Hisarköy is a village in the Bigadiç district of Balıkesir that people still live in, and it sits in the middle of ancient remains. A vaulted bridge and tunnels run through the village, along with pedestals, a theatre and inscriptions; taken together these indicate that the place was an important spa centre in the Roman period.
The springs are still there, and the provincial directorate describes their water as containing fluoride, sodium and bicarbonate, and as being held to help with a number of complaints. Archaeologists have worked here over many years; the most comprehensive study was made in 1979 by the German archaeologist Elmar Schwertheim. The village is 23 kilometres from the centre of Bigadiç and can be reached by road and by local transport.
Getting there
- Access
- Hisarköy is twenty-three kilometres from the centre of Bigadiç and is reached by road; city transport also serves it.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Balıkesir as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 4.9 °C in January to 25.7 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in January (87 mm) and lightest in August (5 mm). Long-term means for 1999-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
