Plovdiv

Plovdiv: Roman amphitheatre

Plovdiv, second largest city of Bulgaria, situated in the south-central part of the country. It lies along the Maritsa River and is situated amid six hills that rise from the Thracian Plain to a height of 400 feet (120 metres). Called Pulpudeva in Thracian times, it was renamed Philippopolis in 341 bc after its conquest by Philip II of Macedonia. From ad 46 it was called Trimontium and was the capital of the Roman province of Thrace. Plovdiv repeatedly changed hands during the Middle Ages until 1364, when it was taken by the Turks, who called it Philibé. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), it became capital of Turkish Eastern Rumelia, which united with Bulgaria in 1885. It officially assumed its present name after World War I.

In the old Trimontium quarter of the city, parts of the Roman walls remain. The medieval ruins of Tsar Ivan Asen II’s fortress and Bachkovo monastery are nearby. Cultural institutions include a museum housing a collection of Thracian gold vessels.

The city, a junction on the Belgrade–Sofia–Istanbul rail line, is a food-processing centre with diversified industries, including the manufacture of nonferrous metals, machinery parts, textiles, carpets, and fertilizers. The city is the chief market of a fertile region that produces tobacco, rice, vegetables, and fruit. An international trade fair is held biennially.

Plovdiv has long been praised for the tolerance of its diverse ethnic and religious population. In 1999 the city was host to regional peacekeeping forces established by the joint initiative of Balkan countries. Pop. (2004 est.) 341,464.