This charming town of Bansko is unique and steeped
with authentic architecture from the Bulgarian Revival
period. Don't be surprised if an ox and cart pass
you on the narrow cobbled streets, it has managed
to mix the traditional Bulgarian culture with the
modern amenities which now exist in Bansko. The many
‘Mexahanas’ or commonly called Mehanas”
(traditional Bulgarian restaurants) offer delicious
fresh tasty dishes, whilst the five star hotels can
fulfill those less adventurous taste buds, all at
a fraction of the price you would pay in the Alpine
resorts.
Bansko is already competing with the traditional
Alpine ski resorts but has the added advantage of
being much more affordable, ideal for the first time
and intermediate skier, it is also gaining a reputation
for excellent off-piste skiing - it has something
for everybody and if you don't ski you can just relax
in the many spa's and sauna's. Pirin Place is ideally
situated for the ski-lift and with the ski rental
shops and the best apres ski venues just a short walk
from the apartment, this makes for a wonderful holiday
for
everyone.
Population : 10,000 people Nearest Airport : Sofia…..about
two and a half hours by taxi or minibus.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Delicious Bulgarian meals and local red wine are
easy to find. There are scores of places to dine out,
predominantly local-style “mehana” restaurants.
Live performances of local artists are common in the
“mehana” restaurants. The peculiar local
cuisine includes traditional meals, such as Kapama,
Chomlek, Banski Starets. Some of these great eateries
are only a minutes walk from the apartment at Pirin
Place. A list of restaurants can be found on the Bars
& Restaurants page of this web site.
SIGHTSEEING AND CULTURE
Popular sites include the St. Trinity Church, Velyanova
House, Neofit Rilski Museum-house, Nikola Vaptsarov
Museum-house, Poetry and arts house, numerous souvenir
shops. Local men dress as Koukeri on Januray 1st and
chase away evil spirits from the streets of Bansko.
Other prominent events include the Easter concert,
the Bansko Traditional Festival in May, the Bansko
Jazz Fest in Summer and a Christmas concert during
the Festive season.
BANSKO – not just a Cultural haven.
This is one of the most frequented Bulgarian towns,
160 km south of Sofia, 60 km southeast of Blagoevgrad,
6 km south of Razlog and about 50 km north of Gotse
Delchev. Its extremely fine location, rich cultural
and historical heritage, excellent conditions for
sports and holidaymaking have turned it into an attractive
tourist centre.
Bansko was first mentioned as an independent settlement
in 1576. By that time the population had lived in
little scattered hamlets. During the 17th-18th century
it flourished economically and culturally, gradually
becoming a rich settlement of developed crafts and
trade. The caravans of the Bansko people traveled
between the Aegean Sea and Central Europe, carrying
goods of wood, hides and iron to the markets there,
bringing back cotton, fish, olive oil, etc. During
that period whole families of Bansko became rich.
By traveling extensively they were bringing the culture
of different countries and cities. Some of them sent
their children to study abroad. Along with the improvement
of their lifestyle, many inhabitants of Bansko began
to build two-floor fortress houses, which characteristic
with their architecture, at the same time also providing
the safety of their owners from the inroads of brigands.
The town's history dates back to ancient times. According
to the many legends and local tales, some of which
claim historic truthfulness, the founding of Bansko
can be traced back to the period of the Ottoman invasion
(15th-16th century). It was back then that Bansko
was mentioned for the first time as a centralised
settlement in an official document (an Ottoman register
of 1576). Prior to that time the population inhabited
several separate small hamlets. The lack of any data
on the development of the region in earlier times
was to some extent filled by rchaeological excavation
and research. Findings were diverse and encompass
all historic periods from rehistory to antiquity to
the Middle Ages. They come as proof that Banskalii
did not spring up in our history out of the blue but
had evolved through the centuries. Today's town is
the centre of a "necklace" of ancient settlements
and was obviously founded by their inhabitants.
The History Museum is part of the
rich Bansko Museum Compound, including some of the
most significant cultural and historical landmarks
of the town.
Velyanov’s house, with its
original woodcarvings and murals, is a superb model
of Revival Period architecture. It was built in the
early 19th century for Velyan Ognev, a master builder
and icon painter, who was also the author of the original
murals.
Benin House (Neophit Rilski Museum
House) has typical Bansko rchitecture of the late
18th century. Outstanding Revival Period figure Neophit
Rilski (lay name Nikola Benin) was born and lived
here until 1811. A permanent exhibition of icons is
on show in the Rila Nunnery, the oldest building (1749)
in the town.
Nikola Vaptzarov House Museum recreates
the lifestyle of the family, in which poet Vaptsarov
grew up. On display are personal possessions of the
poet, while a documentary exhibition is arranged in
the ground floor. The museum compound also includes
an ethnographic exhibition and bazaar, a home of the
arts, and the history museum in the village if Eleshnitsa,
displaying rich finds from the 6th-4th century B.C.
The Church of the Holy Trinity
(1835) is emblematic for Bansko. Its mural paintings,
woodcarvings and architectural layout are fully in
the spirit of the Bansko School of Art. Some of its
most outstanding representatives had worked on the
church: masters Velyan Ognev and Dimitur Molerov.
In 1850, master builder Grigor Doyuv built a belfry
(29.5 m) in the churchyard. Ever since that time the
church and the belfry have been a remarkable ensemble,
dominating the town skyline. In 1865 a clock mechanism
was assembled in the tower (made by Todor Hadzhiradonov).
In this way it became one of the very few architectural
models of that time, combining the functions of a
church belfry and a town clock.
Sirleshtov’s house resembles
a small fortress with walls about one metre thick,
narrow and dark loopholes, barred windows and heavy
doors.
Todev’s/Bouinov’s house (1835)
is a model of high building skill and a fine sense
of beauty and harmony. The dominating monument of
Paissi Hilendarski [of Hilendar] (1976) is the work
of sculptor Stoicho Todorov.
Bansko is a town of honour, having a
notable past and a stable future – a hamlet
that has been brought through the centuries, preserved
and developed by the unique spirit of the Bansko eople
and following the true traditions of Bulgaria.
