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... The famous Hissar Kapia was also built at the same time.
It will not be too far to say that Plovdiv is a quite promising land for archaeologists and historians. Archaeologicalit excavations have revealed the town's exciting history that has lasted many millenia. When did Plovdiv begin its long history? Remnants show that the place 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 Rennaissance 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 town 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 the Crusades -- that was the brief history of thepo magnificently rich and important town until the Turkish invasion.
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, Philipopolis. 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
introduced 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... The famous Hissar Kapia was also built at the same
time.
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 Philibe and became an important administrative and military center of crafts. Philibe 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 honours 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 century.
On
September 9, 1944 the Nazi were driven off Bulgaria and the
communists came on power. A very close relationship with 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"
