Plačkovica () is a mountain located in the eastern part of

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

, it extends between the cities of

Radoviš Radoviš ( ) is a city in the Southeastern statistical region, southeastern part of North Macedonia. It is the second largest city in the southeastern region. The city is the seat of Radoviš Municipality, which is spread on the bottom of Plač ...

, and Vinica. The highest

peak Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...

is Lisec () at 1,754 m, the length of main

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

slopes of the peak Lisec is 34 km. The valley of Zrnovska river splits the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in two, eastern and western parts. The peak of the western part is Turtel at 1,689 m. Lisec is a popular climbing route for the local climbers, being one of the harder peaks to scale in this part of Macedonia. It is not unusual to have

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

on the peak during the month of June. The peak is served by two mountain lodges: Vrteška from

Štip Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...

's side and, Dzumaja from

's side.

Geological components of Plačkovica are mainly

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

and

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

Name

The ancient name of Mount Plačkovica is believed to have been Pangaium (or Pangaeum). This name is thought to be of Thracian origin, and the mountain was referenced in historical sources from the classical period. The region around the mountain has been inhabited since ancient times, with evidence of Thracian, Paeonian, and other ancient cultures. The name "Pangaium" connects Plačkovica to broader historical and cultural contexts in the ancient Balkans.

References

Mountains of North Macedonia Rhodope mountain range {{RMacedonia-geo-stub