Pavel Banya is a small town in Stara Zagora Province

Stara Zagora Province

Stara Zagora is a province of south central Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre—the city of Stara Zagora—the sixth-biggest town in the country...

, South-central Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, located between the towns of Kalofer

Kalofer

Kalofer is a town in central Bulgaria, located on the banks of the Tundzha between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. Kalofer is part of Plovdiv Province and the Karlovo municipality...

 and Kazanlak

Kazanlak

Kazanlak, formerly Kazanlık is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley...

. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Pavel Banya Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 2,918 inhabitants. The place is famous for its mineral springs

Mineral Springs

Mineral Springs is the name of several locations in the United States:* Mineral Springs, Arkansas* Mineral Springs, North Carolina* Mineral Springs Township, North Dakota* Mineral Springs at Green Springs, Ohio...

.

Geography

Pavel Banya is located 24 kilometers west of Kazanlak

Kazanlak

Kazanlak, formerly Kazanlık is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley...

, neighboring Koprinka Reservoir. The town is situated in the central part of Bulgaria, between the Balkan Mountains

Balkan Mountains

The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...

 and the Sredna Gora

Sredna Gora

Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...

 in the Rose Valley

Rose Valley

Rose Valley may refer to:* Rose Valley, Bulgaria* Rose Valley, Chişinău* Rose Valley, India* Rose Valley, New South Wales , Australia* Rose Valley, New South Wales , Australia* Rose Valley , United States of America...

.

History

Pavel Banya is a relatively new community. It was founded after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish Yoke. About ten families from the village of Turia

Turia

Turia can refer to:*Turia , a river in southeastern Spain*Turía , a small river in northern Spain*Turía , a small Web development company in india*Turia Valley, a valley in northern Spain...

 formed several neighborhoods around the mineral baths, which grew into the village of Pavel Banya.

Religion

People of different religions live in Pavel Banya. The various religious holidays are respected by the populace. There is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in the town. Although there is no mosque in Pavel Banya itself in the municipality, several of the surrounding villages, some of which are entirely or almost entirely ethnically Turkish, do have mosques.

Politics

All Bulgarian political parties are represented in local politics. The mayor of the municipality, Stanimir Radevsky, was elected as an independent candidate. The two vice-mayors are from the Union of Democratic Forces

Union of Democratic Forces

Union of Democratic Forces or Union of the Democratic Forces is the name of:*Union of Democratic Forces *Union of Democratic Forces *Union of Democratic Forces *Union of Democratic Forces...

 and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Movement for Rights and Freedoms

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland...

, respectively.

Economy

Pavel Banya's economy is based on hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...

tourism and cultivation of flower oils (lavender, Kazanlak roses, and salvia).