Sredna Gora

Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Bulgarian: Средна гора
Highest point
Peak	Golyam Bogdan
Elevation	1,604 m (5,262 ft)
Coordinates	42°30′00″N 25°00′00″E / 42.50000°N 25.00000°E
Dimensions
Length	285 km (177 mi) west-east
Width	50 km (31 mi) north-south
Area	5,950 km2 (2,300 sq mi)
Geography
Country	Bulgaria
Geology
Type of rock	granite, gneiss, quartz

Sredna Gora (Bulgarian: Средна гора [ˈsrɛdnɐ ɡoˈra]) is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of river Tundzha north of the city of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width. Its highest peak is Golyam Bogdan at 1,604 m (5,262 ft). It is part of the Srednogorie mountain chain system, which extends longitudinally across the most country from west to east, between the Balkan Mountains and the Sub-Balkan valleys to the north and the Kraishte, Rila and the Upper Thracian Plain to the south.

The mountain is divided into three parts by the rivers Topolnitsa and Stryama — Ihtimanska Sredna Gora to the west, Sashtinska Sredna Gora in the center and Sarnena Sredna Gora to the east. Compared to most other mountain ranges in Bulgaria, Sredna Gora has lower average altitude, which determines higher temperatures and lower precipitation. There is an abundance of mineral springs all over Sredna Gora with many spa resorts, such as Hisarya, Starozagorski bani, Pavel Banya, etc. Sredna Gora is rich in mineral resources and especially copper. The economy is well developed. The region is an important national hub of copper extraction and processing industry, as well as of optical industry, both centered in and around the town of Panagyurishte. The largest city in Sredna Gora is Stara Zagora, one of the biggest economic centers of Bulgaria.

Sredna Gora has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years. In the 5th millennium BC it was largest mining center in Europe, extracting significant amounts of copper. The mountain range was among the centers of the ancient Thracian civilization, with numerous burial and cult remains being preserved from that period. The renown Thracian Panagyurishte Treasure has been discovered in Sredna Gora. In the Middle Ages the mountain range was part of the Bulgarian Empire since the early 8th century until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks during the Bulgarian–Ottoman wars in the late 14th century. During the Ottoman rule Sredna Gora was an important center of resistance and the Bulgarian National Revival. It was the focal point of the April Uprising of 1876. Although many settlements in the region were destroyed in the aftermath of the rebellion, it had a decisive role for the subsequent Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878.