District Plovdiv

Info:: General; Postal codes; Phone codes; Population; Area sizes; Locations; Distances

Plovdiv Region is situated in Southern Bulgaria, bounded by the regions of Pazardzhik, Sofia, Lovech, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Kurdzhali and Smolyan. It includes the Upper Thracian Plain, parts of the Rhodope Mountains, the Sredna Gora Mountains, the sub-Balkan valleys and the Balkan Mountains. The region is important from a transport point of view – the road from Western Europe to Istanbul crosses the region, as does the Trakia (Thrace) highway connecting South-Western Bulgaria with the Black Sea coastline and the route connecting Northern and Southern Bulgaria.

The Maritza River and its tributaries the Pyasuchnik, the Stryama, the Vucha, the Chepelarska , etc. cross the region of Plovdov. There are thermal springs at numerous places: in the vicinity of Hisarya, Klisura, Asenovgrad, Banya, in the villages of Kuklen, Narechen, Krasnovo, Stoletovo, Rozino, Bogdan, Kliment and elsewhere. There are many natural landmarks in the region – the reserves of Dzhendema, Red Wall, Kormisosh, Old River, the beautiful waterfalls of Suchurum and Raisko Pruskalo, the Topchika Cave and Dry Cave, etc.

Plovdiv Region is an industrial and agrarian region with varied economic sectors. Over 100 types of agricultural crops are grown here. To the south, at the foot of the Rhodopes, around Asenovgrad, not only the most aromatic oriental tobaccos are grown but also the heavy, dry red wines of Trakia and Mavroud; and to the north – the white Muscat wine of Brezovo and Karlovo.

In the past the region was inhabited by Thracians. The region used to be part of the Odrysian Kingdom – a center of a highly developed ancient civilization. Later on, the lands stretching between the Balkan Mountains and the Aegean Sea were conquered by the Romans and turned into the Roman province of Thrace. In the 9th century, these lands were incorporated into the boundaries of the Bulgarian state by Persian. In the 14-19th century, the present-day region used to be in the center of the Ottoman Empire. After the Liberation in 1878, the Treaty of Berlin divided Bulgaria at different parts and city of Plovdiv remains in vassal province of Eastern Rumelia. People from the region took an active part in the struggle for the union of Eastern Rumelia with the Principality of Bulgaria.

Plovdiv and its surroundings abound in cultural, archaeological and historical landmarks which provide conditions for cultural tourism – the Old Plovdiv, an architectural and historical reserve, Tsar Ivan Asen’s Fortress, Monastery of Bachkovo, the Roman fortress in Hisarya, the sub-Balkan towns of Kalofer, Sopot, Karlovo, Klisura, the Thracian cult center in the village of Starosel, etc. The Rhodope Mountains are suitable for mountain, ecological, hunting and fishing tourism; Hisarya, Banya and Narechen spa – for balneological tourism, the Cross Forest and the numerous monasteries in the Rhodopes and the foothills of the Balkan Mountains – for religious tourism. A major factor for the development of business tourism is the Plovdiv Trade Fair. There is a well-developed tourist infrastructure in Plovdiv and the region that meets the requirements of present-day tourism.

Quick facts about District Plovdiv

In Bulgarian (Native transliteraion): Област Пловдив
Region: South-Central planing region of Bulgaria
District: Plovdiv district
Latitude: 42.1500015
Longtitude: 24.7500000
Area Size: 5962km2
Population: 683027 people