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Bansko is a town and ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
, located at the foot of Pirin
Pirin

The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide....
  at an altitude of 925 m above sea level. It is considered to be the most developed Ski and Winter Resort in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
.

Bansko is the birthplace of 20th century Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov
Nikola Vaptsarov

Nikola Vaptsarov was a Bulgarian poet, communist and revolutionary. He was born in Bansko to a Bulgarian militant father and a Protestantism in Bulgaria mother....
 and Bulgarian enlighteners Paisiy Hilendarski (sometimes disputed) and Neofit Rilski
Neofit Rilski

Neofit Rilski or Neophyte of Rila , born Nikola Poppetrov Benin was a 19th-century Bulgarian monk, teacher and artist, and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival....
.

e are several legends about who founded Bansko.






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Bansko is a town and ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria

The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....
, located at the foot of Pirin
Pirin

The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide....
  at an altitude of 925 m above sea level. It is considered to be the most developed Ski and Winter Resort in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
.

Bansko is the birthplace of 20th century Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov
Nikola Vaptsarov

Nikola Vaptsarov was a Bulgarian poet, communist and revolutionary. He was born in Bansko to a Bulgarian militant father and a Protestantism in Bulgaria mother....
 and Bulgarian enlighteners Paisiy Hilendarski (sometimes disputed) and Neofit Rilski
Neofit Rilski

Neofit Rilski or Neophyte of Rila , born Nikola Poppetrov Benin was a 19th-century Bulgarian monk, teacher and artist, and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival....
.

Legends

There are several legends about who founded Bansko. According to one of them, Bansko was founded by people who lived in Dobarsko
Dobarsko

Dobarsko is a village in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Razlog municipality, Blagoevgrad Province. It is set at 1,070 m above sea level on the southern slopes of Rila with the westernmost Rhodope Mountains to the east and Pirin to the south near the valley of the Mesta River....
, a village in Rila
Rila

Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 metre....
, itself according to a legend founded by the blinded army of Tsar Samuil
Samuil of Bulgaria

Samuel was the Emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 980 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria, the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal authority....
. Another legend claims that Bansko was founded by an Italian
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 painter by the name of Ciociolino, hence the existence of the name Chucholin in Bansko.

Still according to another version it was a Slavic tribe called the Peruns, who lived in Pirin and worshiped Perun
Perun

In Slavic mythology, Perun is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. His other attributes were the fire, mountains, the oak, iris , eagle, firmament , horses and carts, weapons and war....
, that founded the village later to become a town. There are a number of ethnographic texts, legends, prayers and oratories, which lend credence to this legend.

History

The archeological traces of the inhabitants of Bansko and the Razlog Valley
Razlog Valley

The Razlog Valley is a valley in southwestern Bulgaria located between the high Rila , Pirin and Rhodope Mountains . The nature of the valley was influenced by both the Alps character of Rila and Pirin and the Mediterranean climate of the Aegean Sea from the south....
 in general date to the early periods of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. There are several housing structures at the outskirts of the town, which date to 100 BC. However, there is no consensus nor credible theory on who these people were.

The Bulgarian Evangelical
Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestantism Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for Biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus....
 Church Community, the first Protestant
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
 church in Bulgaria, was founded in Bansko on 6 August 1868.

Until 5 October 1912, Baniçka (Bansko's former name) was a part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
, but enjoyed a quasi self-rule autonomy granted by the sultan. The town was ruled by an assembly of the elders, while justice was administered by the Ottoman judge in Razlog
Razlog

Razlog is a town and ski resort in the Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II....
. It was incorporated in Bulgaria in 1912 as a result of the First Balkan War
First Balkan War

The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success....
.

Bansko today

Bansko, once mainly a stockbreeding and travelling merchant community, has nowadays become a centre of winter and summer tourism. The mountain peaks near the town, the numerous lakes and the old pine woods make it a popular site for recreation. In recent years, the town has gained international popularity after the start of the annual Bansko Jazz Festival and consequently the annual Bansko pop-star concert featuring top pop stars. The nearby village of Banya
Banya

'Banya' may refer to:* Banya , a traditional Russian steam bath* BanYa, a South Korean musical group* ...
, located only 5 km from the town, is known for its 27 thermal mineral springs
Hot spring

A hot spring is a Spring that is produced by the emergence of Geothermal groundwater from the earth's crust . There are hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas....
.

A new gondola lift
Gondola lift

A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel Wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers....
 was built in 2003 to replace a minibus ride up to the ski slopes of Todorka. Several other gondolas and ski lifts are in the process of being built.The slopes are suitable for all level skiers - from the very beginners to ones who love extreme slopes. The town is developing very well by organising different competitions (alpine ski disciplines and also biathlon competitiions).In Bansko will take part - the women's world cup for the alpine ski discplines. It is expected that the world cup for summer biathlon will also take part in the resort of Bansko. These developments, along with the construction of extensive housing and recreational facilities around the gondola (which is on the southwest end of the town by the river), have made Bansko a popular and growing destination.

The town is served by a scenic narrow gauge railway from Septemvri
Septemvri

Septemvri is a Bulgarian town located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, 19km to the west of the town of Pazardzhik....
 to Dobrinishte
Dobrinishte

Dobrinishte is a small town and ski resort in the Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria. it has 2973 inhabitants. It is located 6 km east of Bansko, a famous winter resort....
.

Since the 2008–2009 season
2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 43rd Alpine skiing World Cup season began on 25 October 2008 in S?lden, Austria, and is scheduled to conclude on 14 March 2009 at the World Cup finals in ?re , Sweden....
, Bansko has been hosting ladies' races from the Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup

The alpine skiing World Cup is a circuit of alpine skiing competitions launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the United States Ski Team ....
.

Honour

Bansko Peak
Bansko Peak

Bansko Peak is a 280m rocky peak in the eastern extremity of the Delchev Ridge in the Tangra Mountains of Livingston Island. The peak was named after the town of Bansko in Southwestern Bulgaria....
 on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula....
, Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
 is named after the town of Bansko.

Gallery

Image:Bansko,_Bulgaria_9.jpg|Traditional Bulgarian mountain house in Bansko Image:House-museum of Nikola Vaptsarov svik.JPG|Nikola Vaptsarov Memorial House Image:Bansko, Bulgaria 6.jpg|Skiers Image:Bansko hotel.jpg|Hotel Image:Bansko-mehani-ngruev.JPG|Traditional taverns in a narrow street of Bansko

External links