Lesnovo Kuppa

The Lesnovo Kuppa and the crater on the top are located in the western part of the Osogovo Mountains, between Probistip and the village Zletovo. It is among the best preserved fossil (extinguished) volcanic craters not only in the Republic of Macedonia, but also on the Balkan Peninsula. The surface of the whole structure is 12 km sq. And the diameter is about 4 km. Lesnovo Kuppa has steep sides and over the surrounding relief rises by 400 m. It is particularly clear from the south and southwest side. From the eastern side it is steeply cut with the valley of Zletovska Reka, and from the west with the valley of Dobrevska Reka. The crater on the top of the cupola has a diameter of 1.5 km and a depth in the central part of 150-200 m. Around the center of the crater ring there are 7-8 bulk hills, that is, volcanic necks (knocks). Of these, the most impressive is the northern hill Ilyin Krst (1127 m), which probably was the main volcanic center, where the largest amount of lava and volcanic material broke out. On the southern and eastern side there are three more distinct hills: St. Trinity (1012 m), Nusheva Chuka or Gorno Brdo (1025 m) and Ride Lines (1048 m). Through the middle part of the crater, in the direction of the northeast-southwest, the small Lesnovska Reka flows, which cuts across the western frame of the crater. At the point of intersection, the valley of this river is very interesting, steep and with a number of holes (caves) on the sides. The cavities and holes in the rocks are for the most part not natural, but made by the man who took out the high quality, solid volcanic stone from which he made millstone stones. In fact, for centuries the village of Lesnovo was known for the production of many quality and demanding millstone stones.