Sapareva Banya (Сапарева баня), located at the northern foothills of the Rila mountain range 15 km east of Dupnitsa, is built on the place of an ancient Thracian settlement, which in Roman times grew into the town known as Germanea. The fortress of Germanea (or Germane) was restored by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great in the 6th century.  

Sapareva Bnaya was the birthplace of the great Byzantine general Belisarius or Velizarius - a renowned leader of Emperor Ustinian (527-565).

The main Roman road from Kyustendil via Samokov and Plovdiv to Tsarigrad passed through it. The fortress walls found there reveal the importance of the settlement. The 12th-13th-century St Nicholas' Church, the 18th-century St George's Church from the Bulgarian National Revival and the St Forty Martyrs Church from 1859 are located in Sapareva Banya.

Sapareva Banya is known for its mineral (103°C hot) and clear mountain water, as well as the geyser in the town centre that springed forth in 1957.

Now the future for the Municipalty of Sapareva Banya is upgrading the infrastructure to offer eco friendly but premium facilities in world class new hotels and spa in the expanding ski domain of Panichishte Ski Resort and in Saparev Banya, Saparevo, Ovchartsi and Recilovo. It is expected that that area will be internationally known for offering the best in ski, spa, conference, golf, aqua park and mountain tourism. The area, just one hour from Sofia, offers the potential for a healthy lifestyle in a spectacular setting for visitors and residents alike.