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Southwestern Bulgaria >> Sandanski
The town is named after the great Bulgarian revolutionary Yane Sandanski who fought for the liberation of Macedonia from the Turkish rule. It is 23 km north-east of Petrich, 22 km north of Koulata (the border checkpoint with Greece), 65 km south of Blagoevgrad and 166 km north of Sofia. The area of Sandanski has the best climate in the whole of Bulgaria and if one adds up the hot mineral springs (33°-83°C) it becomes evident why the town has turned into a resort of international significance.
History. On the place of the present day town there was an old Thracian settlement that had sprung up near the hot mineral springs. The first inhabitants were the tribe called medi. With the arrival of the Romans, the small settlement was extended and improved. The curative springs were impounded and a big public bath (asklepion) was built. Most probably, the settlement grew into a town during the reign of Emperor Pius (138-161) and was surrounded by fortification walls made of pebble stones from the local river. The town reached cultural and economic boom during the time of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian II (527-565). After 6th century, the town was destroyed. The Slavonic tribe called strimontsi (stroumentsi) settled here; they named the settlement Sveti Vrach, meaning Saint Healer. According to the legend, this name is connected with two folk healers - the brothers Kozma and Damyan. The settlement was included in the territory of the Bulgarian Kingdom during the reign of Khan Pressian (836-852). During the Ottoman domination, Sveti Vrach fell into decay and turned into a small village. In the year of its liberation -1912 (the Balkan War) its population was no more than 500 inhabitants (the nearby town of Melnik had a population of 12 000 inhabitants at the time). Many refugees from the Aegean region settled in the area in 1913-1925. Nowadays the town is one of the most significant centers in Europe for treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory track and the lungs.
Landmarks. On entering the town along the road where the main Sofia-Koulata-Athens road forks the visitor faces the architectural and sculptural complex (a monument) among which the white seven-meter high stone statue of the ancient hero Spartacus rises. In the centre of the town is the Museum of Archaeology (2, Macedonia Street, tel.: 0746 3118, 3188, 2287, 2540) exhibiting remains of the Episcopal Basilica and treasuring material evidence of more than 27 centuries. Particular attention should be paid to the St. Georgi Church from 1861 - it is the only building preserved from the Revival Period (10, St. St. Cyiril and Methodius Street, tel.: 0746 2428). The Town Art Gallery, 51, Macedonia Street, tel.: 0746 5165), Likin Art Gallery, 3, Melnik Street, tel.: 0746 2231.
Accommodation. Sandanski offers great accommodation opportunities. The biggest and most prestigious is the 4-star Sandanski Interhotel situated at the entrance of the Sveti Vrach Park. Here are 2-star hotels: Andoni, Bacheto, Kartalovets, Mramor, Sveti Vrach, in the town centre, Yug, Spartak (2, Macedonia Street), Garant. The Sports Resort Complex (Base 1 and Base 2) near the Sveti Vrach Park offers excellent opportunities. There are several motels, rest homes with accommodation facilities and a camping site called Chetvurti Kilometre (4th kilometer) on the road to the village of Lilyanovo, and Popina Luka Holiday Resort. There are more than 30 private lodgings in Sandanski.
Tourist information. One can obtain information at Sandanski Tourist Information Bureau at 1, Bulgaria Square (Otets Paisii Communal Cultural Centre), tel.: 0746 22549, fax: 0746 2403, e-mail: bicc@omega.bg and at the Council on Tourism (2800 Sandanski, 4, General Todorov Str).
Transport. Sandanski is an important point on the international road and railway lines Sofia-Koulata-Athens and this in itself determines the type of the transport links. There is bus transport to and from the town, which forms a branched net in the adjacent towns and villages. The bus station is located in the centre of the town on the right bank of the Sandanska Bistritsa River (17, Peroun Street, tel.-0746 2130, 2134, 2137, 2140). There is railway transport connecting Sandanski to the big towns of Blagoevgrad, Doupnitsa, Pernik and the capital city Sofia as well as to the rest of the railway system of the country. The railway station is 4 km west of the town and there is a regular bus line in this direction (tel.: 0746 2213, 2235, and 2413). In the town, there are several regular bus lines. Parks. The town of Sandanski, as well as Bulgaria, as a whole is proud of the unique Town Park called since 1891 with the old name of the town - Sveti Vrach. Its territory is 344 decares. More than 100 tree species and more than 150 flower species grow here. One can see here old hollow plane trees, slender cedars and sequoias, evergreen tui, branchy willows, pine-trees, pomegranates, fig trees, wild geranium, garden geranium, all sorts of roses, etc. The small stone slopes resemble the Alpine outlook of the white marble massif of Pirin Mountain rising to the east. Suspension bridges hang over the foamy and rapid Sandanska Bistritsa River. A number of alleys, wooden alcoves, playgrounds for children and other specific corners offer unique conditions for rest and entertainment. The verdure of the park surrounds the town stadium, the open-air theatre, the open-air swimming pool, an artificial lake with a bar, a lot of boats and water wheels, an original restaurant with separate niches in the shape of casks, etc. At the very gate of the park, a unique ferroconcrete map of Northern Pirin was made and installed by Nikola Mironski, a well-known Bulgarian mountaineer. The Town Park has naturally merged in the bigger forest-park that surrounds the town as in a horseshoe, which people call the green necklace of Sandanski.
Surrounding areas. 24 km southeast is the town-museum of Melnik, 6 km further on is the Rozhen Monastery (refer to the Pirin Mountain related chapter herein). 18 km northeast within Pirin is the Popina Luka Resort (1230 m above sea level). Many private villas, bars and restaurants, and several hotels (The Vodopada (the Waterfall) Hotel, the Kotarite Hotel) are situated here. The R. Bozhinov Villa is also opened for guests. Within the holiday resort is the Yane Sandanski Chalet offering 70 beds (tel.: 0746 3198 - Edelweiss Tourist Association). The eleven-meter high Popina Luka Waterfall is located at the Bashliitsa River (one of the initial tributaries of Sandanska Bistritsa River) running through the Popina Luka Resort. The resort is a point of departure for several marked tourist routes in Pirin - refer to the points of departure in the section about Pirin Mountain herein. The telephone of the Mountain Rescue Service in Sandanski is 0746 4013.
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