Plovdiv, est de nos jours, une belle ville tranquille du centre sud de la Bulgarie. Mais elle en a vu passer des civilisations en 6,000 à 8,000 ans d’existence (selon les sources) et s’est fait rebaptisé à maintes fois. Entre autres, Evmolpia pour les Thraces; Philipoppolis pour la période de Philippe de Macédoine (Grecs), Trimontium pour l’ère romaine, Filibe du temps de l’occupation Ottomane et son nom actuel après que les Ottomans ont finalement été vaincus, Plovdiv à la fin du 19ième siècle (1878).
Of course, every era left traces but Plovdiv has some of the most striking Roman structures visible today. Most of them have only been partially dug up because the subsequent civilizations built over them. The first feature you might encounter right in the middle of the main pedestrian shopping street is the Stadium. At first, it looks like a nice denivelation, a small place for street performances. After looking at the architectural model, you suddenly understand that you see only a very small part of the 240m (790 feet) stadium which accommodated 30,000 spectators in the 2nd century AD. The remaining part is covered by shops and hotels. As our Free Walking Tour guide said “nobody will dare report Roman ruins under their property” as it can only lead to expropriation.
Dans une autre partie de la ville, le théatre romain du temps de l’empereur romain Trajan est sans aucun doute la vedette des “trouvailles” architecturales de Plovdiv. Situé à flan de colline, un glissement de terrain en 1970 a permis aux archéologues de le découvrir et le restaurer pour en refaire un lieu d’évenements culturels comme des spectacles et un festival d’opéra en plein air en été. Et la circulation des autos n’est pas trop perturbée par le tunnel en dessous.. ou est-ce que le tunnel était déjà là avant le théatre?
So much more could probably still be re-discovered from the Roman and Ottoman eras but Plovdiv is also widely known for its important preservation of the architectural style emanating from the Bulgarian Revival Period from the mid 1700s through the country’s liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878. The geographic location of Plovdiv (where the trade routes of the Ottoman empire met in Bulgaria) have stimulated the growth of a wealthy middle class of merchants. A simple walk in the Old Town area is a marvel for the eyes, all houses are protected and vehicle circulation is restricted to property owners and business owners.
Après toute cette surcharge d’histoire, qu’est-ce Plovdiv offre à ses visiteurs? Bien une atmosphère vibrante et créative de restaurants et d’artisans concentrés dans le quartier revitalisé de Kapana (traduction litérale: “La Trappe”). Jadis, le quartier des ouvriers manuels, et il n’y a pas si longtemps, une partie de la ville juste bonne pour stationner sa voiture et aller travailler ou magasiner, ce quartier est maintenant le plus “hip” en ville.
Beautiful pictures. As you know, I’ve been to Bulgaria ages ago and these pictures do remind me of that. I had a friend from Plovdid, unfortunately, we could not visit at the time. It was all very restricted.
Still, with your great review, it almost feels as if I’ve been there. Thanks. Have a good weekend.
Dear Marianne, I hope you get a chance to visit one day this town. We stayed at this very comfortable little place just on the edge of the cool area and it was perfect.
We will see how travelling goes once we are allowed again. My health gets worth, so who knows what I’ll be able to. But Bulgaria has become quite a nice place to visit in the meantime, so maybe … hopefully.
But thanks to my books and friends like you, I can still see the world. Thank you.
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