Plovdiv is very, very old, indeed more ancient than Bulgaria itself. "The Eternal City", as Rome is conventionally called, is much younger. Athens, Carthage and Constantinople came into being later. A contemporary of Troy and having survived Mycenae, Plovdiv is a city upon layers of cities and an epoch upon layers of epochs.

     Plovdiv is all in one: a Thracian and classical Greek polis, the pride of Philip of Macedonia, the capital of Thrace under the Roman Empire, a centre of Byzantinism, a stronghold of the Bulgarians, a dream of the crusaders, a magnificent, wealthy and most important city.
     Kendros, Eumolpia, Philippopolis, Pulpudeva, Trimontsium, Pulden, Populdin, Ploudin and Filibe - those were the ancient names of Plovdiv throughout its 6000 to 8000 years of existence. The name Plovdiv first appeared in 15th century documents and has remained till today.

     The second biggest city in Bulgaria is situated beautifully on the two banks of the river Maritsa and also on a number of picturesque hills (called 'tepe' by the local people) that are part of the town's charm and beauty. Plovdiv is located in the Southern/Central part of Bulgaria. Being the second largest city in the country, it has a population of 350'000. There is a kind of magic in Plovdiv in all seasons. The town is always unique and fascinating. In the winter it is fabuously white; in the spring it is covered with green and flowers, in the summer it is almost unreal in the ghastly heat of Thracia, in the autumn it is calm and placid, with ripe figs and sweet grapes dropping into soft foliage... Plovdiv can hardly be described in simple words... One should see it and feel its unique atmosphere in order to understand it.

     Plovdiv is divided into two parts - the old town , which occupies the three eastern hills, and the modern town spread in the plain below. The modern town offers entertainment and vigorous sights but the old town /conveys best/ carries the atmosphere and the culture of the city.

     The Rennaissance town of Old Plovdiv was built during the 19th century. Today it has survived as a unique architectual ensemble on the three hills. Its houses reveal the remarkable urban culture of Bulgarian builders, as well as their sense of harmony and their creative power. The brilliant architecture with its noble, stylish simplicity could be called rightfully the Baroque of Plovdiv. The Bulgarian people have always been proud that Old Plovdiv was restored and preserved as a large open museum in order to stay for future generations. Today 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. Its magnificent houses are turned into museums, galleries, workshops, restaurants, and pubs, such as "Puldin", "Trakijski Stan" , "Alafrangite", "The House of Ritora", "The Old House". There are also parlours and studios of painters and wood-carvers. Families from Plovdiv own many of those houses. The most distinguished examples of the Baroque of Plovdiv are the house of Koiumjioglu (now an ethnographical museum), the house of Georgiadi (now the Rennaissance museum of the national struggle), the house of Nedkovich (the municipality), the house of Chomaka (the gallery of the renowned Bulgarian painter Zlatyo Boyajiev), the house of Balabanov (now a gallery of modern painting, as well as a concert hall), the house of Lamartin (the house of writers) where the French poet Alfonse de Lamartin stayed during his diplomatic mission in Turkey... The famous painting "Old Plovdiv" by Tzanko Lavrenov is probably the deepest revelation of the spirit, the excitement and the atmosphere of that fateful Bulgarian Rennaissance.
     The wooden ceilings inside the houses of Plovdiv are carved, as if there is a sun in every room. Walls are polychromatically decorated. They have painted niches and fine, stylish European furniture. There is a kind of magic, some fine, fairly innocence in the spirit of Plovdiv. No wonder why UNESCO awarded Plovdiv a gold medal for architecture in 1979.
     The Etnographic Museum in Plovdiv is one of the most interesting museums in Bulgaria. Its exhibits are on show in a beautiful house, which is a fine example of the Bulgarian Baroque architecture of the National Revival Period. It was built in 1847. The principal facade of the house faces west, giving onto a spacious and well-kept garden. It consists of two clearly differentiated bodies: middle part projecting far forwards, and side wings drawn back. This division gives movement and relief to the facade and intensifies the picturesque effect on the entire composition. After restoration of Bulgarian country in 1878, this beautiful house was used for various purposes: as a girl's boarding school, then a millinery factory and a tobacco warehouse, while in 1943 the exhibition of the Municipal house was opened in it. Collecting the ethnographic materials now housed there was begun in 1951. Stoyan N. Shishkov, a well-known ethnographer, laid the foundations of the present Museum collection in 1917.

     The modern town is a trade and culture centre. It is a bunch of museums, churches, banks,hotels, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, shops, bars, bazaars, music clubs, casinos etc. Here rest the ruins of a Roman stadium and remnants of the Roman forum, here could be also seen several mosques and original Turkish baths. The modern centre provides entertainment and rich cultural life. Classical concerts take place at the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra's concert hall, here in January the Winter festival of Symphony Music is held. The Opera is near the concert hall. The Mesalitinov Theater is the venue for classical drama, child shows, and modern theater. The building of the TV and the Radio, and the biggest cinemas are situated in the modern city. In the Fair Camp different international exhibitions and expoes are held all year round.

     Plovdiv is also one of the biggest transport junctions in Bulgaria and on the Balkans. The international road E 80 - Belgrade-Sofia-Plovdiv-Istanbul runs close to the town. Close to the city passes the "Thracian Highway" which connects the town with the capital Sofia, situated only 125 km away from Plovdiv. 286 km east of Plovdiv is the port of Bourgas; there is a well-organized transportation between the two towns through trains, buses, and even planes. Pamporovo, one of the most popular winter resorts in the country, is located 70 km away from Plovdiv through road II-86. 30-40 km south of Pamporovo is the border with the Republic of Greece, where a new check-point is under constructed. Thus, the town of Plovdiv will have an easy access to the ports of Northern Greece. The city of Plovdiv train station is a part of the international railroad Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul. Financial means are provided for reconstruction and renovation of the railroad from Plovdiv to the Turkish border, so that the trains would travel with a speed of 160-200 km/h. Plovdiv International Airport is only 7 km away from the town and is often functioning as a back-up airport to Sofia airport in cases of bad weather conditions.
     The flat relief of the Plovdiv valley allows the development of a sophisticated road network. Across the region's territory, there are 59 km of the "Thracian highway"; first class roads are 129 km long, second class roads - 227 km, and third class roads - 652 km. The remaining 1000 km roads are municipal.