Historians believe that the Bulgarian Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in the Old World. This is confirmed by archaeological finds, indicating that in 1200 BC. NS. on the site of modern Plovdiv there was a Thracian settlement called Eumolpia. The conquered city in the IV century. BC NS. Philip the Great renamed Eumolpia to Philippopolis, but on bronze coins minted in that era, Plovdiv was called Odris. This was followed by many other wars of conquest, the city passed from the Romans to the Goths, from the Byzantines to the Bulgarians. It was devastated by the Huns and ruined by the Pechenegs, the Ottomans were besieged and liberated by the Russian army. Going to this region on vacation or on business, do not forget about the glorious past and historical heritage of the second largest Bulgarian metropolis and be sure that you will be able to see in Plovdiv both ancient buildings, and interesting museum expositions, and monuments known to everyone. the world.
TOP-10 sights of Plovdiv
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin
The main Orthodox church in Plovdiv was built in the first half of the 19th century. on the site of an old church plundered by the crusaders. The restored temple was destroyed by the Turks who came after, and the holy place was empty until, in 1844, new construction began here.
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin is built of stone. It is a basilica without a dome and is quite impressive in size. In length, the temple stretches for 32 meters, in width it is widowed less. Two rows of columns divide the interior space into aisles and aisle. The columns are connected under the vaults by stone arches.
The Stanishev brothers, famous woodcarvers in Bulgaria, worked on the iconostasis. The iconostasis is decorated with wooden bas-reliefs with floral ornaments. The icons of the temple were painted mainly by Nikolai Odrinchanin, famous for his picturesque images.
The bell tower of the cathedral was added later, after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish yoke. This is evidenced by a commemorative inscription above the entrance.
Cathedral of Saint Louis
The Catholic Cathedral of Plovdiv was consecrated in 1861 in honor of Louis of France. The construction of the church took about three years. The architects used the principles of the neo-baroque style, and the cathedral turned out to be neat, without excessive pomp, but at the same time light, elegant and very beautiful. The bell tower to the left of the temple appeared much later - at the very end of the 19th century.
The Cathedral of Saint Louis was almost lost as a result of a severe fire in 1931. It was restored and re-consecrated in 1932. Now it is the largest Catholic church in the country, where about 600 people can pray at the same time.
The remains of Maria-Louise Bourbon-Parsmkoy, wife of Tsar Ferdinand, who founded the Third Bulgarian Kingdom and ruled over it at the beginning of the 20th century, lie under the canopy of the cathedral. The sarcophagus of the queen was made by the Italian sculptor Tomaso Gentile.
Jumaya Mosque
The main mosque of Plovdiv appeared in the city immediately after its conquest by the Turks in 1364. The Ottomans erected their own prayer house on the site of an Orthodox cathedral.
The impressive size and magnificent decoration of the mosque are worthy of attention and respect before the architects. The prayer hall has a length and width of 33 and 27 m, respectively. The nine domes covering the structure are lead-plated. Red brick ornaments are laid out against the snow-white background of the minaret, and the interiors are decorated with paintings of stylized floral patterns.
Imaret Mosque
One of the fifty Muslim religious buildings erected during the years of the Ottoman yoke, the Imaret Mosque differs from others with its unusual minaret masonry. The bricks on the tower are lined with a relief zigzag.
The construction of the structure is dated 1440. The design of the building is quite typical for Muslim architecture - an octagonal domed building with a minaret. The interior walls used to be decorated with paintings, but only small fragments of them have survived to this day.
Antique theater
In the historical center of Plovdiv, between the hills of Dzhambaz and Taksim, you will find the ruins of an ancient amphitheater, which dates back to the Roman era and is considered one of the best preserved in Europe. Archaeologists believe that the local Colosseum was built during the reign of Emperor Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century. n. NS:
- The structure is a semicircle, the outer diameter of which is 82 m. The spectator rows are oriented south towards the Rhodope Range.
- The spectator area consists of 28 rows of marble seating, divided into two tiers by a horizontal aisle.
- The stage is built in the shape of a horseshoe. Its diameter exceeds 26.5 m.
- The three floors of the stage rooms are supported by columns.
- The wall behind the stage, decorated with a marble colonnade in the Ionian style, rises more than three meters.
In the central part of the upper row of the spectator stands, a covered passage begins, connecting the amphitheater with Tricholmy. In ancient times, this was the name of a settlement that descended from the slopes of the hills and included residential quarters, a square with a market and public buildings.
Archaeological Museum "Nebet Tepe"
On the top of one of the hills, where the ancient settlement that gave rise to Plovdiv was located, today a museum complex is open. It invites visitors to get acquainted with the ancient history of Plovdiv and allows them to touch the ancient ruins.
Founded in a naturally fortified place in a hollow between the hills, the settlement was the home of an Illyrian-Thracian tribe. After the conquest by Philip the Great, the city became an important political center of the Balkans. A tunnel discovered during excavations that connected Tricholmiye with the bank of the Maritsa River and which made it possible to supply the city with water even during a siege, dates back to this time.
In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Plovdiv built a fortress, the ruins of which have been preserved in the Nebet Tepe complex. The very impressive thickness of the walls, a watchtower with a quadrangular plan and other defensive buildings give an idea of the level of development of fortification architecture in medieval Plovdiv.
Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul
The former Belocherkovskaya, and now - Saints Peter and Paul Christian monastery in the Rhodope Mountains near Plovdiv is considered the highest mountain in Bulgaria. It was founded in 1083 by Grigory Bakuriani, who served in the Byzantine army and had Georgian roots.
The location of the monastery and its inaccessibility did not allow the Turkish conquerors to quickly destroy the monastery. Ottoman invasion of the XIV century. safely passed by. But in the 17th century, the Turks nevertheless reached the Rhodope Mountains and completely destroyed the buildings of the monastery, and the monks were driven into slavery.
The Bulgarians began to restore the monastery in 1815. First, they rebuilt the church, then the premises of the monastery itself. Then he was consecrated in honor of Peter and Paul.
Paintings and frescoes in the temple, as well as icons, were made at the end of the 20th century. The only ancient image of St. Nicholas is especially revered. The icon was written a long time ago and its author is unknown.
Church of St. Marina
The first church on the site of the modern church in honor of St. Marina in Plovdiv appeared in the 5th century. It was consecrated in honor of the Apostle Paul, but after only a hundred years it was destroyed, then restored and destroyed again. The temple repeated the fate of thousands of Christian churches in the Balkans during the era of medieval timelessness.
In the middle of the XIX century. the period of the Bulgarian national revival begins. The temple is being restored, or rather, rebuilt on the ruins of the former. For the construction of the basilica, natural stone is used. The main building with arched windows and a gable roof is folded from it. Along the perimeter, the austere and slightly gloomy building is surrounded by an arcade with columns. Next to the basilica there is a wooden bell tower - the only building of its kind in Bulgaria. The six tiers of the tower rise 17 m.
The interiors of the temple are quite ascetic, and its only decoration is the carved iconostasis, the height of which is 21 m. Master Stanislav Dospevsky skillfully carved bas-reliefs on biblical subjects and sculptures of Jesus and the Virgin.
Alyosha
The authors of the song "Alyosha", the Soviet composer E. Kolmanovsky and the poet K. Vanshenkin, dedicated their work, written in 1966, to the feat of a Soviet soldier who died during the liberation of Bulgaria during the Second World War. The monument to Alyosha has been standing in Plovdiv on the Hill of the Liberators since the middle of the last century.
The idea to build a memorial in honor of Soviet soldiers was born to the inhabitants of Plovdiv immediately after the victory over Nazi Germany. The residents of Plovdiv created the Citywide Initiative Committee and laid the foundation stone for the future memorial on May 9, 1948.
The sculpture had a real prototype - Private A. Skurlatov, who fought as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The monument depicts a warrior with a weapon pointed towards the ground and looking east towards his homeland. 11.5-meter concrete sculpture is installed on a 6-meter pedestal, decorated with bas-reliefs on the war theme. You can climb to the monument by a staircase of 100 steps, and from the platform next to it, you can look at the panoramic views of Plovdiv.
Archaeological Museum
The archaeological museum in Plovdiv received its first visitors back in 1882, when a collection of ancient coins was displayed for the audience. Today in its halls you can look at archaeological finds, historical documents, household items of the inhabitants of the Balkans, icons, paintings by local painters and medieval rarities discovered during the scientific research of Bulgarian local historians.
The Archaeological Museum of Plovdiv is divided into several thematic zones, each of which presents exhibits from a different time period. The oldest of them date back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. You will see tools and weapons of ancient people, copper figurines, pottery, primitive decorations. A particularly valuable museum exhibit is presented in the Thracian hall - a treasure from Panagurishte: several gold vessels and bowls that belonged to a royal person who ruled at the end of the 4th century. BC NS.
In the museum you will find ancient Greek amphoras, Roman sarcophagi, fragments of antique mosaics, medieval jewels and thousands of other valuable rarities.
