Musala

For the bridge and square in Mostar, see Musala (Mostar).

Musala
Musala seen from the south
Elevation	2,925 m (9,596 ft)
Prominence	2,473 m (8,114 ft)
Listing	Country high point Ultra
Location
Musala Sofia Region,  Bulgaria
Range	Rila
Coordinates	42°10′47″N 23°35′12″E / 42.17972°N 23.58667°E / 42.17972; 23.58667Coordinates: 42°10′47″N 23°35′12″E / 42.17972°N 23.58667°E / 42.17972; 23.58667
Climbing
Easiest route	Gondola lift from Borovets, then hike

Musala (Bulgarian: Мусала) is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925 m (9,596 ft). The summit of the Rila mountain in southwestern Bulgaria, Musala is the highest peak between the Alps and the Caucasus and the highest in Eastern Europe bar the Caucasus. Between 1949–1962 the peak was named Stalin after the USSR communist dictator Joseph Stalin.[1]

Musala is situated within the Rila National Park, which is noted for its rich flora, including species such as Macedonian Pine and Bulgarian Fir in the forests on its middle slopes, and fauna; it is one of the easiest places in Europe to see the wallcreeper. All major mountain ranges of Bulgaria can be seen from the top; these include Vitosha to the northwest, Sredna Gora towards the northeast, the Balkan Mountains along most of the northern horizon behind Vitosha and Sredna Gora, the Rhodope Mountains to the southeast, Pirin to the south, Osogovo and Ruy Mountain to the west, and of course Rila.

With an average annual temperature of -3 °C Musala is the coldest place in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula. Temperatures stay below 0 °C for about 8 months each year. Due to this about 45 % of the annual precipitation on Musala is snow, and snow cover lasts for about 200 days (more than 6,5 months). Three of the main rivers of Bulgaria, the Iskar, Maritsa and Mesta have their sources near Musala.

The easiest climb is by a straightforward footpath from the ski resort of Borovets, 10 km to the north; there is also a Gondola lift from Borovets to the Yastrebets peak at 2,369 m altitude and several mountain chalets. From Yastrebets it is a one hour hike to the Musala chalet (2,430 m), from which the ascent to the summit takes another 1,5 to 2 hours via the shelter Everest, the highest mountain hut in Bulgaria. A cosmic ray study station functioned at the summit until it was devastated by a fire in 1984. The station was re-opened in 1999 as the Environmental Observatory "Musala" of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences where air pollutants and space radiation are monitored. Also there is a meteorological station, that is doing regular synoptic and climatic observations. The station belongs to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) and functions without breaks since 1933.

The next highest peaks in the vicinity of Musala are Little Musala (2,902 m) and Irechek (2,852 m).

Climate

Climate table:

Record high: 23^оС

Record low: -31,2^оС

Climate data for Musala Peak
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9 (48)	8 (46)	10 (50)	14 (57)	21 (70)	17 (63)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	19 (66)	13 (55)	7 (45)	23 (73)
Average high °C (°F)	−8.2 (17.2)	−7.6 (18.3)	−5.6 (21.9)	−1.6 (29.1)	2 (36)	5.4 (41.7)	8.5 (47.3)	9.1 (48.4)	6.1 (43.0)	1.8 (35.2)	−2.1 (28.2)	−6 (21)	0.2
Average low °C (°F)	−13.8 (7.2)	−13.6 (7.5)	−11.6 (11.1)	−7.8 (18.0)	−3.4 (25.9)	−0.1 (31.8)	2.1 (35.8)	2.5 (36.5)	−0.1 (31.8)	−3.6 (25.5)	−7.3 (18.9)	−11 (12)	−5.6
Record low °C (°F)	−28 (−18)	−31.2 (−24.2)	−27 (−17)	−23 (−9)	−23 (−9)	−9 (16)	−7 (19)	−8 (18)	−12 (10)	−16 (3)	−25 (−13)	−28 (−18)	−31.2 (−24.2)
Precipitation mm (inches)	126 (4.96)	110 (4.33)	130 (5.12)	128 (5.04)	119 (4.69)	105 (4.13)	80 (3.15)	56 (2.2)	47 (1.85)	72 (2.83)	88 (3.46)	115 (4.53)	1,176 (46.3)
Avg. rainy days	1	0	0	0	4	8	9	7	6	3	1	0	39
Avg. snowy days	13	14	17	18	14	5	2	1	4	8	13	15	124
Source no. 1: Stringmeteo.com
Source no. 2: my2weather.com

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Honour

Musala Glacier on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Musala Peak.

Gallery

• 

  Hikers near the summit of Musala. The pyramid in the background is the shelter Everest

• 

  The Pirin mountains can be seen from Musala

• 

  The origin of the Maritsa river seen from Musala

• 

  Musala seen from Yastrebets. The chalet Musala and the shelter Everest can be seen as well

References

• "Мусала" (in Bulgarian). Българска енциклопедия А-Я. БАН, Труд, Сирма. 2002. ISBN 9548104083. OCLC 163361648.