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.
On September 9, 1944 the
Nazi were driven off Bulgaria and the communists came on power. A very
close relationship with the former USSR was established and many monuments
were built in the honor of the USSR. One of them, the monument of the
Russian soldier Aljosha, has remained at the top of a hill in Plovdiv.
The end of communism for
Bulgaria is quite recent -- November 10, 1989. Plovdiv was a place of
major demonstrations of the democratic forces in the country. Some people
refer to the city as "the blue (democratic) capital of Bulgaria."
