Bansko

Bansko is situated in a picturesque valley surrounded by three of Bulgaria’s most beautiful mountains: Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopi Mountains. The town is located in the South-West of Bulgaria, 160 km away from the capital Sofia and about 50 km from the border with Greece.

Bansko attracts many visitors with its architectural and historical value. It is located in the place of a settlement that was inhabited in succession by Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and Slavs. The history of Bansko dates back to the ancient times of the Roman Empire. However, it flourished during the National Revival Period (18th – 19th century) when its merchants traded between the Aegean and Central Europe. In that time Bansko became known as a center of culture and enlightenment.

Bansko is the birthplace of famous personalities in Bulgarian history: Paisii Hilendarski (an 18th-century Bulgarian enlightener, author of the Slav Bulgarian History), Neofit Rilski (a man of letters and enlightener from the National Revival Period) and Nikola Vaptsarov (a 20th-century Bulgarian poet). During the Ottoman rule Bansko enjoyed a quasi self-rule autonomy granted by the sultan. The town was governed by an assembly of the elders, while justice was administered by the Turkish judge in Razlog. Bansko was a part of the Ottoman Empire till 1912, when it joined back Bulgaria as a result of the First Balkan War.

Nowadays Bansko boasts with the title Unique Settlement of International Cultural Tourism, which was declared in 1979.