Thermal Destination
Kyustendil
Kyustendil · Bulgaria
In the far south-west of Bulgaria, beneath the Osogovo Mountains, Kyustendil draws on some forty mineral springs that made it Pautalia — a Roman healing city sacred to Asclepius, the god of medicine, and home to one of the largest Roman bath complexes in the land.
Pautalia, sacred to Asclepius
Founded early in the 2nd century AD and named Ulpia Pautalia after Emperor Trajan, the town sat on an important route through the Balkans and became the administrative and cultural centre of its territory. Because of the abundant healing waters, its people worshipped Asclepius, the god of medicine, and built the sanctuary known as the Asclepion in his honour. The Romans raised the Pautalia Thermae here — one of the most impressive bath buildings of its time in the region.
One of Bulgaria’s grandest Roman baths
Covering some thousand square metres, the Pautalia thermal bath united different building techniques and styles, its vaulted brick corridors carrying heat beneath the floors — engineering on a grand scale that survives as the second-largest Roman bath complex in the country.
Combined with mineral-rich waters, a mild climate and mountain scenery, Kyustendil leaves its visitors relaxed and restored, just as it did in antiquity.
Roman Pautalia
Baths, the Asclepion and the fortress above
The exposed ruins of the Pautalia Thermae and the Asclepion bath-and-temple complex still speak of the town’s ancient healing cult, while above it the Hisarlaka fortress — built by the Romans around 400 AD — crowns the hill that guards the springs.
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Good to Know
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Travel information →Where to Stay
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