Pohorje

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Pohorje, also known as the Pohorje Massif or Pohorje Mountains, is a mostly forested mountain range in northeastern Slovenia, south of the Drava River. It is the southeastern part of the Central Alps and, according to some classifications, belongs to the Southern Limestone Alps. The range is about 50 km long from east to west and 30 km wide from north to south, covering around 840 square kilometers. It is sparsely populated, with scattered villages, and it hosts several ski resorts.

The highest point is Black Peak (Črni Vrh) at 1,543 meters. Nearby peaks include Big Kopa (Velika Kopa) and Lake Peak (Jezerski vrh), both just over 1,500 meters high. Forests cover more than 70% of Pohorje.

Geology-wise, the outer parts are older Paleozoic metamorphic rocks, while the center is made of igneous rocks, especially granodiorite (also called Pohorje tonalite) and dacite. Near the village of Cezlak there is a rare rock called cizlakite. The southern area is known for white marble that was quarried in Roman times.

Pohorje is bordered roughly by Maribor to the east, Dravograd to the west, and Slovenske Konjice to the south. To the northwest it borders the Mislinja River, to the south it descends into the Vitanje Lowlands, to the east into the Drava Plain, and to the southeast into the Pohorje Foothills. The region features ski resorts and recreational areas, a TV and radio transmitter on the hills, and a military air-traffic control radar station RP-2.