway (A3)

Peaks

Midžor 2,169 m is the highest peak in Central Serbia
Botev Peak 2,376 m (named after Hristo Botev)
Vezhen
Kom
Buzludzha
Levski (named after Vasil Levski)

Balkan Mountains Media

Balkan Mountains, Rhodope, Rila and Pirin Mountains
A view of the Balkan Mountains
The monument on Shipka
Central Stara planina, between Panitzite and hut "Ray"
Kanjon Rosomački lonci ili Slavinjsko grlo. Usekla ga je Rosomačka reka.
Horses at the Balkan Mountains, Serbia
This is a photo of a natural heritage site in Bulgaria, id:
The Bulgarian army under Khan Krum defeats the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus I in the battle of the Varbitsa Pass in 811, Manasses Chronicle