PLOVDIV

History

It will be not too far to say, that Plovdiv is a quite promising land for archaeologists and historians. Archaeological excavations have revealed the town's exciting history that has lasted many millennia.  Remnants show that the history of the town started more than 6000 years ago. In fact, Plovdiv is a very, very ancient place, even older than the eternal city of Rome. Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and modern times live together in the town's present, entangled into its unique beauty that has turned it into a symbol of Bulgarian history, as well as a modern place. Eumolpia, Philipopolis, Pulpudeva, Thrimonzium, Pulden, Philibe - those were the ancient names of Plovdiv over the past ages. The name Plovdiv first appeared in 15 century documents and has remained till today. A Thracian capital as well as a classical Greek polis, the pride of Philip II of Macedonia, the capital of the Roman province of Thracia, a Byzantine center, a Bulgarian fortress, one of the goals of he Crusades -- that was the brief history of the magnificently rich and important town. In the distant past Plovdiv was situated on seven hills: Taxim, Nebet, Jambaz, Sahat, Markov, Jendem and Bunarjik. 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, Philipopolis. Soon it became a Thracian town again, called Pulpudeva. Later the 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 introduced many improvements, as well as coin minting. A magnificent amphitheatre dates back from Roman times. Now it is restored and classical drama, operas, and concerts are presented on stage in the open air... The famous Hissar Kapia was also built at the same time. In the sixth century the Slavs settled in the Balkan Peninsula and introduced the names Pulden and Pluvdiv. In 815 the bulgarian Khan Kroum seized the fortress. In the following five centuries the town was ruled by Bulgarians. In 1365 the town fell under the Turkish yoke. Later it was renamed Philibe and became an important administrative and military center of crafts. Philibe was the seat of the ruler of the district of Rumelia. The functioning Jumaia Mosque from that time attracts visitors to the center of modern Plovdiv with its fine minaret and its sundial. One of the oldest clock towers in Eastern Europe is located behind Sahat Tepe. The clock is working even nowadays. The 19th century was the time of spiritual awakening when the Bulgarian people began their struggle for religious, cultural and political independence. In 1850 the well-known enlightener Nayden Gerov established the first class school. Hristo G. Danov founded the first Bulgarian publishing house in 1855. The first printing press in Bulgara appeared at that time as well. The Bulgarian revolutionist Vassil Levski organised a revolutionary committee in Plovdiv. The long cherished liberation came to Plovdiv in January 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 Region of Eastern Rumelia with its capital Plovdiv. Just seven years later the unification of Bulgaria was proclaimed on September 6, 1885 in Plovdiv. After 1944 was established very close relationship with USSR 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 1989. Plovdiv was the major place of demonstrations of the democratic forces in the country. Some people refer to the city as "the blue (democratic) capital of Bulgaria".