Vrontous (, - Sharliya) is a

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 ...

range in the northeastern

Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...

and the westernmost

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

regional units in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Its highest peak is the Ali Babas () at 1,849 m elevation. Other notable peaks are the Kour Lof (1,667 m, southwest of Ali Babas), Mavro vouno (1,653 m, northeast), Siderovouni (1,475 m, east) and Sarligia (1,404 m, southwest). It is a densely forested and sparsely populated mountain range. It stretches between the village

Vamvakofyto Vamvakofyto (; Medieval Greek: Σαβίακον, Saviakon; , Savyak) is a village in the municipal unit Sidirokastro, in the northern part of Serres (regional unit), Serres regional unit, Greece. Its altitude is 120 meters. References

...

in the southwest and Perithori in the northeast, over a length of about 35 km. The nearest mountains are the Slavyanka/Orvilos to the north and the Menoikio to the southeast. The nearest larger towns are

to the south and

Sidirokastro Sidirokastro (; ) is a town and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is built near the fertile ...

to the west. Villages in the Vrontous mountains include Ano Vrontou, Kato Vrontou and Katafyto in the east, Achladochori in the north and Oreini in the south. The Greek National Road 63/ E79 (

- Promachonas -

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

) passes west of the mountains. The small ski resort Lailias is situated in the Vrontous mountains. The mountains were rich in minerals (silver and iron), which took advantage of the people from ancient to modern times. This is attested by the discovery of Roman mines and an iron smelter near the village Oreini, and also the mention of iron works, during the Byzantine and modern times, in the village Ano Vrontou.
D. C. Samsaris, Ancient castle and iron smelter near the modern village Oreini of Serres (in Greek), "Makedonika" 19 (1979), p. 240-251 Chengel planina IMG 4621

References

{{Reflist

External links

Orvilos - Menoikio - Vrontou (Lailias) terrain map
by Geopsis Landforms of Drama (regional unit) Landforms of Serres (regional unit) Mountain ranges of Greece Geography of Macedonia (region) Landforms of Central Macedonia Landforms of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Rhodope mountain range

See also

References

External links