It is situated in Samokov Valley between the mountain ranges of Rila, Vitosha and Sredna Gora, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia.

Due to the suitable winter sports conditions, Samokov, together with the nearby resort Borovets, is a major tourist centre.

[2] In the past, Samokov was a centre of handicrafts and art, with notable Bulgarian National Revival figures like Zahari Zograf, Hristo Dimitrov and Nikola Obrazopisov.

It is thought that Samokov was founded in the 14th century as a mining settlement with the assistance of Saxon miners under the Bulgarian Empire.

Between the 14th and 18th centuries, Samokov was established as an administrative center for iron ore mining by the ruling Ottoman Empire.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, it grew into the greatest iron extraction centre in the region, with western travellers describing it as 'a fairly large city'.