City of Plovdiv

Area size of City of Plovdiv: 101.981 km²

Population of City of Plovdiv: 341873 inhabitants (to 01/01/2006)

Post code (ZIP) of City of Plovdiv: 4000

 Plovdiv is second biggest city in Bulgaria. The town is located in South-Central Bulgaria, 150 km from Sofia, 19 km from Assenovgrad, 102 km from Smolyan and 90 km from Stara Zagora. It is situated on the two banks of the Maritsa river and on six unique syenite hills (called "tepeta").

History of Plovdiv Remains of ancient, mediaeval, revival and modern culture coexist and are interwoven into the unobtrusive, irresistible and eternal beauty of this city. They do not stand in each other's way; they complement and enrich each other to make Plovdiv a synonym of Bulgarian history and a genuine world city.Plovdiv is very, very old. The Eternal City, as Rome is conventionally called, is much younger. Athens, Carthage and Constantinople came into being later. A contemporary of Troy and having survived Mycenae, Plovdiv is a city upon layers of cities and an epoch upon layers of epochs. Plovdiv is all in one: a Thracian and classical Greek polis, the pride of Philip of Macedon, the capital of Thrace under the Roman Empire, a centre of Byzantinism, a stronghold of the Bulgarians, a dream of the crusaders -- a magnificent, wealth and most important city.Kendros, Eumolpia, Philippopolis, Pulpudeva, Thrimonzium, Pulden, Populdin, Ploudin, Filibe -- those were the ancient names of Plovdiv throughout its 6000 to 8000 years of existence. The name Plovdiv first appeared in 15 century documents and has remained till today.In the distant past Plovdiv was situated on seven hills: Taxim, Nebet, Jambaz, Sahat, Jendem and Bunarjik. The seventh hill, Markovo Tepe, has nowadays subsided completely under the pavement of modern Plovdiv.In 432 B.C. the town was conquered by Philip II of Macedonia. During his rule the ancient Thracian fortress and towers were rebuilt. The vain Philip II gave the city his own name, Philippopolis. Soon it became a Thracian town again, called Pulpudeva. During the 1st century A.C. it was conquered by the Romans. The practical Romans called the town Thrimonzium (lying on three hills) because the Roman town was situated on three hills, Taxim, Nebet, and Jambaz Tepe. The Roman emperors Trayanus and Marcus Aurellius built solid fortresses around the town. They intoduced many improvements, as well as coin minting. At the time Plovdiv was known as Ulpia Thrimonzium, the most flourishing metropolis of the Thracian province. The magnificent amphitheatre above dates back from Roman times. Now it is restored and classical drama, operas, and concerts are presented on stage in the open air... In 447 the Huns ruined the town. In the sixth century the Slavs settled in the Balkan Peninsula and introduced the names Pulden and Plundiv. In 815 Khan Kroum seized the fortress. In the following five centuries the town was ruled by Bulgarians, then conquered by Byzantium. The Bulgarian army came again later. The Crusaders demolished and plundered the town several times on their way to Mecca.1365 was a fateful year for Plovdiv. The town fell under the Turkish yoke. Later it was renamed Filibe and became an important administrative and military center of crafts. Filibe was the seat of the ruler of the district of Rumelia. At that time the town possessed a mysterious charm and striking poverty typical of the Orient. The functioning Jumaia Mosque attracts visitors to the center of modern Plovdiv with its fine minaret and its sun-dial.The commercial area of the town was between that mosque and the river Maritza. One of the oldest clock towers in Eastern Europe is located behind Sahat Tepe. The clock is working even nowadays. As the Turkish traveller Evlya Chelebi wrote in 1651, "Philibe is the biggest one among 10 big towns in the European part of Turkey, and is getting richer every day".The 19th century brought Plovdiv closer to the rennaissance from cultural opression during the Turkish occupation. That was the time of spiritual awakening when the Bulgarian people began their struggle for religious, cultural and political independence. Many citizens of Plovdiv sacrificed their lives because they had the courage to rise against the sultan. In 1850 the well-known enlightener Naiden Gerov established a class school. In the following year the anniversary of the Slavic enlighteners Sts. Cyrillus and Methodius was celebrated for the first time. Hristo G. Danov founded the first Bulgarian publishing house in 1855. He circulated the printed books, newspapers and magazines around the Bulgarian land. The first printing press in Bulgaria appeared at that time. The Bulgarian revolutionist Vassil Levski organized a revolutionary committee in Plovdiv.The long cherished liberation came to Plovdiv on January 19, 1878, after 500 years of waiting. However, the extasy of it was short. The Berlin Congress divided newly liberated Bulgaria into the Principality of Bulgaria and the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia with its capital Plovdiv. Just seven years later the unification of Bulgaria was proclaimed on September 6, 1885. That was the first blow agains the unfair Berlin Agreement. This is a photo of the lovely monument in the middle of Unification Square that honors the hundredth anniversary of that great event. The monument depicts the Mother-Country with the laurel wreath of victory stretched in her hands, with her two wings, the two regions brought together, ready for the coming 20-th century.

The modern town is a trade and culture centre.It is a bunch of museums, churches, banks,hotels, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, shops, bars, bazaars, music clubs, casinos etc. Here rest the ruins of a Roman stadium and remnants of the Roman forum, here could be also seen several mosques and original Turkish baths. The modern centre provides entertainment and rich cultural life. Classical concerts take place at the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra`s concert hall, here in January the Winter festival of Symphony Music is held. In the Fair Camp different international exhibitions and expoes are held all year round.The city of Plovdiv is the only city in Bulgaria with a working ancient amphitheatre, dating from the second century, and soon it will be one of the few cities in Europe with two working amphitheatres. The Odeon theatre is being renovated at the present moment.Lucian the Greek called Plovdiv "the biggest and most beautiful of all towns" in Thrace. He might have added "and Bulgaria", for the country's second-largest city (with a population of 360 000) is one of its most attractive and vibrant centres, with arguably more to recommend it than Sofia, which the proud locals tend to regard with some disdain. Certainly, there's plenty to see. The city's arts festivals and trade fairs rival Sofia's in number, and its restaurants and promenade compare very favourably with those of the capital.

Tourism With its rich history and the centuries-old cultural heritage, Plovdiv has established itself as an attractive cultural and historical center. The city and the district have more than 7,000 beds in over 50 hotels, with camping sites, accommodation facilities and chalets offering more than 5,000 additional beds. Situated in the center of Southern Bulgaria, Plovdiv is a starting-point for different attractive tourist routes. At a distance of 30 km to south of the city is the Bachkovo Monastery - the second-largest operating Bulgarian Monastery. Founded in the 11-th century A.D. it was burnt down, destroyed and rebuilt many times. A part of the mural paintings was made by the famous Bulgarian painter Zahari Zograf. The main church of the monastery was modelled on the temples in Mount Athos. Next to it there is St. Archangels Chapel. Pamporovo Resort is 90 km to the south of the city. Besides the ski slopes, the Rhodope Mountains offer many marked and well-maintained tourist routes suitable for both experienced tourists and beginners. At a distance of 50 km to the north of Plovdiv is the Balkan Range where the Dzhendema Nature Reserve is located south of Botev peak at an altitude of 1,400 - 2,000 m. There are numerous geothermal springs around Plovdiv that have become the center of many balneology treatment resorts open all the year round - Hissaria, Banya, Narechenski Bani,etc.