Banya () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

Panagyurishte Municipality Panagyurishte Municipality is located in the Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. It is one of the 11 municipalities in the province. Its territory is 598,5 km² being fourth in the province after the municipalities of Velingrad, Batak, Bu ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. As of 2007 it has 856 inhabitants. The village is known throughout the region with its

mineral baths Mineral spas are spa resorts developed around naturally occurring mineral springs. Like seaside resorts, they are mainly used recreationally although they also figured prominently in prescientific medicine. Origins Spas were used for millen ...

and its

spa resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharmacoth ...

. The ruins of an ancient fortress are located 3 km to the south. Banya-center

Geography

The village of Banya is situated in a mountainous region. It lies in the

Sredna Gora Sredna Gora ( ) is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains and extending from the river Iskar (river), Iskar to the west and the elbow of river Tundzha north of the city of Yambol to the east. ...

mountain, in the Bata-Banya valley. The river Banska

Luda Yana The Luda Yana (, meaning "Crazy Yana") is a 74 km-long river in southern Bulgaria, a left tributary of the river Maritsa. There are several version about the river's etymology. According to geographer Pavel Deliradev, the name comes from a co ...

runs through the village and flows into the Panagyurska Luda Yana downstream. The closest settlements are the town of Panagyurishte, which is the centre of the municipality at 11 km and the village of Bata at 5 km. Bukova Mogila Peak (974 m) is located to the south-west. The village has been inhabited since the time of the

Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...

. A tomb of a Thracian ruler has been discovered and the artifacts can be seen in the Village Hall. Banya was the birthplace of one of the most charismatic figures in the

April Uprising The April Uprising () was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The rebellion was suppressed by irregular Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaughter of both rebels ...

, the priest Gruyo Banski and his followers Atanas Kaloyanov and Stoyan Karoleev. There are ''

chitalishte A ''chitalishte'' (, ) is a traditional Bulgarian public institution and building that fulfills several functions at once, such as a community centre, public library, and a theatre. It is also used as an educational institution, where people o ...

'', library, kindergarten and school. Banya has several recreation facilities with its mineral springs, outdoor and indoor pools, hotel, restaurants and pub. The population is

Christian Orthodox Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

, there are two churches and a small chapel with frescoes.

Culture and landmarks

A monument of Gruyo Banki has been erected in the centre of the village. His house is converted to a small museum. There is a path leading to the locality Kalato where there are remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

fortress. It was used as a refuge by the local population during the Ottoman rule. The surroundings of the village are dominated by old

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forests and hundreds of decares of orchards, mainly

sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is an Old World species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus ''Prunus subg. Cerasus, Cerasus'' (cherries). It has two main groups of cultivars: the dark-red Morello cherry and the lighter- ...

and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

Regular events

*Todorovden *Sveta Troitsa (

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

) *Pluven Den (Swimming Day)

Notes

{{Panagyurishte Villages in Pazardzhik Province Spa towns in Bulgaria