Bankya

 

Historical and cultural sites, churches, the Bulgarian national racetrack, nature trails, tennis complexes, and the mineral beach attract numerous guests to Bankya. The town is also very close to the beautiful Lyulin mountain and offers many cultural events, organised during the traditional holidays “Goreshtlyatsi” /hot days/ of mineral water in July.

Sightseeing

  • The building of Mineral bath – built in 1907
  • The oak of Vazov – favorite place of the national writer Ivan Vazov
  • The church “Saint Kirik and Yulita” – built in 1932, consecrated by the Sofia metropolitan Stefan
  • Community Center “Father Paisii” – founded in 1928. The first grantor was the teacher Vladimir Markov. Today the community center has more than 20 000 volumes of books, both literature and scientific. It is the oldest cultural institute of the town. The main activities are a youth dance ensemble, a choir for old urban and folklore songs, a dance school, a rock band and a sports club
  • House-museum of Dimiter Blagoev – the creator of the Bulgarian Socialists Party and later Bulgarian Communist Party
  • Monastery “Saint Trinity” in Divotino
  • Monastery “Saint Petka” in Clisura

The healing quality of the mineral water and the favourable climate attracted people to Bankya since Ancient times. The first settlers on the territory of the town were Thracian tribes 2500 years ago. During archaeological research, remains from Roman buildings such as walls, sewers, and bronze bracelets were found, which proves that there were also Romans on this territory.

Over the years, a number of Bulgarian politicians have lived and worked in Bankya. Among them is Todor Zhivkov, who was the ex Prime-minister of The People’s Republic of Bulgaria, who had been the Leader of Bulgaria for 36 years /the longest time in our history/. He had created The Presidential Residence in Bankya, where he lived.

Bankya is a national centre of rehabilitation and prevention of cardio-vascular, neurological and musculoskeletal diseases. The fresh air and the healing mineral springs make Bankya a prestigious national and international resort and an ecological reserve of Sofia, characterised by greenery and a moderate temperate climate with a slight mountain breeze.