BULGARIA 617

Bansko 5
Банско

160 km (100 miles) S of Sofia.

• 10,000. £ @  n
  pl. Nikola Vaptsarov, (0749) 885 800.
  _ Pirin Sings (Aug, even years).
  http://www.bansko.bg

The small mountain town
of Bansko lies just below the
jag ged peaks of the Pirin
Mountains. Founded in the
9th century, it remained
obscure until the 19th century,
when its prospering mer-
chants began to fund the
build ing of churches here.
Famous as the birthplace of
19th-century scholar Neofit
Rilski, the town is also closely
associated with Bulgarian
nationalism. Another of its
famous sons is Father Paisii,
whose semi nal work Slavo-
Bulgarian History provided
the impetus for the begin nings
of the National Revival.
Bansko’s historic centre
consists of a labyrinth of
cobbled streets running
between high stone walls,
which conceal 19th-cen tury
timber and stone houses.
In the Old Town stands the
massive Church of Sveta
Troitsa. Construction began
in 1832 but the bell tower
was added in 1850. Its carved
wood interior contains an
intri cately designed iconotasis.
Behind the church, along ulica
Pirin, stands the Neofit Rilski
House-Museum, former
home of Rilski, revered as the
founder of modern education

Painting with inscription in the
Church of Sveta Troitsa, Bansko

Melnik 6

Мелник

182 km (113 miles) S of Sofia.

* 250. @ from Sofia.

Once a thriving centre of

wine-making and a major

focus of Balkan trade, the

enchanting town of Melnik

is tucked away in a valley

formed by rocky hills

crowned with pyramidal

sandstone formations.

Wine has been Melnik’s

major export since the

13th cen tury, when it

had tax-free trade with

Dubrovnik (see pp454–

60). During this

period, the despot

Aleksei Slav made

Melnik the capital of

his principality, fund ing the

construction of monasteries

and churches in the vicinity.

After the Ottoman conquest,

Melnik fell into decline, but

its fortunes revived in the

19th century, when the town’s

Greek population began to

prosper from exporting wine

and tobacco. Much of the

town of Melnik was destroyed

during the Second Balkan

War of 1913, however, and

its remaining Greek residents

left. Today, Melnik is officially

Bulgaria’s smallest town, but

it continues to attract visitors,

who come to admire the

intriguing rock features and

taste the famous wine that

is still produced by a few

local families.

Most of Melnik’s attractions

are at the top of a hill over-

looking the town. The History

Museum is housed in a

building located right next

to the Despot Slav hotel. The

museum is a branch of the

Regional History Museum

of Sandanski. It has a fine

collection of exhibits on

display including terracotta

wine vessels, regional

costumes and photographs.

A little further on is

Kordopulov House, a

superb example of early

National Revival archi-

tecture in which Western

and Oriental motifs are

combined on a grand

scale. The interior features

a central salon and an

Ottoman-style

raised seating area.

Down stairs is a

small mehana

(tavern) connected to a

labyrinthine wine cellar.

E History Museum

Pashovata Kûshta. Tel (07437) 216.

# 9am–5pm daily.

P Kordopulov House

Kordopulov House. Tel (07437)

265. 
     

     Nov–Feb: 9am–5pm;

     
     

     Mar–Oct: 9am–6pm. & 0 =

     
     

Melnik and its square konak, the Town Hall during Ottoman rule

in Bulgaria. The remar kable

Nikola Vaptsarov House-

Museum stands on the corner

of a square of the same name.

This was the childhood home

of Vaptsarov, a poet who

was exe cuted for anti-Fascist

activities, and the museum

contains his posses sions.

Bansko’s surburbs, mostly

filled with hotels, reflect its

recent development into a ski

resort and weekend retreat.

Bottle of wine from

Kordopulov House