Municipality of Bansko

Bansko lies at 925 metres at the foot of the Pirin mountains in south-western Bulgaria, a stockbreeding and merchant town turned ski resort, and the birthplace of Paisius of Hilendar and Neofit Rilski. Its municipality keeps a dense calendar of its own: the folklore festival Between Three Mountains in May, a summer theatre week in July, and an international jazz festival running since 1997 on an open-air stage in the centre, free to the public.