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Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of roughly 400,000. It was developed atop an even earlier settlement by Philip II of Macedonia in 342 BC as the classical Philippolis, but expanded greatly under the Romans and subsequently the Turks as a stop on the main highway through the Balkans to Constantinople (Istanbul).
View of Ulitsa Aleksandrovska, the main pedestrianized street through the center. |
The Roman theater, only excavated when an underpass was constructed in 1977. |
In the Old Town (Stari Grad). Formerly derelict, this area adjacent to the modern center is being slowly revitalized. |
A street artist in the Old Town. |
The Kuyumdzhioglu House, built by a Greek merchant in 1847. It is typical of the Bulgarian Revival style which flourished in the late 19C. |
View of Nebet Tepe, a ruined fortress complex on a hill overlooking the city. It is believed to date from the 5C BC. |
Bachkovo - view of the town just south of Plovdiv in which the eponymous monastery is located. |
Bachkovo Monastery, founded in 1083 by two Georgian monks. |
Bachkovo Monastery - view of medieval frescoes under the eaves of the Sveta Bogoroditsa church. |
Bachkovo Monastery - detail of frescoes. |
Former playground of workers from the People's Republics of central and eastern Europe, the Black Sea region is today struggling to find a new identity in a capitalist Bulgaria. The city of Varna has some interesting Roman remains and sandy beaches. Nearby are historic towns such as Nesebur, with a wealth of remains from the Byzantine era.
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| Varna - two views (above) of the city. A very old city, Varna came into its own as the Greek city of Odyssos from the 6C BC until its destruction by the Avars in 586 AD. It subsequently recovered as a trading and shipping center in the 19C. | |
Varna - a street cafe. Despite the presence of loss-making state-run shipyards, there is a flourishing private sector of restaurants and small shops. |
Varna - ruins of the Roman thermae (bath complex), probably built in the late 2C or early 3C AD. |
Nesebur - view of the waterfront. The town is built on a promontory measuring just under 1km extending into the Black Sea, and is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
Nesebur - ruins of the Old Metropolitan Church, built in the 6C AD. The town is noted for its several Byzantine churches. |
Nesebur - the Church of St John the Baptist, which dates from the 11C. It now houses an art gallery. |
Map courtesy of maps.com. |
