Bansko skiing

Bansko is Bulgaria's No. 1 ski resort, having the best and most modern ski centre of all Bulgarian ski resorts. During the recent years a multi-million euros investment in a brand new skiing area has been made by Yulen, the company which has the licence to run the skiing area of the resort. Bansko has the best snow record and the longest ski season (15 Dec - 15 May) of all Bulgarian ski resorts. During the last couple of years this resort is under a massive investment process with new hotels and resort facilities being under construction. A brand new resort area with super luxury hotels and holiday apartments is being developed just opposite the Gondola, which also makes Bansko the resort with the best hotels.
Bansko has developed into a favourite ski & snowboard destination, thanks to the excellent ski facilities combined with the unique architecture and historical significance.
The town of Bansko is located on 925 m. above sea level, and its skiing area is on 2000-2600 m. The Pirin mountain has a predominantly Alpine character and highest peak in the area is Vihren 2914 m.
The ski pistes are located in two main ski - centres- CHALIN VALOG (1100-1600m) and SHILIGARNIKA (1700-2500m). They are approximately 10 kilometers above the town on the northern slopes of Pirin, and are easily accessible for approx. 25 minutes on the new Gondola lift which starts from Bansko. The total length of the marked pistes is 65 kilometers.
Although the resort is world famous for not more than 10 years it has a lot to offer to its guests. The resort has excellent snow conditions with great snow cover from December untill May.
44 Technoalpine snow cannons cover most of the slopes and make the ski season last longer. The maximum pleasure from the various ski pistes is guaranteed by 12 Kassbohrer slope maintenance vehicles. Thus the slopes offer runs and tracks for all types of skiers and will suit both beginners and experts. Read more about the development of Bansko's ski center here.
The snowboard lovers can enjoy the first on the Balkans fun park where people from all over the world are lead by the passion of the extreme. They can build jumps suiting their taste and abilities.
Every day skiers and snowboarders can take part in the competitions on the new piste on Shiligarnika.
The lifts and pistes operator in Bansko takes care for the maximum comfort of the skier and snowboarders with the exclusive 8-seats Gondola cable car by Dopplemayer, five 4- seat lifts of the latest Doppelmayer models, one 3-seat lift by Poma, 7 drags and 10 baby drags. The total length of the wire equipment in the resort is 26 kilometers. All ski equipment can be used by one chip-card from SkiData.
Huge monitors showing pictures from the different pistes is based on the starting station of the Gondola. Thus people will have more information of the wind and temperature conditions before climbing up on the slope.
Slalom and Giant slalom runs are available. Bansko offers a cross-country track with a total length of 5 km. A 3 km ski run Rollbahn track is situated 2 km far from the town.
  

The History of Bansko Municipality

Bansko Bulgarian Municipality is a public organisation of local self-government in the village of Bansko (today a town), established circa 1850. The Bansko Bulgarian Municipality is a continuation of the all-village community council founded in 1833 by Lazar German for raising funds, materials and labour force for the construction and iconography of the Sveta Troitsa church, which was consecrated in 1835. Prominent merchants and craftsmen were elected to serve as village council elders. The Council’s activity during the 60-70s mainly consisted in fighting off Greek church authorities in order to gain independence for the Bulgarian church and set the ground for development of educational and cultural activities in the village. By the Council’s initiative a new school was built (1857), the "mutual school" was upgraded to a class school, Revival period newspapers and literature started to be disseminated. The municipality organised the construction of the bell tower of the "Sveta Troitsa” church (1850) and the mounting of the clock (1865). During the 70s, together with other municipalities from the Razlog region, the town council fought back against Protestant propaganda. The Bansko Bulgarian Municipality assisted financially families that suffered after the crush of the Kresnensko-Razlozhko uprising 1878 - 1879 and the Ilinden uprising 1903. During the Balkan war, at the liberation of Bansko (October 1912), the municipality organised the collection of food and clothes for Bulgarian army and the volunteer groups of VMORO (Internal Macedonian Odrin Revolutionary Organisation). The new five-member municipal authority, elected in 1912 and headed by Mayor Asen Todev, was included in the newly established state administrative structure of Bulgaria.

Culture

Bansko is an important cultural centre for the region. According to historic records, the settlement was first established about 9th -10th century A.D. on the site where ancient Thracian settlements had existed. In the 18th century it was mentioned as a large and prosperous village of thriving crafts and trade reaching as far as the Aegean and Europe.
Bansko is the centre of a historically important arts school. In the 18th and early 19th century talented painters and woodcarvers created works of art in the houses and churches of Bansko, the Rila Monastery, the monasteries on Mount Athos, Serbia and Macedonia. The most famous painters belonged to the Molerovi clan, starting from its founder Toma Vishanov. During the second half of the 19th century another group of painters lead by Usta (Master) Ognyan Ognev made the decorative elements in the "Sveta Troitsa" church, Velyanova Kashta etc. Also famed were other craftsmen and painters such as Angel Velyanov, Mihalko Golev, Dimitar Sirleshtov , Ivan Terziev, Nikola Benin. Bansko gained renown for its woodcarving and local masters.
A monastery school was opened in Bansko in 1817 or 1838 and in 1848 a "mutual school" was founded. Bansko is the birthplace of nationally admired enlighteners, revolutionaries and poets such as Paisii Hilendarski - the author of "Istoriya Slavenobolgarskaya" (History of Slavo-Bulgars)(1762), Neofit Rilski - the founder of secular education and the first Bulgarian encyclopaedist, Nikola Vaptsarov - a remarkable Bulgarian poet of international renown.
Original fortified and artistically decorated houses have been preserved from the 18th and 19th century, built almost entirely of stone, with small barred windows, tall walls, heavy metal-plated gates and interconnected by narrow and winding cobble-stone streets. Remarkable as architectural monuments and examples of fine art are the Velyanova, Benina, Sirleshtova, Todeva, Molerova, Dragostinova, Sharkova houses. The Sveta Troitsa church, the bell tower with the big clock, the midlevel church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" with its remarkable wood-carved iconostasis make for fine accents in Bansko's atmosphere. Also noteworthy are the museum houses and collections, souvenir shops and romantic holiday residences, hotels and taverns cuddled in the narrow and picturesque streets.

Places to see

Bansko has been declared a unique town of international importance to commercial tourism (1979). Apart from the beautiful Pirin and the numerous spots of natural beauty the town also boasts its many historic sites. Remains of ancient fortresses have been preserved in the Staroto Gradishte (Stankale) locality about 4 km southwest of the town and also in the Yulen locality (downstream Demyanitsa river). Thracian tumuli have been uncovered in the vicinity of Staroto Gradishte. Archaeological works have unearthed a 2nd century B.C. burial site containing a set of bronze surgical instruments, remains of medicinal preparations etc. in the centuries-old Dobrokyovitsa locality (west of Bansko). Scientists assume that a medieval settlement used to exist in the Sveta Troitsa (Holy Trinity) locality (northeast of town). Southeast of Bansko are remains of the late-medieval single-nave churches "St George" and "St Elijah".
Bansko is the birthplace of famous Bulgarian enlighteners, poets, writers, painters, iconographers and revolutionaries: Mile Bizev, Y. Vaptsarov, Nikola Vaptsarov, M. Vezyov, Lazar German, B. Golev, hadji K. Dagaradin, Lazar Konchagov, M. Kolchagov, Toma Vishanov, Dimitar Molerov , Simeon Molerov, Neofit Rilski, Paisii Hilendarski, Ivan Popstefanov, Mile Rahov, Terzi Nikola, Asen Todev, Blago Todev, Nikola Furnadjiev etc. Monuments commemorating Nikola Vaptsarov (1956, sculpture by Iliya Iliev) and Paisii Hilendarski (1976, sculpture by StoichoTodorov) have been erected in the town.
Bansko is famous for its well-preserved traditions and culture, its original Revival-period architecture and its local culinary specialities (Banski shashlik, Banska kapama). Visitors to this mountain town have always left it captivated by the spirit of Banskalii (Bansko residents) wishing they could once again return to the heart of Pirin; to one with nature is something everyone craves for in their hurried everyday lives.

Bansko Art School

The Revival-period Art School is one of the most striking phenomena in Bulgarian cultural history during the 18th and 19th centuries. Its representatives - iconographers, wood-carvers and builders, greatly contributed to progressive changes in artistic thinking during the Revival period. Their artistic heritage is up there among the most significant achievements of Bulgarian national genius. They collaborated with representatives of other cultural centres - the towns of Samokov, Tryavna, Debar, but for over one century they preserved the unrivalled signature style of their works. Bansko's rising economic affluence during the 18th and 19th centuries and active trade relations with other cultural centres in Western Europe naturally lead to an upsurge in spiritual life. Relations with Mount Athos and the Rila Monastery played an important role in this respect.

Bansko Men's Vocal Group

The amateur group of the Nikola Yonkov Vapsarov Model Community Centre, Bansko. It was founded in 1962 by Ivan Matsurev and includes about 10 vocalists (1993). The ensemble p erforms local songs in the distinct Pirin two-part singing (dvuglas) where the tune is sung (lead) by one singer, and the second part is being "put" (supported) by the other. There is usually no instrumental accompaniment; sometimes only the horo-dancing songs are accompanied by bagpipe or mandolin. The group gives frequent concert performances. Its artistic proficiency has been captured on film by the Bulgarian television a number of times and broadcast in many radio shows.

Bansko Museum Complex

State-of-the-art technology is used here to present the unique historic, architectural and artistic heritage and prominent local residents. The complex includes the "Nikola Vaptsarov" Museum House , the Arts Home; the Ethnographic Exhibition&Bazaar ; Permanent Icons Exhibition; The Velyanova House - a monument of the Revival period; The Neo fit Rilski Museum House; The Town Museum of History; The Museum of History of the village of Eleshnitsa containing numerous Neolithic finds (VI- IV millennium B. C. ) Bansko is an important cultural centre for the region. According to historic records, the settlement was first established about 9th -10th century A.D. on the site where ancient Thracian settlements had existed. In the 18th century it was mentioned as a large and prosperous village of thriving crafts and trade reaching as far as the Aegean and Europe.
Bansko is the centre of a historically important arts school. In the 18th and early 19th century talented painters and woodcarvers created works of art in the houses and churches of Bansko, the Rila Monastery, the monasteries on Mount Athos, Serbia and Macedonia. The most famous painters belonged to the Molerovi clan, starting from its founder Toma Vishanov. During the second half of the 19th century another group of painters lead by Usta (Master) Ognyan Ognev made the decorative elements in the "Sveta Troitsa" church, Velyanova Kashta etc. Also famed were other craftsmen and painters such as Angel Velyanov, Mihalko Golev, Dimitar Sirleshtov , Ivan Terziev, Nikola Benin. Bansko gained renown for its woodcarving and local masters.
A monastery school was opened in Bansko in 1817 or 1838 and in 1848 a "mutual school" was founded. Bansko is the birthplace of nationally admired enlighteners, revolutionaries and poets such as Paisii Hilendarski - the author of "Istoriya Slavenobolgarskaya" (History of Slavo-Bulgars)(1762), Neofit Rilski - the founder of secular education and the first Bulgarian encyclopaedist, Nikola Vaptsarov - a remarkable Bulgarian poet of international renown.
Original fortified and artistically decorated houses have been preserved from the 18th and 19th century, built almost entirely of stone, with small barred windows, tall walls, heavy metal-plated gates and interconnected by narrow and winding cobble-stone streets. Remarkable as architectural monuments and examples of fine art are the Velyanova, Benina, Sirleshtova, Todeva, Molerova, Dragostinova, Sharkova houses. The Sveta Troitsa church, the bell tower with the big clock, the midlevel church "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" with its remarkable wood-carved iconostasis make for fine accents in Bansko's atmosphere. Also noteworthy are the museum houses and collections, souvenir shops and romantic holiday residences, hotels and taverns cuddled in the narrow and picturesque streets.