Panagjurishte is a small town in the Sredna Gora mountains and was in the past one of the main centers of the Bulgarian national movement. Some historic 19th-century buildings have been preserved here, and there is a small health resort in the Panagjurska Kołonia estate.
The town was founded in the Middle Ages and during the fights with the Turks it was destroyed many times. It has existed in its present shape only since the 18th century. Its inhabitants are the descendants of settlers from various parts of Bulgaria who in the past sought shelter from invaders in the mountains.
The establishment of the settlement as a community of refugees from the Bulgarian villages displaced by the Turks resulted in strong independence tendencies from the very beginning. The village was a base for partisan troops, and from the 18th century the Bulgarian freedom movement flourished here. This is recalled by the Museum of Paradise Kniagini, i.e. Rajna Popgeorgiewa Futekowa, a revolutionist and teacher who lived in Panagjurishte in the 19th century.
Among the attractions of Panagjurishte are also other historic houses from the period of the Bulgarian National Revival. One of them houses the Panagjurishte Historical Museum, and the Tutev House is open to the public. There is also the Apriltis National Memorial Complex in the city, presenting the issues of the April Uprising against the Turks of 1876.
Located outside the city center, the settlement of Panagjurska Kołonia is a small balneological health resort. There is a Spa House here, there is also a public swimming pool complex and a small spa park.
