Vodno ( mk, Водно) is a mountain in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. It is located in the northern part of the country, to the southwest of the capital city

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

. The highest point of the mountain is at ''Krstovar peak'', on 1066 meters and the submontane is on 337 meters (Middle Vodno is on 557 m). In 2002, on Krstovar peak the

Millennium Cross The Millennium Cross ( mk, Милениумски крст, ''Mileniumski krst'') is a 66-metre (217 ft) tall Christian cross, cross situated on the top of Vodno Mountain in the North Macedonia, Republic of North Macedonia above the capital ...

was built, one of the biggest Christian Crosses in the world.

Climate

The climate in Vodno is cold and temperate. Vodno has a significant amount of rainfall during the year. This is true even for the driest month. The average temperature is . The lowest temperature measured on the mountain, in January 2017, is ; and the highest measured temperature, in July 2005, is .

Hydrography

Vodno has a heterogeneous hydrographic web: streams, vaults,

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s, springs. Vodno has a lot of streams which are used by the shepherds for feeding their goats and for watering the wild chestnuts. Vodno has two types of vaults *Arterial *Well water The objects that are on a higher above sea level are using the arterial underground water, and the objects that are placed on lower above sea level use the well water ones. The water is bacteriologically and chemically clean. Vodno has a mini waterfall which is 15 meters high and is more active in spring when the snow coverlet is melting. Vodno has a lot of springs too that are used for the need of the local people.

Vegetation

From vegetation on Vodno mountain you can find

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

and

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

plants. From the

you can find the wild chestnut,

lime tree ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain and Ireland they ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

etc. The

plants are in bigger number related to the

one. From the

plants you can find the

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

from the both sides of the mountain. In smaller number there are the

juniperus Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

and the

boxwood ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South ...

Fauna

Animals: *Small animals:

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...

, rabbit, fox, squirrel, marten,

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s of smaller type and

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

. *Larger animals:

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

Vodno today

Although Vodno is a significant tourist center, the revenues from tourism are relatively low.

Tourism

The tourism on Vodno mountain can be divided in: *Recreational tourism *Cultural tourism *Modern Tourism

Recreational Tourism

On Vodno mountain one of the most impressive destinations is the waterfall "''Prskalo''" However, there are many other sights and activities to experience. One of them is the village of Dolno Sonje, which is one of the most beautiful sights around the mountain. The small village, made on the side of the mountain, was historically inhabited by local hunters. Recently it has attracted people from Skopje, who have a weekend house or have permanently relocated there, due to its proximity to the capital and its clean air, beautiful surroundings, and medieval churches. Additionally the hike from Middle Vodno (557 m) to the Krstovar Peak (1066 m), where the Millennium Cross is located, has become a highly attractive leisure activity. The increase in interest in this activity can be attributed to the opening of a bus-line that makes round-trips from the Skopje City Centre to Middle Vodno, as well as the availability of cable transport from Middle Vodno to Krstovar Peak.

Cultural Tourism

Various manifestations,

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

es,

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

s can be found on Vodno. Middle Vodno monastery

Churches and Monasteries

*Churches: * Saint Spas - Dolno Sonje * Saint Spas - Sopishte * Saint Mina - Sopishte * Saint Nicolas - Gorno Sonje * Saint Panteleimon - Dolno Nerezi *Monasteries: * Saint Panteleimon - Nerezi * Saint Trifun - 5 km from Vodno The

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

es are an important part of the cultural-historical heritage, and have remained there for years. The older churches and monasteries are very significant because they have kept their authenticity, due to not having been reconstructed, but rather having survived through the ages. They attract more visitors due to their historical significance.

Manifestations

* Christmas Eve Celebration * Setting for seasonal motorsport events in hillclimb discipline * Eco Projects Vodno 1

Monuments

* Big Stone * War Caves from the 1940 * Destroyed houses from 1944 * Remnant war objects from 1950 The monuments are the most visited attractions on Mount Vodno. One of the most distinct landmarks on Mount Vodno is the Millennium Cross. Found on the peak of Mount Vodno, and standing at 66 metres high, it is one of the most visited locations in the

region. It was constructed in 2002, in order to commemorate 2000 years since the birth of Christ, and serves as a memorial of two millennia of Christianity.

Cable car

As of 2011, a gondola lift has been in operation to allow an easy ascent to visit the Millennium Cross. The ropeway includes 28 regular gondolas for eight persons and two VIP gondolas for four people. The lift starts at Middle Vodno and ends at the Millennium Cross. The route is 1,750m long, with the ride lasting 6–8 minutes.

External links

{{North Macedonia topics Geography of Skopje Mountains of North Macedonia