Plovdiv

Plovdiv , anc. Philippopolis, city (1993 pop. 345,205), S central Bulgaria, on the Maritsa River. It is the second largest city of Bulgaria, a transportation hub, and the chief market for a fertile area. Plovdiv's major industries are food processing, brewing, and the manufacture of textiles, metal products, and carpets. Originally built by the Thracians, the city was captured in 341 BC by Philip II of Macedon, who named it Philippopolis and established a military post there. Known under Roman rule as Trimontium, it was the capital of Thracia. It was razed by the Goths but recovered after Byzantine Emperor Constantine V settled the Armenian Paulicians there. Destroyed (early 13th cent.) by the Bulgarians, Plovdiv later became the center of the Bogomils . It was occupied by the Greeks in 1262 and was captured by the Turks c.1360. The city passed to Russia in 1877 and became the capital of Eastern Rumelia (1878-85); it was united with Bulgaria in 1885. Plovdiv is the seat of a Bulgarian Orthodox eparch and has several Orthodox churches and Turkish mosques, as well as a university and other higher educational institutions. The ancient town walls and gate still stand.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria Pulpudeva, Puldin, Philippopolis, Trimontium, Filibé/Philibe An ancient Thracian site, rebuilt and renamed in 341 bc ‘Philip's City’ from Pulp ‘Philip’ and deva ‘city’ after Philip II (382–336 bc), King of Macedonia (359–336 bc). The Bulgarian version of the name was Puldin, while the Greeks called it Philippopolis. Taken by the Romans in 46, it was renamed by them Trimontium ‘Three Hills’, a name it retained until 1364. The city fell to the Ottoman Turks that year and was renamed by them Filibé. After the Turks had been removed, the present name, a modern version of the original one, was adopted in 1919.