Plovdiv, the City on Seven Hills, is situated beautifully on the two banks of the Maritsa river, 130 km southeast of the capital Sofia. It the second largest city in Bulgaria with a population of 350,000. It is also one of the biggest transport junctions in the country and on the Balkans. The international road E 80 – Belgrade-Sofia-Plovdiv-Istanbul runs close to the town. Plovdiv is within thirty minutes drive from three different mountain ranges and just 2.5 hours from the seaside. Plovdiv International Airport operates national and international flights. The climate is mild with Mediterranean influence, with hot summers and mild winters.

 

Plovdiv’s unique location on the ancient crossroads has stimulated strong cultural and political influences from East and West civilizations, and yet maintained its unique cultural identity. Being older than most of the oldest towns like Rome, Athens, Carthage or Constantinople, almost a contemporary of Troy, Plovdiv is a town built upon layers of towns and a culture developed upon layers of cultures.

 

Remains of ancient, mediaeval, revival and modern culture coexist to make Plovdiv a synonym of Bulgarian history and a genuine world city. The Ancient Theatre, the most impressive edifice of Roman time, was excavated during reinforcement works at the southern fortress wall. It offered almost 7 000 seats once. Nowadays it is used for staging opera and theatre festivals, concerts, municipal celebrations, etc

 

Spread over three of the hills, the Renaissance town of Old Plovdiv was built during the 19th century. Old Plovdiv is an autonomous area within the modern town with a municipality of its own. It is declared an architectural museum reserve with over 150 monuments of culture - houses from the National Revival period. Walking around Old Plovdiv, visitors enjoy the steep, cobbled streets and lanes with bow-windows and eaves above them. Its magnificent houses are turned into museums, galleries, workshops, restaurants, and pubs.

 

But Plovdiv is not just a city rich in cultural monuments and traditions – it is also a modern, vibrant urban centre. Shopping opportunities are abundant with the biggest crowds taking the wide pedestrian shopping street in the city's center. There, as well as on every side street you'll find charming restaurants with great food and affordable prices. Food is of top quality as Plovdiv is the center of the main agricultural region of Bulgaria. It is just not possible to mention one or two favorite clubs, restaurants or bars. The city also offers quality entertainment in the way of theatres, concerts and cinema, as well as many opportunities for sport activities.

 

Plovdiv is famous for the prestigious International Plovdiv Fair, the largest in Southeast Europe. Its pavilions expect exhibitioners and guests from all over the World between May 6-11 and September 23-28. The Fairground is the largest exhibition site in the Balkan region. It is situated on area of 360,000 sq. m. The exhibition complex consists of 24 multifunctional pavilions best equipped for the arrangement and display of all kinds of exhibits. The exhibition area amounts to 95,000 sq. m.; the indoor area is 60,000 sq. m. The Fair attracts enormous interest – in 2003 over 7,000 companies from all over the world participated as exhibitors.

 

The mixture of ancient history and heritage, and modern infrastructure and lifestyle makes Plovdiv a place where the visitor can sample virtually all facets of life and culture not just of Bulgaria, but also of the Balkan region.