All Bulgaria Virtual Guide - Travel to Plovdiv - The City on Seven Hills

This magnificent ancient theatre, the largest Roman building found on the territory of Bulgaria, dates from Roman times. This part of the acropolis of Trimontium was built when the Romans made Plovdiv a provincial capital in the 2nd century. It was completed during the rule of emperor Trajan (98-117) and stands on the southern slope of Jambaz Tepe with a view to the Rhodope mountains. It had almost 7 000 seats at the time; names of the city quarters were written on the benches of each sector so every spectator would know where to sit.

Today many classical drama, operas, and concerts are presented here on stage in the open air - most notably the international-acclaimed "Plovdiv Verdi Festival" - is presented each summer during late June.

During the period of the first millenium B.C. settlements appeared near these seven hills and by the 5th century B.C. a town with a solid fortified wall, cobblestone streets and a drainage system was formed.

The thousands-of-years-old ruins of the ancient Thracian settlement are easily found today among the rocks at the top of Nebet Tepe in Old Town Plovdiv.

The base of the guard tower for the original fortress ... large portions of the original fortified wall ... the water reservoir for the city ... the entirely intact south gate to the old city (Hissar Kapia) ... all have persevered and are not only within easy reach, but are without admission charge for every visitor to this eternal city of Plovdiv.

Plovdiv is a great place for recreation, skiing, sight-seeing, hiking, hunting, fishing, balneological, countryside and eco-tourism. Bulgaria has experienced a record year thus far in the number of tourists. The amount of interest from European countries - particularly France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and the U.K. - is increasing.

A college student visiting from Debrecen, Hungary, Istvan Gaspar, saw that his Bulgarian peers are happier and more at ease. He found Plovdiv such a pleasant city that he would like to live here.

Bulgaria's largest city is Sofia, the capital. The second-largest is Plovdiv, "The City of Seven Hills", located on the ancient trader's crossroads, and sits like a jeweled crown on the Thracian Plain. Plovdiv is one of the very oldest cities in the world and has served as a favorite meeting place for traders since the beginning of commerce. Its unique location has stimulated strong cultural and political influences from East and West civilizations while maintaining a unique cultural identity.

The Plovdiv Old Town section is preserved as an authentic 19th Century Renaissance open-air museum and features the amazing romantic architecture of the Bulgarian Renaissance era, yet includes the magnificent strength of the famous ancient Philipoppolis Amphitheater, built in 343 A.D. The Director-General of UNESCO signed an agreement to provide 917,000 Euros to aid with the restoration of Plovdiv's Old Town. The UNESCO / Japanese Funds-in-Trust Project entitled “Conservation of Monuments in the Ancient Plovdiv Reserve, Bulgaria” will allow for the conservation of cultural and historic monuments from the Thracian, Roman and Byzantine civilizations.

In early July, 2004, Bulgaria's Prosecutors' Office launched an investigation against Plovdiv's Mayor Ivan Chomakov on charges of unlawful sale of ancient Roman-times artifacts. The local district prosecutor claims that the Roman Forum in the town center and the Bishop's Basilic are public state property and by law cannot be nationalized.

The 5-decare Roman Forum, with a status of 'Bulgarian cultural monument', is said to be sold to a private company upon certain terms including restoration, conservation and public display of the excavations. The two ancient sites are the oldest Roman cultural monuments on the entire territory of Bulgaria. The mayor is accused of incurring damages on the municipality at nearly 2-million Leva. If the accusation is upheld by court, the mayor faces up to 10 years imprisonment.

Plovdiv is perfectly located near the edge of the Thracian plain. The city of Plovdiv has been built around and upon seven ancient hills rising from the plain. Today, Plovdiv spreads along both sides of the clear, clean waters of the Martisa River.

Spiritual Sanctuaries

The monastery of Kuklen St. St. Cosmas and Damian is only one of the numerous holy places in the region of Plovdiv, where the Monastery of Bachkovo, the monastery of Arapovo St Nedelya, the monastery St Kirik and Krastova Gora are situated as well. Big cathedrals and churches in the region of Plovdiv number over twenty. All of them - remarkable for their architecture of the National Revival days, for their imposing frescos, iconography, wood-carved iconostasis created by gifted past masters - are noteworthy sanctuaries of Bulgarian spirit and culture.

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My Plovdiv - (in Bulgarian/Cyrillic but they have a great webcam, a very good photo gallery and forum)