Banya (Karlovo Mineral Baths)

Banya is a town in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in the municipality of Karlovo and county of Plovdiv, in the fertile sub-Balkan Karlovo valley, at a distance of 10 km from the town and the railway station of Karlovo, 146 km from Sofia along the sub-Balkan road and 45 km from Plovdiv. It is also known as Karlovski Mineralni Bani.
The town of Banya was established owing to the presence of mineral water and the production of wine and rose, mint and lavender oil. The wine and oil-manufacturing industries developed by the arrival of the two brothers Bagarovi. Tsar Boris the Third stayed in the house of Velizar Bagarov in 1927 for medical treatment. After relieving his illness, he constructed in 1929 his home, called “Our House”. Especially for him he constructed the “Royal Bath”.
Sports teams often conduct their training in Banya. Some of them are the National Youth Team of Football and the regional teams. In the town, there is a constructed station for sports events – a stadium, playgrounds, hotels and swimming pools.
The town of Banya is a tourist center owing to the mineral pools and its beautiful park. One of the few open-air pools, working all year long, is located in Banya.