The town of Bansko has a population of 9 000 inhabitants and is a municipal centre with 7 component settlements. The town is situated on a plateau at the northeastern foot of Pirin Mountains at an altitude of 925m. Bansko lies 59 km southeast of the district town of Blagevgrad. The town is a famous winter resort with a unique Revival architecture, lifestyle and culture. More than 150 houses in the town are proclaimed for architectural monuments. The archaeological findings in the region show that it has been populated since the Ancient times. As a separate settlement Bansko appears in the registry books for the first time in 1576. During XVII-XVIII the town has an economic growth and turns into a craftsman's and trade centre.

The tourist sights of the town are: the church "Sveta Bogoroditsa" / Holy Virgin/ with a wood-carved iconostasis from XVIII c., "Sveta Troitza" /Holy Trinity/ with a bell-clock tower (1835), the Velyanov's house, the Benin's house, the Sirleshtov's house, the Todev's house and the house-museum "Nikola Vaptzarov"

The Bansko art school appears at the end of XVIII c. Its founder is Toma Vishanov (The Moler). Representatives of the Bansko art school work in the Rila Monastery, the Aton's Monasteries (in present Greece), Bansko, Razlog and the adjacent villages.

The town is a famous winter resort. The ski season is guaranteed from December till May thanks to the 30 cannons generating artificial snow. The perfect quality of the 56 k long ski runs and the ski roads is obtained due to their treatment with 12 snow treading machines. 6 km away from Bansko is situated the village of Dobrnishte. In the region of Dobrinishte there are archaeological findings of a Thracian, Roman and late-Ancient period settlements (I-IV c). Dorinishte is a climate and balneological centre with 17 mineral springs with a temperature of 30-43^o C suitable for healing diseases of the locomotory system, the nervous system, gynecological, skin and other diseases.

Tourist sights

The "Sveta Troitza"/Holy Trinity/ church in Bansko is built in 1835. The mural paintings and the wood carving are done by representatives of the Bansko art school. In 1850 is built a bell-tower of 19,50 m height on which afterwards is mounted a clock. The church is finished in the XIV c. and is later on restored in XVIII c. The church has a precious iconostasis.

The Rila Convent in Bansko is built in 1794 and houses a permanent exhibition of icons.

The Velyanov's house in Bansko is a Revival period house with unique wood carvings and mural decoration. The house is built in XIX c.

The Benin's house in Bansko is a typical house for the region from XVIII c. Here has lived the famous Revival benefactor Neofit Rilski.

The Museum of Nikola Vaptzarov in Bansko represents the lifestyle of the family with exhibits of the poet's personal belongings. Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov is a well-known Bulgarian poet. He creates humanitarian poetry. His poems have been translated to more than 30 languages.