Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plovdiv's always been one of Bulgaria's wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities, and
it's also Bulgaria's second-largest road and railway hub and economic centre. Although
travellers often merely regard it as a stopover point between Bulgaria and Greece or Tur-
key, Plovdiv repays a longer visit and will certainly draw you in if you let it.
History
Thracians settled here around 5000 BC, building a fortress at Nebet Tepe in the old town,
called Eumolpias. Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) extended the set-
tlement, humbly naming it Philipopolis in 342 BC. He refortified the existing fortress,
making Philipopolis an important military centre. However, the ruins that survive today
largely come from the Roman annexation (AD 46) and thereafter. The Romans built
streets, towers and aqueducts for the new city, Trimontium. Unfortunately, Goths and
Huns plundered and destroyed it in the mid-3rd century and in AD 447 respectively, and
Trimontium languished. The Bulgar Khan Krum seized it in 815 and renamed it Pupulden,
making it an important strategic outpost of the First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018).
Pupulden, or Philipopolis as the Byzantines called it, was controlled by Constantinople,
Bulgars and even Latin Crusaders over the following centuries. The Ottomans conquered
it in 1365, renaming the city Filibe (a bastardisation of the Greek Philipopolis). The city
thrived and its merchants grew wealthy. Some of Bulgaria's finest and most lavish town
houses were built here during the Bulgarian National Revival period. In 1855, Hristo Dan-
ov founded Bulgaria's first publishing house in the city.
While most of Bulgaria was freed following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, the ensu-
ing Congress of Berlin left Plovdiv and the south in Turkish hands. Only in 1885 did it
join the Bulgarian state. Probably for the better, Plovdiv thus missed the opportunity of
becoming Bulgaria's capital.
Sights
Plovdiv's 19th-century 'baroque' style house involves an overhanging upper storey with
jutting eaves, columned portico and brightly painted facade. The interior rooms feature
finely carved woodwork, painted wall decorations and ornamental niches. Most display
art or other exhibits.
Plovdiv's artistic community enriches the city's many galleries, already bursting with
200 years of Bulgarian painting.
Each September the magical
Night of the Galleries
sees every Plovdiv gallery open,
for free, from 8pm to 3am.
