Plovdiv (Bulgarian: Пловдив) is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 341,873([1]). It is the administrative centre of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria, as well as the largest and most important city of the historical region of Upper (or Northern) Thrace, famous for its ancient and diverse culture and millennial history.

Geography and name
Summers are generally extremely hot and dry. Winters tend to either have a very mild Mediterranean character, or a very cold Siberian character, and sometimes see elements of both. The wettest month of the year is June with an average precipitation of 65 mm, while the driest is August with an average of 27 mm. The average July daytime temperature is 36° C (97° F), while the January daytime average is 5° C. The hottest temperature on record is 46.2° C (115° F) and the coldest is -31.5° C (-25° F).

Climate

Climate table
Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is a contemporary of Troy and Mycenae, and older than Rome, Athens, Carthage or Constantinople. Archaeologists have discovered fine pottery[2] and other objects of everyday life from as early as the Neolithic Age, showing that in the end of the 7
Byzantine rule was succeeded by that of the Latin Empire in 1204, and there were two short interregnum periods as the city was twice occupied 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 Pəldin (Пълдин) or Pləvdin. She was a sanjak in Rumelia Province, Ottoman Empire between 1369 and 1846 and in Edirne Province between 1846 and 1878.
Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Plovdiv (then known as Filibe) was a focal 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, after the Congress of Berlin separated the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia from Bulgaria, Plovdiv became its capital. At the time, it had a population of about 33,500, of which 45% were Bulgarians, 25% Greeks, 21% Turks, 6% Jews and 3% Armenians, a situation 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 project.
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 has hosted specialized exhibitions of the World's Fair three times, in 1981, 1985, and 1991.

History

Culture
Plovdiv has more than 200 known archaeological sites, 30 of which are of national importance. Some of the most famous sites include the Roman theatre (early 2nd century AD) and Stadium (late 2nd century AD), the magnificent colored mosaics of the villas, the ones of the episcopal temple, the Nebet Tepe archaeological complex and the noted samples of Bulgarian National Revival architecture, such as the Balabanov House, the Kuyumdzhiev House, the Lamartine House, and the houses of Georgiadi, Nedkovich, and Hindian.
Also of note is that there are more than 30,000 cultural artifacts, kept in the five Plovdiv museums: the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Historical Museum, the Natural Museum and the City Art Gallery. The Panagyurishte Golden Treasure from the end of the 6th century BCE consists of six uniquely decorated golden utensils, together weighing more than 6,000 kg.
The Old Town of Plovdiv is a historic preservation site known for its unique Bulgarian Renaissance architectural style. The Old Town covers the area of the three central hills (Трихълмие, Trihalmie) —Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe. Almost every house in the Old Town is characteristically impressive in its exterior and interior decoration.
The Bulgarian Museum of Aviation is located on the western edge of Plovdiv International Airport.

Museums and protected sites
There are a number of 19th century churches, most of which follow the distinctive Eastern Orthodox construction style. Those are the Saint Constantine and Saint Helena, the Saint Marina, the Saint Nedelya, the Saint Petka and the Holy Mother of God Churches. There are also the Roman Catholic Cathedrals in Plovdiv, the largest of them being St Ludovic. There are several more modern Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Protestant churches, as well as older style Apostolic churches. Two mosques remain in Plovdiv from the time of the Ottoman rule. There is also one synagogue.

Theatre
Another post of the culture of Plovdiv is the Philharmonic, founded in 1945. Works of the classic and of the modern symphony are included in its repertory. Soloists such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Boukov and Mincho Minchev worked with the Plovdiv Philharmonic. The orchestra toured in almost all of the European countries. Known for its originality and professionalism is the Trakiya Folklore Ensemble. Founded in 1974, it has performed thousands of concerts in Bulgaria and more than 40 countries of the world. The Trakiya Traditional Choir was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Music
The city's traditions as a literary centre are preserved by the first public library in Bulgaria, the Ivan Vazov National Library, by the 19 chitalishta (cultural centres) and by numerous booksellers and publishers. Today the Ivan Vazov National Library is the second largest national library institution, owning rare Bulgarian and European publications. The modern publishing houses add their significant contribution to the book market in the country and represent Bulgarian literature abroad. Plovdiv is also home of the famous Katerina Stavreva.

Literature
The territory of Plovdiv Municipality is subdivided into six district administrations, their respective mayors being appointed following approval by the Municipal Council. The Mayor of the Municipality of Plovdiv Ivan Chomakov [3], together with the six district mayors represent the local executive authorities. The Municipal Council which consists of 51 municipal counselors, represents the legislative power and is elected according to the proportional system by parties' lists.
The executive government of the Municipality of Plovdiv consists of a mayor who is elected by majority representation, five deputy mayors and one administrative secretary. All the deputy mayors and the secretary control their respective administrative structured units. The district administrations are, as follows:

Central District
Eastern District
Western District
Northern District
Southern District
District of Trakia City government
Plovdiv is the centre of the important Thracian agricultural region, and food processing is among the most important industries. The city also produces machinery, textiles, and chemicals. After the fall of Communism in 1989 and the collapse of Bulgaria's planned economy, a number of industrial complexes were closed. Industry has been expanding again since the late 1990s, with numerous modern manufacturing plants built in the city or in its outskirts. In this period, 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 and oldest fair in the country and all of southeastern Europe, gathering companies from all over the world in an exhibition area of 95,000 m².

Economy
Several huge hypermarkets have been built in recent years: Metro, Kaufland, Sany, Praktiker, Billa, Mr. Bricolage and others. Many more are planned or under construction, including two large malls. The main shopping area is the central street with its numerous shops, cafes and restaurants. There are several shopping malls and trade centres.

Shopping
Two key highways run into or near Plovdiv, the Sofia-Edirne-Istanbul and the Sofia-Stara Zagora-Burgas routes. A major tourist center, Plovdiv lies at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains, and most people wishing to explore the mountains choose it as their trip's starting point. There are three train stations and three bus terminals.
Plovdiv has an extensive and well-developed public transport system, including buses and trolleys. Some of the lines reach several villages in the vicinity of the city. The regular bus and trolley fare is 60 Stotinki (0.60 BGN) per ride, while the cab car-pools fare is 75 stotinki (0.75 BGN). Cab car-pooling is faster, but less comfortable, as the cabs stop to load/unload at any location. Plovdiv is a major road and railway hub in southern Bulgaria: the Trakiya motorway is only 5 km to the north, while first-class roads lead to Sofia, Karlovo, Asenovgrad, Stara Zagora and Haskovo. There are railways to Sofia, Panagyurishte, Karlovo, Stara Zagora, and Asenovgrad.
The Plovdiv International Airport is located near the suburb village of Krumovo, southeast of the city. There are plans for its modernisation and expansion. It currently takes charter flights from several European countries.

Transport

The Old Town
Eirene mosaic
Ancient synagogue
St. Constantine and Helena Church
Sahat Tepe hill and clock tower
Nebet Tepe hill complex
Dzhumaya Mosque
Imaret Mosque
Old Turkish Bath (now an art gallery)
Virgin Mary Church
St Petka Church
St Marina Church
St Ludovic Roman Catholic Cathedral
Gothic Evangelist Church
Tsar Simeon's Garden and The Singing Fountains
The main street
Plovdiv International Fair
The Rowing Canal (sports and recreation park) Sights
Football is the most popular sport in the city. Plovdiv is famous for its football teams. Botev Plovdiv was founded in 1912, and is named after one of the most ardent Bulgarian poets and revolutionaries, Christo Botyov. The city has another popular football club, Lokomotiv, founded in 1936. Both teams are a regular fixture in the top Bulgarian league, and are famous for their productive youth academies. The rivalry between them is considered to be even more fierce than the one between Levski and CSKA of Sofia. There are also two other football clubs in the city – Maritsa FC and Spartak Plovdiv.
The "Plovdiv Sports Complex" is unique and is the biggest in Eastern Europe. It consists of the Plovdiv Stadium with several additional football terrains, tennis courts, pools, rowing base with 3km long channel, restaurants, cafés situated in a spacious park in the western part of the city just south of the Maritza river. There are also numerous benches and playgrounds for the children. It is popular among the Plovdivers and the guests of the city for jogging, walk or relaxation.

Sports

Hristo Danov, publisher
Boris Christoff, basso
Nikolay Buhalov, Olympic canoeing champion
Tanya Gramatikova, Photographic artist
Stefka Kostadinova, world record holder in the women's high jump
Petar Detev, prehistorian, prof. of archaeology
Maria Petrova, three times World Champion in rhythmic gymnast
Milen Dobrev, weightlifter
Filibeli Hafız Ahmed Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier
George Ganchev, fencer, actor, writer, politician
Jordan Jovtchev, gymnast
Asen Kisimov, actor
Svetlana Krivencheva, tennis player
Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer
Milcho Leviev, musician and composer
Tzvetana Maneva, actress
Ognyana Petkova, Olympic canoeing bronze medal
Tsvetana Pironkova, tennis player
Hristo Stoichkov, football player
Petar Stoyanov, ex-president of Bulgaria
Jean Videnov, ex-prime minister
Nayden Todorov, conductor
Anjel Vagenstein, writer Notable citizens
Plovdiv is twinned with the following cities:

Brno, Czech Republic
Bursa, Turkey
Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Daegu, South Korea
Gyumri, Armenia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Istanbul, Turkey
Košice, Slovakia
Kumanovo, Republic of Macedonia
Kutaisi, Georgia
Leipzig, Germany
Leskovac, Serbia
Luoyang, People's Republic of China
Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia
Okayama, Japan
Petra, Jordan
Poznań, Poland
Rome, Italy, for its seven hills
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Thessaloniki, Greece
Valencia, Venezuela Twinning

Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski"
University of Agriculture — Plovdiv
Technical University of Sofia — Plovdiv Branch
Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts
Medical University Universities

European College of Economics and Management
National School of Commerce - Plovdiv
Omega College, Plovdiv (Колеж "Омега" Пловдив)
English Academy Plovdiv Trivia

List of mayors of Plovdiv