Plovdiv is located on both banks of the Maritsa river in the central part of Upper Thrace. The surrounding countryside is mostly bare, lacking major construction or landmarks, yet the city itself is particularly striking, since it, like Rome, is mushroomed in between its seven hills. Tourists, however, are likely to count only six of those, as one of hills was virtually destroyed at the beginning of the 1900s and there is only a small outcrop of rock left to show where it once stood.

Two key highways make headway into or around Plovdiv - the Sofia-Edirne-Istanbul and the Sofia-Stara Zagora-Burgas routes. A major tourist center, Plovdiv lies at the threshold of the Rhodopes, and most people wishing to go exploring the mountains choose it as their trips' starting point. There are three train stations and three bus terminals. The regular bus and trolley fare is 60 Stotinki (0.60 BGN) per ride, while the cab car-pools fare is 70 stotinki (0.70 BGN). Cab car-pooling is faster, but less comfortable as the cabs stop to load/unload at any location.

According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Plovdiv's written post Bronze Age history lists it as a Thracian fortified settlement named Eumolpias. In 342 BC, it was conquered by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, who renamed it "Φιλιππόπολις", Philippopolis or "the city of Philip" in his own honour. Later, it again became independent under the Thracians, until its incorporation into the Roman Empire, where it was called Trimontium (City of Three Hills) and served as metropolis (capital) of the province of Thrace. Thrimontium was an important crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "The largest and most beautiful of all cuities" by Lucian. In those times, * Via Militaris, the most important military road in the Balkans, passed through the city. The Roman times were a glorious period of growth and cultural excellence. The ancient ruins tell a story of a vibrant, growing city with numerous public buildings, shrines, baths, and theatres. Many of those are still preserved and be seen by the curious tourist, wishing to experience one on one the charm of ancient Rome.


The Slavs had fully settled in the area by the middle of the 6th century, but the region only became a province in Bulgaria on or about 815. It remained in Bulgarian hands until conquered by the Byzantine Empire in 970 or 971. Byzantine rule was succeeded by that of the Latin Empire in 1204, and there were two short inter-regnum periods as the city was twice occuppied by Kaloyan of Bulgaria before his death in 1207. Under Latin rule, Plovdiv was the capital of the Duchy of Philippopolis governed by Renier de Trit, and later on by Gerard de Strem. Bulgarian rule was reestablished during the reign of Ivan Asen II between 1225 and 1229. In 1263 Plovdiv was conquered by the restored Byzantine Empire and remained in Byzantine hands until it was re-conquered by George Terter II of Bulgaria in 1322. Byzantine rule was restored once again in 1323, but in 1344 the city was surrendered to Bulgaria by the regency for John V Palaiologos as the price for Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria's support in the Byzantine civil war. When Bulgaria was defeated by the Ottoman Empire in 1369, Plovdiv survived as one of the major cultural centers for Bulgarian culture and tradition. The name Plovdiv first appeared around that time and is derived from the city's Thracian name Pulpudeva (assumed to be a translation of Philippopolis, from Pulpu = Philippou and deva = city), which was rendered by the Slavs first as Păldin (Пълдин) or Plăvdin.

Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Plovdiv (then known as Filibe) was a focus point for the Bulgarian national movement in the Eastern Rumelia province of the Empire. The city was liberated from the Ottomans during the Battle of Plovdiv in 1878 and became the capital of the autonomous Region of Eastern Rumelia, when it had a population of about 33,500, of which 45% were Bulgarians, 25% Greeks, 21% Turks, 6% Jews and 3% Armenians, a state that changed rapidly in the following decades. A few years later, in 1885, Eastern Rumelia was absorbed into modern Bulgaria as part of the Bulgarian Unification Poject.

During the period of communist governance that followed the end of World War II, Plovdiv became the birthplace of Bulgaria's movement for democratic reform, which by 1989 had garnered enough support to enter government.

Plovdiv hosted specialized exhibitions of the World's Fair three times (1981, 1985, and 1991).

The spirit of Plovdiv bears the creative power of its artists, writers and musicians. Notable events include the Chambre Music International Festival, which takes place in the old town since the 1970s; the Golden Chest International TV Film Festival, organized jointly with the Bulgarian National Television since the 1980s; the Golden Rhyton International Festival of Documentary Films, which is a joint initiative with the National Film Centre, which dates back to 1980s; the Verdi Festival, the venue of which is one of the most attractive places in the city — the Ancient Theatre; Easter and Christmas music festivals; the International Folklore Festival that is one of the most exotic events at the end of the summer. Of particular interests are some recent initiatives — the Stage on a Crossroad International Theatre Festival, the Week of Modern Art that takes place in the Ancient Public Bath, the Impresiya Art Fair.

In 1999 Plovdiv was the host of the European Cultural Month. On the traditional stages in the city and on alternative culture spaces, the program carried out the biggest culture forum in Bulgaria at the turn of the century. Raina Kabaivanska, Ghena Dimitrova, Lyudmil Anguelov, the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra, Michael Nyman, Hanna Schygulla, Goran Bregović and his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra, Metallica, Apocalyptica, Grand Funk, Ritchie Blackmore and many others took part in it.

Plovdiv is the centre of the important Thracian agricultural region, and food processing is the most important industry. The city also produces machinery, textiles, and chemicals. Industry has been expanding there since 2000, with numerous modern manufacturing plants built in the city or in its outskirts. In the period since then, some €500,000,000 has been invested in plant construction. Some of the biggest new plants are the Liebherr refrigerator plant with 1,850 employees and a capacity of 450,000 items per year, the Socotab tobacco processing plant (2,000 employees), a bicycle plant (500 workers, capacity 500,000 units), a biodiesel plant, the Bulsaphil textile plant (790 workers), and several electronics and high-tech plants producing CD players and other electronic equipment.

The Plovdiv International Fair, held annually since 1892, is the largest fair in the country and all of southeastern Europe, gathering companies from all over the world in an exhibition area of 95,000 m².