One of the oldest cities in the world and the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe is situated in Bulgaria. Plovdiv was founded in 4000 BC. BC. and since them the town was always inhabited. The rediscovered historical layers of the city are now converted into a cultural landmark. Not surprisingly, Plovdiv was elected for European Capital of Culture in 2019. Older than Plovdiv in the world are Jericho in Palestine, founded 9000 BC , Byblos in Lebanon, Aleppo in Syria and Susa in Iran.
Over the years, Plovdiv has changed many times, has been a capital, has suffered earthquakes and wars, but survived. Extremely attractive to the tourists today is the Old Town of Plovdiv. Undoubtedly, its emblem is the Ancient Theater, built in the 2nd century BC. during the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan. Because of the incredible acoustics of the stage it still hosts concerts today. Ancient Theater is one of the best preserved in the world. You can see it for a fee of 3 leva or approximately 1,5 euro.
The Ancient Forum of the city is located in the today’s center of Plovdiv. The forum complex is the largest in the country and the tourists can see parts of it at the central square in the city. It was built in the first century BC. Part of the Forum, which can be seen is the ancient Odeon. It had a 300-350 seats and served as the seat of the city council of Philippopolis. Later it was turned into a theater. Today again it holds various cultural events.
The Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis was built at the beginning of the II c., during the reign of the Roman emperor Adrian. Today the stadium is located also in the city center under the main street and a part of it can be viewed at Dzhumaya Square. The stadium was build to accommodate 30 000 spectators. The seats were signed and reserved for rich people and important persones.
The cultural and historical sights of the city are really dozens and difficult to be listed. And if you want to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city, take there more time to be able to see all the museums, archaeological sites, galleries, religious temples and attractions.
