bansko

Bansko is a small town in the South West of Bulgaria 160 Km south of Sofia, the Bulgarian Capital. My research shows me that the estimated population is somwhere between 10,000 and 12,000, no-one seems to be sure. There have been people living on the site for hundreds of years and it was once a semi-autonomous town within the Ottoman Empire and the meeting place for many cultures. Now there is an attractive town of fortified buildings, many of which have very thick walls, some are artistically decorated. The town's center is a World Heritage Site. Bansko sits on the southern edge of a plateau which is surrounded by the Pirin, Rila and Rhodopa mountain ranges and is 925m above sea level. It is built at the foot of Vihren, at 2914m, the highest peak in the Pirin range. The climate is great, short dry summers with an average temperature of 23º C, long wet winters with an average temperature of
-1º C. An average 64 cm of rainfall falls, mostly in the winter months, as snow which is why Bansko was THE ski destination for many in the old Eastern Block.

Within Bansko are 130 architectral/historic monuments. Seven of these have National signifigance. There are also over 100 archeological sites. Probably the most photographed historic monument is the 30m high Bell Tower of the Saint Trinity Church, built in 1850 some 15 years after the church itself. Until the building of the Alexander Nevski Cathederal in Sofia this was Bulgaria's largest church. For the artistic there is the Icon Exhibition in the Old Hilendarian (Rilla) Cloister opened in 1986.

Behind the town is The Pirin National Park, another World Heritage Site, which covers approximately 100,000 acres. The rock is limestone. This park has about 180 lakes, many caves, waterfalls and pine forests. It is home to more than half of Bulgaria's flora and fauna, some endemic and rare.

Maybe you are begining to see why we are so in love with the town and it's surroundings and why it makes such a superb holiday destination. Take a look at the photos on this page and look in the Summer and Winter pages on this site for more information on what you can see and do.