Ruen peak is the peak of Osogovska mountain. Its height is 2251 m, which ranks it in fifth place among mountain peaks after Musala, Vihren, Botev and Cherni vrah. It is included in the national movement “Conqueror of the 10 mountain peaks”.
Osogovo is a border mountain – about three quarters of its area is located on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia and one quarter in Bulgaria. It is an important hydrographic node, many rivers spring from its central part, the most important of which are Bistrica, Eleshnica and Novoselska, but there are also many other smaller ones, which bring a special color to the appearance of the mountain. The vegetation is diverse: from coniferous and mixed to broad-leaved, mainly beech forests, and the highest parts are covered with juniper bushes and grass vegetation. In addition, many herbs and wild fruits grow in the mountains. In order to preserve the forest wealth, the Black River Reserve was created in 1980, and a beautiful group of sequoias in the Yuchbunar area was declared a natural landmark.
On Osogovo, two almost perpendicularly intersecting ridges with many branches are clearly delineated. Their point of intersection is the highest point of the mountain – Mount Rouen. The origin of the peak’s name is not exactly clear. According to Pavel Deliradev, in the Old Slavic calendars, “Rouen” means the month of September, and the Croats still call it that way, in the sense of red, ripe. Proof that the geographical name Rouen has some connection with the color red is the fact that in autumn, especially after the first frosts, the green color of the massif quickly changes to a bright red from the reddened leaves of the blueberries. It seems that this is the red color that the godfathers had in mind, if it is to be assumed that they were the Slavs.
Mount Ruen, in the north-northeast direction, reveals the Kraishte mountain labyrinth, in which the pyramidal peak Cernook stands out sharply, from Mount Dukat in the Republic of Serbia. In good and clear weather, several mountain massifs in the Republic of Macedonia can be seen far to the west .Moving along the border ridge, our gaze meets Vlahina Planina, Maleshevska, Ograzhden and far to the south – Belasitsa.
With good visibility, Rila and Pirin, Vitosha and the Staroplaninska range can be seen. From Mount Ruen, you can climb: Mount Kamenets -1 h., Zhdrapanitsa peak -1.30 h. -1.40 h., Chovecheto peak – 50 min. Rouen’s slopes towards the neighboring deep river valleys are avalanche-dangerous.
The state border between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia passes through the peak. The starting points for Mount Ruen are the “Osogovo” hut and the “Three Beech” tourist complex. From both tourist sites, the peak is reached in about 3.30 – 3.45 hours. The well-marked tourist trail passes successively by the shelters Prevala in the area of the same name and Shapka. There is also a tourist shelter built on Mount Rouen.
