Bansko

The Bansko city is situated at the foot of the north-eastern part of the Pirin Mountains and it is 925 m above sea level. The population is about 9 500 people.
It`s 6 km south of Razlog, 60 km south-east of Blagoevgrad and 160 km south of Sofia.

In the past had been built two- storeyed stone houses, resembling fortresses with their high walls, long eaves and solid gates. The first houses from XIX century were protected with loop- holes in the wallsThe city is located under the highest and most beautiful Karst of the mountain. The high - echo- friendly environment of the city combined with its unique folklore and the architecture from the Bulgarian national revival makes the city very popular to the outside world. The city museum is a crossroad of ancient and modern history. The unique outlook of the city is derived from the old fortresses built in the past, with two floors, high- walls, heavy gates, and large roof made from white- fir. The three oldest buildings in the city were erected in 19th century and they are named by their owners - Hadjivalchovata, Hadjiruskova and Velianova. These buildings have underground and loophole. The interiors are of rich decoration of wall paintings and paintings.

Another architectural masterpiece in the city is a church - St. Troitsa (Holy Trinity), build in 1885, including groups of other houses with the same name like the church.

Bansko, is actively attractive throughout the four seasons of the year, and it has been declared a unique tourist resort. It’s among the highest rated tourist attraction in Bulgaria by tourist. And it has modern hotels of all class. It’s famous for ski sports because the location of the city allows favorable conditions for ski from the month of December to April. In the resort area, the ski tracks have a length of 50 km and 1100 m to 2550 m above sea level.

The ski resort in Bansko has one cabin lift, six open lifts and nine rope-lines.

Due to the positive energy present in this atmosphere, a traditional summer jazz festival is organized on annual basis, featuring famous Bulgarian and foreign jazz singers.

Places of interest: Dobarsko, Rila Monastery