Sapareva Banya

Sapareva Banya sits below the northern slopes of Rila and has a geyser spring in the middle of the town that produces water at just over a hundred and three degrees, which is generally described as the hottest in continental Europe, sending up a column of steam and water from a small enclosure beside the road. The water is piped to bath facilities around the town, which is a treatment destination, and there is a public mineral pool. The town is also the road head for the Seven Rila Lakes: a road climbs from here to the chairlift that serves the lakes, which is the main reason many visitors come, and the Rila monastery is over the ridge to the south.

History

The Roman town of Germania stood here and in the 3rd century was an important town of the province of Dacia Mediterranea; the Byzantine geographer Hierocles listed it before 535, and it, or possibly Germen, is named as the birthplace of the great general Belisarius. In the 11th century it appears as Germaneia in the first of the three charters of Emperor Basil II, and its geyser, at 103 °C, sprang up in the town centre in 1957 (Wikipedia, Sapareva Banya).

Highlights

• A geyser at over a hundred degrees - the hottest spring in continental Europe.
• Steam column in the town - the eruption from its small enclosure.
• Mineral baths and pools - the water piped to facilities around the town.
• The Seven Lakes road head - the route up to the chairlift.

When to go

May to October for the mountain access; the springs and baths work year round. Half a day. The geyser erupts regularly through the day. Weekends bring traffic heading for the lakes.

Practical notes

The geyser is small and enclosed and the visit takes ten minutes. The town is plain with dated spa facilities. Traffic to the Seven Lakes chairlift jams the road at weekends. Bathing quality varies by facility.

Nearby

The Seven Rila Lakes chairlift is above; Rila Monastery lies south.