The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren (2,914 m high) the highest peak. The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in a national park, the Pirin National Park.
Pirin is the second highest mountain in Bulgaria after Rila (2,925 m) and the sixth highest in Europe. It has an area of 2,585 km² and an average height of 1,033 m. Pirin is set in the southwest of the country between the Struma and Mesta Rivers, bordering Rila to the north at the Predel Saddle (1,142 m) and Slavyanka to the south at the Parilska Saddle (1,170 m). Its length is about 60 km from the northwest to the southeast and its maximum width of is 40 km from the town of Sandanski to the village of Obidim.
North Pirin is the largest of the subdivisions and the mountain's downright part. It takes up 74% of the whole range's territory, being about 42 km long and ranging from Predel to the north to the Todorova Polyana Saddle (1,883 m) to the south. North Pirin is the most often visited part of the mountain, the only one to have an Alpine appearance, featuring many lakes, resthouses and shelters, and also the one where the highest peak, Vihren, is located.
Pirin National Park is a World Heritage national park that encompasses the larger part of the Pirin Mountains in the southwest of Bulgaria. It has an area of 274 km² and lies at an altitude from 1,008 to 2,914 m.
Two nature reserves are located within the boundaries of the park, Bayuvi Dupki — Dzhindzhiritsa, one of the oldest in the country, and Yulen.
The park's boundaries and size have standed many changes through the course of history.
Vihren National Park was created on 8 November 1962 with the purpose of preservation of the forests in the highest parts of the mountain. The park had an area of 62 km², which is a small part of its modern territory. It was renamed to Pirin People's Park in 1974 with a ministerial decree and its territory was considerably enlarged.
A separate park administration was established in 1979 with its seat in Bansko. The park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983, and after a protected areas law was approved in 1998, the area was proclaimed a national park, embracing a territory of 403.32 km².
The huge relief diversity of the park is the reason for the variety of plant species on its territory, making it one of the most botanically interesting areas in Bulgaria. General examination of Pirin's flora have been conducted at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. A huge number of animal species are preserved in the park, a cause of the relief diversity and southernly location.
There are several legends about who founded Bansko. According to one of them, Bansko was founded by people who lived in Dobarsko, a village in Rila itself, founded by the blinded army of Tsar Samuil.
Another legend claims that Bansko was founded by an Italian painter by the name of Ciociolino, thus the existense of the name Chucholin in Bansko.
Still according to another legend it was a Slavic tribe called the Peruns, who lived in Pirin and worshiped Perun, 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.
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.
Until 5th Octobor 1912, Bansko was a part of the Ottoman Empire, 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 Turkish judge in Razlog. It was incorporated in Bulgaria in 1912 as a result of the First Balkan War.
Bansko is among those Bulgarian towns which Fate had destined to play a noteworthy role in the historic development of our, nation especially during the colossal national upsurge during the Revival Period. Its achievements cannot be touched by the relentless passage of time. They lie in the unique houses of Banskalii with their tall pinewood gates and carved-wood ceilings, in the architecture and the fine iconostasis of churches, in the daring brushstroke of the icons painted by local iconographers, for here Past and Present are interwoven in a way that is at once distinctive and original.
The closeness of the proud Pirin mountain range brings a spirit of freedom-loving and broadness of views, it makes people strong and independent. During the bleak years of Ottoman rule, Bansko became a stronghold of Bulgarian spirit.
Bansko, once mainly a stockbreeding and travelling merchant community, has nowadays become a center 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, located only 5 km from the town, is known for its 27 thermal mineral springs.
A new gondola lift 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. 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.
Bansko is a town of notable past, honourable present and stable future that brought through the centuries, preserved and developed the unique and ever-seeking spirit of Bulgarians.
