Bulgaria: Road trip Bulgaria, Day 2: Пловдив
Vacation around 1st of May has lately been reserved for road trips and so was this year. Our 2nd day didn't include any driving, since we decided to explore the city of Plovdiv.
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria with a city population of 346,893 (2018). There is evidence of habitation in Plovdiv dating back to the 6th millennium BCE, when the first Neolithic settlements were established. It has been considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world. During most of its recorded history, Plovdiv was known in the West by the name Philippopolis (Greek: Φιλιππούπολη; Turkish: Filibe; "Philip's Town") after Philip II of Macedon conquered the city in the 4th century BCE. The city was originally a Thracian settlement and subsequently was invaded by Persians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Slavs, Rus people, Crusaders, and Turks. On 4 January 1878, at the end of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Plovdiv was taken away from Ottoman rule by the Russian army. It remained within the borders of Bulgaria until July of the same year, when it became the capital of the autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia. In 1885, Plovdiv and Eastern Rumelia joined Bulgaria.
Previous days of Bulgaria road trip: Day 1.
Breakfast in Plovdiv
The first records of the Holy Assumption Cathedral Church date back to IX – X century. In 1881, three years after the Liberation of Bulgaria the architect Josef Schnitter constructed a three-story domed belfry near the western entrance of the church. On the belfry there is an inscription which reads "In memory of the liberators" as gratitude of the citizens to the Russian soldiers who liberated the city on 4 January 1878.
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| Lamartin House was built by some unknown master-builder in 1829- 1830 and is one of the biggest and most beautiful symmetrical houses in the Old City. |
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| One of the world's best-preserved ancient theaters - Plovdiv Roman theater. It was constructed in the 90s of the 1st century AD, probably under the rulership of Emperor Domitian. The theatre can host between 5000 and 7000 spectators and it is currently in use. |
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| Nada and Tuši |
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| Dzhendem Tepe (Youth Hill) and the Bunarzhik (The Liberators Hill) from Sahat Tepe (Danov Hill). |
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| 360 view from Sahat Tepe (Danov Hill). It is believed that in Roman times on the top of the hill there was a temple of Venus. |
Although the name is given by our southern neighbor Turkey, the hill was called Sahat even before that. Turks merely translated the name of their native language, but it is believed that the hill got its name from the Greek people.
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| Nada made a selfie with us |
Name Sahat Tepe comes from Turkish and it means Clock Hill. This name comes from the large clock tower, whose bell announces the hill every hour.
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| We attended the Free Plovdiv Tour and with the group we visited the The statue of Milio. Over the years it has become an emblematic place where locals and visitors often stop by to take pictures. The impressive statue comes with a somewhat odd and interesting story. |
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| Sculpture of Plovdiv Roman Stadium. The stadium was built in the beginning of the 2nd century AD during the reign Emperor Hadrian (117-138). Approximately 240 m long and 50 m wide, it could seat up to 30000 spectators. The length of the track is one stadion - 625 Roman steps or 600 Greek steps, or approx 180 m. |
Grafonetika: Similar words in the Balkan languages
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| On Hristo Dyukmedzhiev street |
Old Plovdiv
The bell tower of Church of St Constantine and Helena
Bell tower, a window for the nosey and Plovdiv Regional Ethnographic Museum
Nebet Tepe is one of the hills of Plovdiv where the ancient town was founded. The earliest settlements on Nebet Tepe are dated back to 4000 BC.
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| Aleš, Katja, Miha, Nada, Barbara, Rok and Tuši |
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| The name "Nebet" comes from the Turkish words nevbet (meaning "guard") and tepe (meaning "hill") or "The hill of the guards". It is assumed that in ancient times the garrison that guarded the city was located on the hill. |
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| View from Nebet Tepe |
Decoration in the city
Plovdiv is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe and one of the oldest cities in the world.
Violinist and jazz musician Aleksandar Nikolov was a popular figure, famous for his wit and bravery in making fun of the Communist regime during its darkest years, but the system was unforgiving. In 1961, Sweet Sasho was arrested and sent to a labour camp for political prisoners in Lovech. Within days after his arrival, he was brutally murdered.
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| The Roman theater was only found in the early 1970s due to a landslide. This caused a major archeological excavation, including the removal of some 4.5 m of earth covering what was left hidden by the landslide. The restoration of the Roman theatre in Plovdiv is considered one of the best achievements of the Bulgarian Conservation School. |
After a walk it was time for a beer ...
... some food ...
... some more food ...
... and more food.
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| Full stomachs, happy people |
After the dessert, we started walking towards the Bunarzhik (The Liberators Hill).
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| Alyosha is an 11-metre tall reinforced concrete statue of a Soviet soldier on Bunarjik Hill. |
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| View to Plovdiv from Bunarzhik |
Time for a few photos on the top
Alyosha, Tuši and Nada
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| Time for new me |
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| Better than cinema |
Aleš also decided to test the barber
And in the end Rok. The price was 10 € for the haircut and shaving.
For the end of the day we decided to find a geocache in Tsar Simeon’s Garden.
Tsar Simeon's Garden was sculpted by Swiss architect Lucien Chevalas in 1892.
Exploring Plovdiv
GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW and "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN):
- Reverse Box, Whereigo, GC5W1M2
- The monument of "Alyosha", GC74N3G
- Walk around King Simeon's Garden, Multi, GC6ZAJR
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