Kyustendil is situated 90 km southwest of Sofia and it is one of the most oldest towns in Bulgaria.The mineral springs of the region attracted many tribes in the centuries. The main landmarks in the town are: Municipal Museum of History, Artistic Gallery of Vladimir Dimitrov Maistora, Asclepion of Pautalia. The greatest wealth of the city are the mineral waters - natural springs and wells.
The Zemen Monastery is located 35 km from Kyustendil. The experts believe that the temple was built in the 11th century. The wall images and portraits were among the oldest images of secular persons in the medieval Bulgarian art. The monastery became very popular in the last years after the publication of the books of the Bulgarian writer Dimitar Nedkov. The author describes that the church was visited from Western knights-templars in the end of XI c.AD and keeps important secrets for the Christianity.