Bulgarian Regions
Bansko
The History of Bansko dates back to ancient times. As a clear evidence one can see the ruins of several fortresses from Antiquity, of Thracian burial mounds, medieval settlements and churches excavated in the vicinity. The first documentary proof of the town's existence comes from the middle of the 16th c. During the time of the National Revival (late 18th to the mid 19th c.), Bansko grew up to become a manufacturing, commercial, cultural, and spiritual center. Trade connections with the Aegean, Central and Western Europe were well established and caravans of pack-horses carried goods to the south and north, and east and west. ll those contacts helped the early development of national self-consciousness in people. Bansko is the birth place of Paisiy Hilendarski - the author of Istoria Slavyanobalgarska (the first written history of Bulgaria), Neofit Rilski - the foun
der of secular education in Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian encyclopedist, Toma Vishanov (nicknamed Molera) - the founder of the Bansko School of Art, and many other prominent citizens who took part in the struggle for National Liberation from the Ottoman (Turkish) rule. The spirit of Bansko's past comes down to us through the cen-turies. A number of fine Bulgarian orthodox shrines and the houses built in the traditional Bulgarian National Revival style create the unique atmosphere of Bansko. Outstanding among these are the two churches, the Metoh (Convent) affiliated to the Rilski Manastir (Rila Monastery), and the complexes of traditional old Bansko-style houses along the streets of Yane Sandanski, Velyan Ognev, Neofit Rilski (around the Sveta Troitsa Church), Gechkovata Razkrastitsa, Pirin, and Kiril i Metodiy, as well as the ensembles 
called Dzhidzhevite Kashti, Zlatevite Kashti, Koyuvite Kashti, Stefanovite Kashti, etc. (kashta means house in Bulgarian; kashti - houses). The Bansko-style house is built almost entirely of stone, with yards surrounded by high walls, with deep wine cel-lars and secret trap doors, small barred windows and solid front gates; each house has the appearance of an impregnable fortress standing along the narrow winding cobbled streets. Even today, one of the main economic activities of the local population is woodworking, furniture and wooden toys making. A great number of small privately owned carpentry workshops and woodcarvers' studios operate in the town as well.
4,833) comprises the most beautiful and majestic part of the Pirin Mountains, small parts of the Razlog Col, the scenic gorge of Momina Klisoura along the banks of Mesta River and a small cut of the vast Rhodope Mountains known as the Dabrashki Dyal Range.The town of Bansko (pop. 9,740) is the administrative, economic and cultural center of the municipality. It is located in the south-western part of the Razlog Plain, at the foot of Northern Pirin. It is an extremely popular tourist center, visited all year round by lovers of nature and winter sports as well as a great number of visitors who flock to admire the traditional Bulgarian architecture, culture and mode of life.
6 km E of Bansko) is well-known since ancient times for its hot mineral springs. Today it is a small spa resort offering excellent opportunities for recreation both in summer and winter in a typical cosy village setting and atmosphere. The huts of Gotse Delchev and Bezbog (near the village) are ideal starting points for hiking in Pirin. 
and Western Europe were well established and caravans of pack-horses carried goods to the south and north, and east and west. All those contacts helped the early development of national self-consciousness in people. Bansko is the birth place of Paisiy Hilendarski - the author of Istoria Slavyanobalgarska (the first written history of Bulgaria), Neofit Rilski - the founder of secular education in Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian encyclopedist, Toma Vishanov (nicknamed Molera) - the founder of the Bansko School of Art, and many other prominent citizens who took part in the struggle for National Liberation from the Ottoman (Turkish) rule.
houses). The Bansko-style house is built almost entirely of stone, with yards surrounded by high walls, with deep wine cellars and secret trap doors, small barred windows and solid front gates; each house has the appearance of an impregnable fortress standing along the narrow winding cobbled streets. Even today, one of the main economic activities of the local population is woodworking, furniture and wooden toys making. A great number of small privately owned carpentry workshops and woodcarvers' studios operate in the town as well.
Assumption; the second half of the 18th c. - exceptional iconostasis); the Sveta Troitsa Church (church of the Holy Trinity; 1835) which is the most impressive one in the Pirin region, with its unique carved iconostasis and the clock-tower built later (in 1850); Beninata Kashta*, Vefyanovata Kashta and the home of Nikola Vaptsarov - a famous Bulgarian poet. The Museum Complex of Bansko is among the best in Bulgaria. Beninata Kashta, now a museum house named after Neofit Rilski, in which the interior have been partially restored includes an 18th c. school room, reconstructed workshops and a collection of the most popular works of Neofit Rilski - the first Bulgarian grammar, early textbooks, anthologies, and dictionaries Velyanovata Kashta has an appearance and interior design bearing the unique architectural and artistic features typical of the Bulgarian National
Revival style. Vaptsarovata Kashta, now the museum house of Nikola Vaptsarov, was the poet's birthplace (born into a Protestant family yet later adopting a leftist stance, Nikola Vaptsarov wrote the fiery poetry that made him world famous). The original house has been restored and is open to the public together with an exposition of his poetry while a more recent building, known as the House of Art and Poetry, attached to the old building, now houses a permanent crafts exhibition of traditional textiles and costumes, icons, woodcarvings, and paintings by local artists, offering opportunities to buy as well. Now the Nikola Vaptsarov Museum (tel. 3038) is the central building of the museum complex.Metoha (the Convent) of the Rila Monastery is another of the places of interest where a 
permanent icon exhibition shows works from the local Bansko School of Art. The School is one of the examples of the Bulgarians' enthusiasm for education that began in the pre-liberation period in latelSth and 19th c.
A variety of guided walks are provided by the complex for the tourists such as: archaeological sight-seeing tour, a tour of the ensembles of houses built in the architectural style from the National Revival Period; visits to the old-fashioned workshops of the local craftsmen - weavers, knitters, wood-carvers, artists, etc. Another attraction are the demonstrations offered for groups of tourists - a traditional welcome with coffee boiled on sand, pictures taken of visitors dressed in
Bulgarian folk costumes, and others. Make sure you take a look of the valyavitsa (the fulling mill - cascades of water used to wash and thicken rugs; on the right of the Bansko Hotel). As tourists walk the streets of Bansko they cannot fail to meet elderly women (babi) dressed in their colourful woolen folk costumes and carrying their homespun backpacks - there is another charming picture for the holiday album. Then there are plenty of folk-style taverns offering Bansko delicacies with outlandish names such as Kapama (meat, rice, and pickled cabbage stew), Chomlek (potato and meat stew), Katino Meze (fried meat with garlic and mushrooms) and the home made dried sausages such as Soudzhouk, Karvavitsa and Banski Starets.
Souvenirs from Bansko can be purchased at the crafts and exhibition at the museum, the workshop of N. Koulin (tel. 4254), and the ceramic shop located near the Pirin Hotel, as well as the Art Gallery at the House of Culture (tel. 5096) and the crafts shop (on the left of the photo shop - center of town).The Tourist Information Center in Bansko is located right at the town's center (House of Culture) and can help visitors with use ful guidance on hotels, attractions, and guides (tel. 5048).
Around Bansko, there are many sites that are attractive for tourists and, at the same time, easily accessible:
with fish) and the church of Rozhdestvo Bogorodichno (or Paligoden - a favourite track for cyclists; 1936; W of Belizmata) are situated in a beautiful setting just 3 km of town (cross the bridge near the Bansko Hotel and go straight until the first field track; or follow the road from the Aneli Hotel to the barracks and than a track through the field). The ruins of an early Christian and medieval basilica and the remains of a necropolis (Roman cemetery) can be seen in the locality of Shipotsko (1.5 km of track road SW);
Izvorite Hotel (there are springs around which give the name of the hotel) is 500 m from Stana Kale; 150 m nearby is the locality known as Martva Polyana (here is the most wonderful picnic place as well as - in the vicinity - the Banski Mineral Springs).Reservoir (110,000 m3, a small dam stocked with fish), nearby are the remains of a late Roman ceramic workshop dating back to the 4th - 6th c. The locality of Sveti Nikola (40 min walk - footpath from Krinets, or 2.5 km by car following the road to Dobrinishte then turn to the right and another 1 km), is where one will find the beautiful cascade of waterfalls of the Valyavitsa River, bearing also the name of Sveti Nikola, and the archaeological remains of a 
Thracian fortress, Thracian necropolis and a basilica from the Early Christian Period. To the north-east of Bansko, in the Lisicha Mogila locality (1.5 km by car and 2 km of track) the tourists can see a large Thracian burial mound. In the vicinity of Bansko (6 km SE on the road to Gotse Delchev), at the north-eastern foothills of the Pirin Mountains lies the picturesque village of Dobrinishte, which is the terminus of a scenic narrow-gauge railway line running trains daily between Septemvri (on the Sofia - Plovdiv line) and Dobrinishte. The village has been almost completely renovated, but the local population has preserved their traditional means of livelihood such as sheep and cattle breeding, farming, lumbering, and woodworking. The following sites and 
locations are the main attractions in Dobrinishte: the church of Sveti Sveti Petar i Pavel (built in 1835) with its incredibly beautiful iconostasis - the work of famous woodcarvers from the region of Debarsko (in W. Macedonia);
the village's museum and the three old-fashioned fulling mills (valyavitsa) which are still in operation. One of the main tourist attractions in that region is the garden of mountain edelweiss flowers owned by Ivan Parin (tel. 2467), which is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. The hot mineral springs are considered the village's greatest gift from nature - there are three outdoor swimming pools filled with mineral water. South-west of the village (30 min along a footpath) there is the locality called Sveti Nikola where the visitor can enjoy the falls of the Valyavitsa River and the ruins from medieval times. 
The monastery bearing the name of Sveti Panteleimon, built on what has been consecrated grounds since pagan times, is 3.6 km away of Dobrinishte (accessible by car, SE) and is open from May to September. Only 11 km S of the village is the beautiful mountain resort of Logoveto, with departmental holiday homes, private villas and the Gotse Delchev Hut, which is a convenient starting point for the Bezbog Hut and other walking tours into the heart of Northern Pirin. The Mocharata Hut is situated in a location called Golyamata Mochara; this is an ideal spot for those who like to walk about on their own in the mountain woodland.
The folklore, the traditional customs and events represent the best part of the 
traditional spiritual culture of the local population in the region of Bansko and Dobrinishte. The most significant and especially attractive events in Bansko are: January 1 - Mummers (koukeri) Celebrations (celebrated traditionally in the town of Razlog); the Great Easter Concert (on the 2nd day of Easter; the E. Orthodox Easter IVelikdenl is a week after the Catholic one) involving all of the amateur folklore groups and bands (on Easter - note also the Mummers' procession in Eleshnitsa); the Celebration of Bansko Traditions - the most prominent cultural event in the town (May 17-24) known as a distinctive festival of traditional humour, singing, dancing, and rituals, ethnographic and culinary exhibitions, applied arts and painting exhibitions; 
Bansko Day (October 5) and Christmas (December 20-25). The amusing kidnapping picnic (haidoushko otvlichane) is a folklore attraction including transportation by horse-carts to a place called Martva Polyana, where the guests get a taste of the regional cuisine and Bulgarian folk music.
In Dobrinishte, Todorovden (St. Theodor's Day) on March 15 is a joyful celebration with horse racing. On Ilinden (the second Sunday of August) the whole village celebrates the Day of Dobrinishte with a rich folklore program.
Other important (not folklore) events include: national holidays as March 3 - Liberation Day (from Ottoman occupation), May 24 -The Day of the Cyrillic Alphabet; as well as the International Jazz Festival (07.08 -15.08).
The typical folklore heritage in the region is 
a pleasure to meet with, particularly the famous Bansko male singing. To enjoy Bansko folk songs and dances contact the following folk groups: the Male Choir of Georgi Gyumov ; the Male Choir of Ivan Matsourev; and the Female Group of Yordanka Chorbadzhiyska . The visitor can get acquainted with the folklore typical of Dobrinishte through the performances of: the Female Folklore Ensemble of Donka Hadzhieva ; the Disilitsa Male Choir of K. Galchov and the Mandoline Group. Advanced bookings can be made at the House of Culture in Bansko and the Community Center of Dobrinishte or with the assistance of the Bansko Information Center. The nature is the most valuable asset of the Bansko Municipality. The Pirin National Park starts literally from the end of the town (the road to the Vihren Hut). It is included in the List of National Parks and Reserves of 
the UNO and it is also listed in the UNESCO Convention for the Preservation of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. The total area of the park is 40,447 hectares and almost one third of that land is within the Bansko Municipality. Within the confines of the park are the reserves of Bayuvi Doupki -Dzhindzhiritsa (a biosphere reserve) and Yulen, 11 natural sites (waterfalls, caves, centuries-old trees), and 13 historical sites. What captures the imagination most of all is the mountains relief, the towering jagged peaks, the sheer cliffs and deep ravines, the scores of glacial cirques at the bottom of which lie the clear waters of no less than 186 lakes. The diversity of the flora and fauna is amazing - there being about 1000 species of plants and 172 species of vertebrates. The Pirin Range has large communities of beech, fir, black and white pine, spruce, and black and white fir. Especially valuable and of great interest are 
the Pirin Mountains' 70 Bulgarian endemic species, 30 of which are local, that is, they are to be found only in this national park. Most fascinating for the nature lover are the species to be found in the high Alpine pastures and among the craggy peaks such as the Pirin poppy, Brassika jordanoffii, Rhinanthus javorkae, Alchemilla pirinica, the magnificent edelweiss, and the fragrant Pirin wild thyme. The hikers are certainly most enthralled by the proud flight of the rock eagle and the unbelievable agility of the mountain goats.
The Pirin National Park is under the joint control of the Park Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (tel. 2240) and the Regional Environmental Protection Agency at the Ministry of Environment.
Bansko is the starting point for many of the most alluring tourist sites in the Pirin Mountains.
The locality of Chalin Valog (4 km by road or trail SW of Bansko) is one of the skiing zones in the vicinity. Here there are excellent facilities both for winter tourism (a ski drag, 2 ski runs, a roller-coaster) and summer hikes to Borova Polyana (Pine Meadow, 10 min NW), the locality of Mecha Polyana (polyana = meadow, 30 min SE), the Koutelo Peak (3.30 hrs SW), the Banski Souhodol Cirque (2.30 hrs SW) - one of its very challenging cliffs attracts the most experienced mountain climbers.
The locality of Todorova Ornitsa (7 km by car SW of Bansko) is a fine starting point for shorter walking tours such as those to the magnificent Yulenski Skok Waterfall of the Demyanitsa River (2 km along a track) and the remains of a fortress from Antiquity nearby; to Demyanishka Polyana * -5 km down a track. There is a hotel in the vicinity - the Todorova Ornitsa Departmental Holiday Home. The locality of Demyanishka Polyana - (12 km S of Bansko: 7 km by car and 5 km of track) is part of a glacial valley with the typical oval rock formations. Through this narrow valley flows the Demyanitsa River, forming rapids and falls along its course, most beautiful of these is the Demyanishki Skok Waterfall (designated as a natural site). Nearby (20 min NW) is the historical site of Glavite connected with the brave exploits of the haidouti (revolutionaries) of Terzi Nikola. Some 20 min southward is the Demyanitsa Hut, while to the SW lie the beautiful Strizhishki Ezera* (Strizhishki Lakes) in the cirque of the same name.
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