# Pirin Macedonia

Pirin Macedonia is a cultural region in Bulgaria that takes up the south-western corner of the country. It contains some of the most rugged mountainous terrain in Bulgaria, as well as the large valley of the Struma river, where Bulgaria's usually temperate climate starts becoming Mediterranean in the southern parts. Unsurprisingly, there's a number of ski and spa resorts.

## Cities

Most of the region falls within the province of Blagoevgrad, the only large city in the area. Petrich and Sandanski are the only other cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants; Gotse Delchev and Razlog are the only other towns with more than 10,000.
* 42.01194423.0897221 Blagoevgrad (Благоевград) — the largest city of Southwest Bulgaria known for the beautiful nature that surrounds it, the many local cultural sights and festivals
* 41.83846923.4888012 Bansko (Банско) — a mountain resort town on the eastern slopes of Pirin, and an international destination for winter tourists and "digital nomads". Bansko still retains some of its old houses, stone walls, and cobblestone streets, but the traditional architecture has been overtaken by the tourism construction boom of the 2000s-2010s. Not far from Bansko is the village of Banya with its hot water springs.
* 41.94784623.5628833 Belitsa (Белица) — a small town not far from Bansko, and a minor mountain resort. The Belitsa Bear Sanctuary was established there in 2000 to rehabilitate "dancing bears" from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries.
* 41.57368423.7290774 Gotse Delchev (Гоце Делчев) — a town under the eastern slopes of Pirin, in the valley of the Mesta, not far from the border with Greece; (re)named after a 19th century Bulgarian-Macedonian revolutionary.
* 41.52279223.3910495 Melnik (Мелник) — officially the smallest town in Bulgaria, Melnik has been declared "town-museum" due to its traditional architecture and the picturesque area of weathered sandstone formations that surrounds it (the Melnik Earth Pyramids). Also known for its wines, and the nearby Rozhen Monastery.
* 41.39812923.2068576 Petrich (Петрич) — a border city between Greece and North Macedonia, close to the historic mountain Belasitsa. Home of the late blind clairvoyant Baba Vanga; also notable for the nearby hot springs and the ruins of the ancient city Heraclea Sintica, first revealed the late 2000s.
* 41.88651523.4680337 Razlog (Разлог) — a town and mountain resort in the Razlog Valley between Rila, Pirin, and the Western Rhodope Mountains; Bansko lies in the southern part of the same valley.
* 41.56809823.2822878 Sandanski (Сандански) — a mountain and spa resort town on the western slopes of Pirin, named after another 19th century Bulgarian-Macedonian revolutionary. Sandanski is considered to have the healthiest climate in Bulgaria, due to its combination of clean air and warm average temperatures.
* 42.04388923.5338899 Semkovo (Семково) — a mountain resort 17 km to the north of the town of Belitsa, situated south of the main ridges of the Rila Mountains, nestling in a wide field among pine forests

## Other destinations

* 41.66666723.51 Pirin National Park — a great hiking destination in summer with beautiful landscapes, lakes, and the second highest summit of the country

## Understand

Named after the mountain Pirin the area includes the mountain itself, as well as the valleys of the rivers Mesta (on the east of Pirin) and Struma (on the west of Pirin), and some lower mountains in the westernmost parts of the region, out of which Belasitsa (at the border with North Macedonia and Greece) is the highest. The Pirin National Park and the popular ski resort Bansko are part of the attractions of the region. The town of Blagoevgrad is the largest town in the area. It is known as a student town because two of the largest universities are in it. Pirin Macedonia is also a popular wine region.

## Get around

The main backbone of the road network in the region is Motorway A3 ("Struma"), which runs north-south along the valley of the Struma, west of Rila and Pirin. The route was previously served by the southern part of National Road 1, but it has been superseded by the motorway, though parts of it survive, providing alternative parallel routes in certain areas. The other major road is the mountainous National Road 19 - it branches off the A3, heading east through the Predela pass between Rila and Pirin to reach the Razlog Valley. Afterwards, it follows the river Mesta south, squeezing between Pirin and the Western Rhodope Mountains to reach the border.
The standard-gauge railway line between the capital and the southern border connects Blagoevgrad, Sandanski, and Petrich to the national rail network through Sofia.
Dobrinishte in the Razlog Valley is one of the end points of Bulgaria's last remaining narrow gauge railway; Belitsa, Bansko and Razlog are some of the last stops on the line.

## See

* National Park-Museum "The Fort of Samuil"
* Rila Monastery (Рилски манастир) — a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most popular and beautiful places in all of Bulgaria — one of the centers of both the religious and cultural spirit of the Bulgarian nation. Founded in the 10th century, it is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km (73 mi) south of the capital Sofia. It is traditionally thought that the monastery was founded by the hermit St.John of Rila (Ivan Rilski), whose name it bears, during the rule of Tsar Peter I (927-968).
    The monastery has a spectacular architecture which is well combined with the picturesque nature of the Rila Mountain. Inside the complex, the main church stands in the center of the inner ring. The entire church is decorated with amazing wood-carving, and it's famous for the gold-plated iconostasis. Outside the Rila Monastery, you can find a variety of little pubs and restaurants, where one can experience the fine Bulgarian cuisine. There are a lot of gift shops for the tourists with reasonable prices.