Sandanski ( bg, Сандански ; el, Σαντάνσκι, formerly known as Sveti Vrach, bg, Свети Врач, until 1947) is a town and a recreation centre in south-western

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, part of

Blagoevgrad Province Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( bg, Пиринска Маке� ...

. Named after the Bulgarian revolutionary

Yane Sandanski Yane Ivanov Sandanski (, ) (originally spelled in older Bulgarian orthography ) (18 May 1872 – 22 April 1915), was a Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary.Per Julian Allan Brooks' thesis the term ‘Macedo-Bulgarian’ refers to the Exarchist pop ...

, it is situated in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the foot of Pirin Mountains, along the banks of

Sandanska Bistritsa The Sandanska Bistritsa ( bg, Санданска Бистрица) is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a left tributary of the Struma. The river is 33 km long and drains the south-western sections of the Pirin mountain range. The Sandans ...

River. Sandanski is about 20 km away from Bulgaria-Greece border and 100 km away from

Aegean sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

. The town has a convenient location, a mild to warm climate (with the highest average annual temperature in the country, +16

°C The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The d ...

) and relatively high concentration of thermal water springs, which all make it a popular destination for relaxation and recreation.

Geography

Sandanski is located in the Sandanski–Petrich Valley, surrounded by the Pirin,

Belasitsa Belasica ( Macedonian and Bulgarian: , also translit. ''Belasitsa'' or ''Belasitza'', Ottoman Turkish: بلش Turkish: ''Beleş''), Belles ( el, Μπέλλες, ''Bélles'') or Kerkini (, ''Kerkíni'';), is a mountain range in the region of M ...

and Ograzhden mountain ranges. The town is about 160 km south from Bulgaria's capital

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

along the major European Route E79. Following the same route at almost the same distance is

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, Greece's second largest city. Sandanski has developed in an amphitheatrical fashion on the outer south-west flanks of Pirin Mountains along the lower reaches of

River. The town's altitude varies between 240 and 300 meters. Its geographical location between Kresna and

Rupel Gorge The Rupel () is a tidal river in northern Belgium, right tributary of the Scheldt. It is about long. It flows through the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Dijle and Nete, in Rumst. It flows into the S ...

s determines town's mild winter temperatures. Statistically Sandanski has the warmest temperatures in Bulgaria with a total of around 2700 annual sunshine hours. Within a short drive from Sandanski is Melnik, the smallest town in Bulgaria in terms of population, but an attractive tourist destination for its authentic architecture and wine production. In a close proximity are the village of Rozhen and

Rozhen Monastery The Rozhen Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God ( bg, Роженски манастир "Рождество Богородично", ''Rozhenski manastir "Rozhdestvo Bogorodichno"'', Greek: Μονή Ροζινού, ''Moni Rozinou'') is ...

. The

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

city of

Parthicopolis Parthicopolis ( grc, Παρθικόπολις) was an ancient city in Sintice region in ancient Thrace and later Macedon. During Byzantine times it was a bishopric seat. Its site is located near modern Sandanski, Bulgaria. History The city w ...

was located nearby.

Climate

Sandanski is on the northern border of the continental

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Summers are very hot and dry with occasional thunderstorms and during heat waves the temperature may exceed 40 °C reaching to 45 °C, the highest recorded temperature in the city. Winters are damp and relatively mild, lasting for about three months from December through February. Springs and falls are generally about two months each. The summer is longest season in Sandanski, lasting 4 months – from early June to late September. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year except for July and August when droughts often occur. Climate table:

Municipality

Sandanski is the seat of Sandanski Municipality, which includes the following 54 places:

Honour

Sandanski Point Sandanski Point (Nos Sandanski \'nos san-'dan-ski\) is the point forming the north side of the entrance to Stoyanov Cove on the east coast of Ioannes Paulus II Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, projecting 6 ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

is named after the town of Sandanski.

References

External links

Sandanski Online – Information, news, articles, photography, maps, companies and services from Sandanski and the region.

Sandanski Online – The most comprehensive resource to Sandanski & Surroundings

Sandanski.org – Site of the Town Of Sandanski

Sandanski.info

Guide to Sandanski municipality, Blagoevgrad

Pictures from Sandanski
{{Authority control Spa towns in Bulgaria