Plovdiv, Bulgaria Personal Photos

Plovdiv is situated in the southern part of the Plovdiv Plain on the two banks of the Maritza River. The city has historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 250 m  high. Because of these seven hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of the Seven Hills".

Plovdiv, Bulgaria Personal Photos

The Roman times were a period of growth and cultural excellence. The ancient ruins tell a story of a vibrant, growing city with numerous public buildings, shrines, baths, and theaters. It was defended with a double wall. Many of those are still preserved and can be seen by tourists. Today only a small part of the ancient city has been excavated.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Plovdiv is the third largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Varna with a population of 331,796 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC. A number of respectable sources name Plovdiv as Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city. It is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities (Plovdiv-city, Maritza and Rodopi) and Bulgaria's South Central planning region , as well as the largest and most important city in Northern Thrace and the wider international historical region of Thrace. The city is an important economic, transport, cultural and educational center. The oldest American educational institution outside the United States was founded in Plovdiv in 1860, it was later moved to Sofia – today’s American College of Sofia.

In 72 AD it was seized by the Roman general Terentius Varo Lukulus and was incorporated into the Roman Empire  where it was calledTrimontium (City of Three Hills) and served as metropolis (capital) of the province of Thrace. It gained a city status in late 1st century.Trimontium was an important crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "The largest and most beautiful of all cities" by Lucian. Although it was not the capital of the Province of Thrace, the city was the largest and most important centre in the province. In those times, the Via Militaris (or Via Diagonalis), the most important military road in the Balcans, passed through the city.

Roman Amphitheater and The Academy of music,art and dance