Hisarya is a year-round resort thanks to its climate, mineral springs and archeological sites, which are very well preserved. Here you can see the best preserved fortress wall in Europe and Roman baths, where mineral water is still flowing through the ancient water supply system. The facility was built in 135, and in late antiquity the magnificent Diocletianopolis (the name of Hisarya back then) was the largest Roman spa center in the Balkan provinces of the Roman Empire.

The ancient baths here have sewage system and swimming pools in operation and are among the three best preserved similar landmarks in the world as the others are Bath, England and Timgad, Algeria. During archaeological works in Hisarya, marble ritual tiles dedicated to the three nymphs, patrons of the healing springs, were found, suggesting that even before the baths were built in the mid-2nd century, a sanctuary to the nymphs existed here.

The nymph is the prototype of modern balneotherapy. Ancient spas have always been the greatest treasure of the resort, and today they are part of the Hisarya Archaeological Museum.

To make the stay in the town, known for its 22 healing mineral springs, even more fun and memorable for tourists, a group of IT professionals have developed a mobile app that takes visitors on an exciting journey back to antiquity. It can be downloaded and used for free on the territory of the Archaeological Museum. Thanks to Hisarya Tour Walk, objects and artifacts from the ancient Roman city of Diocletianopolis can be seen virtually. The creators of the app define it as a modern form of visual art that creates a link between history and cultural tourism, as well as between creative and tourist products.

"The application is based entirely on modern technologies, it is easy and convenient for the user to access in both Bulgarian and English," said Tanya Dancheva, one of the volunteers at the Archeological Museum in the town. She also told us how the mobile app works:

"When you buy a ticket for one of the archeological sites in Hisarya, you can download the application there. Currently, it only works for the Roman Baths section, but in the future it would encompass the entire ancient city. In the app a stylized Asclepius welcomes you – He was a god-healer in ancient Greek mythology /son of Apollo and Coronis/. You can follow the markers and when you enter the halls you receive information about where you are and what you see. You can then point your phone at another marker and an artifact will appear there with all the necessary information about it. Going through all the rooms, you collect various artifacts that remain in your app gallery. Later, you can see them again and get information about them when you wish. The application can also be used without Internet connection, once it was downloaded to the visitor's phone at the Hisarya Museum."

The museum of this ancient city has a rich collection of exhibits dating back to the fifth millennium BC and reaching to the mid 18^th century with all periods represented – the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, the times of the Thracians, who also lived near the mineral water springs, etc. Then came the Romans and Emperor Diocletian. Since that time there has existed an imperial residence in the city.

Another landmark is a preserved Roman tomb from the 4th century with beautiful mosaics in it.

English: Alexander Markov