BULGARIA : PLOVDIV
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria and the capital of the
Plovdiv Oblast (district). With a population of 376 785 (15 of September
2004). It is one of its most attractive and vibrant centers, situated in
the Upper Thracian valley.
The history of Plovdiv reaches back 6,000 years, longer than either
Athens or Rome, making it one of Europe's longest continually inhabited
cities. Originally known as a Thracian city named Eumolpia, in 342 BCE
it was conquered by Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great,
who renamed it Philippopolis. It was later independent under the
Thracians, who called it Pulpudeva (the translation of "Philippopolis"),
until it was incorporated into the Roman Empire, under which it was
called Thrimontium (City of Three Hills) and served as capital of the
province of Thrace. Many Roman ruins can still be seen in the city.The
Slavs took the city in the 6th century and named it Puldin, and the
Bulgars conquered it in 815. The name Plovdiv first appears in the 15th
century.Under Ottoman rule, Plovdiv was a major center of the Bulgarian
nationalist movement, and the first Bulgarian language printing house
was built in the city. While the city was liberated from the Ottomans
during the Battle of Plovdiv in 1878, it was not originally part of the
newly established Principality of Bulgaria. Instead it was the capital
of the semi-independent Region of Eastern Rumelia, until that area
finally joined Bulgaria in 1885.
Plovdiv is beautifully situated on the two banks of the Maritsa river
and on six unique syenite hills (called "tepeta"). Around the three
eastern hills the Thracians estabilished the ancient settlement of
Evmolpiass, which was later on called Pulpudeva. In the year 342 B.C.
the town was conquered by Philip II of Macedonia and was called
Philipopol. During the Roman times it was given the name of Trimontium
("town on three hills"). The Slavs called it Plovdiv.
Plovdiv is divided into two parts - the old town Stariyat grad, which
occupies the three eastern hills, and the lower town spread in the plain
below. The old town embodies Plovdiv's long and varied history -
Thracian fortifications overlaid with Byzantine walls, and by great
timber-framed mansions erected during the Bulgarian renaissance, looking
down on the Ottoman mosques and artisans' dwellings of the lower town.
The Roman Plovdiv revolves around the ruins of a Roman stadium and
forum, the Turkish Baths, the 15 century Imaret dzhamiya and the
impressive Dzhumaya dzhamiya or "Friday mosque" with its
diamond-patterned minaret and lead-sheathed domes. The old Plovdiv, most
of which is designated as an Architectural-Historical Reserve, is
remarkable with its cobbled, hilly streets, churches and colourful
orieled National Revival-style houses that are Plovdiv's specialty.
The modern town offers entertainment and vigorous sights but the old
town /conveys best/ carries the atmosphere and the culture of the city
The city's arts festivals and trade fairs rival Sofia's in number, and
its restaurants and hotels compare favourably with those of the capital
A splendid landmark and a venue for concerts and plays, is the Roman
theatre, whose imposing ruins are practically the only remains of an
acropolis which the Romans built when they made the town a provincial
capital during the 2nd century.
