Mosor Mountain
Although unable to be described as prominent with regard to its height
or the wealth of its natural wealth, or the profusion of amazing
karstic forms, Mosor has become the most popular mountain in Dalmatia.
This karstic, at first glance quite formidable, massif extends from
Kliski prijevoj (Klis Pass) in a south-easterly direction for about 25
km, all the way to the River Cetina, whose canyon forms a semi-circle
around the mountain, thus providing it with a distinct natural boundary.
Located in its foothills, the area known as Zagorska Poljica, is a
group of hamlets. The southern slope initially descends in terraces,
and is dotted with numerous lovely plateaux. This terraced plateau
descends almost through the entire length of the mountain down a rocky
stairway the height of which ranges between 100 and 200 m, which is
highly attractive from an Alpinistic aspect. Situated beneath it is the
string of villages of central Poljica (Zrnovnica, Sitno, Srinjine,
Tugare, Dubrava). Mosor is separated from the sea by a typical
steep-sided mountain spur, 30 km long, 400-800m high and just 2 km
wide. This magnificent bulwark is cut through in the centre by the
River Cetina which worked its way through near the town of Drnis,
carving a canyon to the sea and effectively creating two mountains:
Poljicka planina and Omiska Dinara.
Omiska Dinara
The most important feature of these mountains is that the highest
mountain regions here do not have the form of a ridge but of a high
plateau (up to about 1700 metres), with a very complicated relief, with
many gorges and peaks, caverns and spurs. The edges of the plateaux
often finish in huge vertical cliffs that plunge into deep, flat karst
fields. As a rule the cliffs tend to be found on the south slopes, an
exception being Troglov, which has cliffs on the northern slopes. What
makes the strongest impression in the Dalmatian mountains is the
awesome barrenness of the endless stone wastes on the plateaux. This is
the realm of the Dalmatian karst, which has no parallel in Europe,
perhaps not in the world.
