Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria
Page 61
oRoman AmphitheatreHISTORIC SITE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Hemus; adult/student 5/2 lv; h9am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar)
Plovdiv’s magnificent 2nd-century AD amphitheatre, built during the reign of Emperor Trajan, was uncovered during a freak landslide in 1972. It once held about 6000 spectators. Now largely restored, it's one of Bulgaria's most magical venues, once again hosting large-scale special events and concerts. Visitors can admire the amphitheatre for free from several look-outs along ul Hemus, or pay admission for a scarper around.
Balabanov HouseMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-627 082; ul K Stoilov 57; 3 lv; h9am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar)
One of Plovdiv's most beautiful Bulgarian National Revival–era mansions, Balabanov House is an enjoyable way to experience old town nostalgia as well as contemporary art. The house was faithfully reconstructed in 19th-century style during the 1970s. The lower floor has an impressive collection of paintings by local artists, while upper rooms are decorated with antiques and elaborately carved ceilings.
Tsar Simeon GardenPARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Plovdiv's prettiest place to stroll, Tsar Simeon Garden was sculpted by Swiss architect Lucien Chevalas in 1892; he's now lovingly referred to as the 'minister of flowers'. In recent years the park's Goddess Demeter Fountain and central Viennese-style pavilion have been carefully restored. Tsar Simeon's Lake with the Singing Fountains combines light and water effects; arrive in the park's southwestern corner on a summer Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening around 9pm for the free show.
Atanas Krastev HouseGALLERY
(Red Pony Art Gallery; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-625 792; http://redpony-bg.com; ul Dr Chomakov 5a; 2 lv; h10am-6pm Mar-Nov)
Close to Nebet Tepe hill, this late 18th-century house was the residence of local painter and conservationist Atanas Krastev until his death in 2003. Krastev's impact on preserving and showcasing Plovdiv's cultural riches has left him fondly remembered as 'mayor of the old town'. His self-portraits and personal collection of (mostly) abstract 20th-century Bulgarian paintings are displayed inside the beautifully furnished house, along with personal mementos. The garden is worth an amble for its red pony murals and scattered artefacts.
Ethnographical MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-624 261; www.ethnograph.info; ul Dr Chomakov 2; adult/student 5/2 lv; h9am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Apr)
Even if you don't have time to step inside, it would be criminal to leave Plovdiv's old town without glancing into the courtyard of this stunning National Revival–era building. Well-manicured flower gardens surround a navy-blue mansion, ornamented with golden filigree and topped with a distinctive peaked roof. There is more to admire inside, especially the upper floor's sunshine-yellow walls and carved wooden ceiling, hovering above displays of regional costumes. The ground-floor displays of agrarian instruments are a shade less interesting.
Church of Sveti Konstantin & ElenaCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Sâborna 24; h8am-8pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar)
This is Plovdiv’s oldest church and one of its most beloved. Dedicated to Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena, it was built on the spot where two Christian martyrs were beheaded in the year 304. Admire marvellous frescoes and a colourful carved ceiling in the exterior colonnade, and a baroque-style Viennese iconostasis and religious art spanning the 15th to 18th centuries inside. The separate bell tower, bright white with a coppery cap, stands 13m tall.
Archaeological MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-633 106; www.archaeologicalmuseumplovdiv.org; pl Saedinenie 1; adult 5 lv, child under 7yr 5 free; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
This 100,000-item museum is a tour de force of Thracian and Roman artefacts, as well as icons and ecclesiastical artefacts from recent centuries. Most dazzling is the weighty Thracian gold work, part of the Panagyurishte collection, Bulgaria's biggest-ever haul of ancient gold. The museum's most arresting space is a corridor flooded with natural light, which houses Roman-era statues and mosaics. Its enormous centrepiece is a 3rd-century mosaic of a river god encircled by geometric designs.
Ruins of EumolpiasRUINS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Dr Chomakov; h24hr)F
Some 203m high in the old town, a hill with spectacular views reveals sparse ruins of Eumolpias, a Thracian settlement in 5000 BC. The fortress and surrounding town enjoyed a strategic position, later bolstered by Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Turks, who named it Nebet Tepe (Prayer Hill).
Church of Sveta BogoroditsaCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-623 265; ul Sâborna 40; h7am-7pm)
Painted a fetching shade of butter-cream yellow, this three-nave church looks out proudly from a stone staircase at the base of the old town. Built in 1844 on the site of a 9th-century shrine, its 12th-century incarnations long ago sacked by the Ottomans, the church now contains icons and colourful murals, and bears an inscription of thanks to Bulgaria's liberators.
Sveta Marina ChurchCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Dr Vulkovich 7; h8am-7pm)
A little-visited 16th-century gem, Sveta Marina Church has suberb Old Testament murals on its outer walls, depicting scenes from Adam, Eve and a mischievous snake to a very cross Moses dashing stone tablets. The 17m-high wooden bell tower, dating to 1870, is unique in Plovdiv. The shadowy interior harbours an intricate 170-year-old iconostasis.
Hindlian HouseMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-628 998; ul Artin Gidikov 4; adult/student 5/1 lv; h9am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar)
Once owned by merchant Stepan Hindlian, this opulent house was built between 1835 and 1840. It’s full of exquisite period furniture and walls painted with real and imaginary landscapes of Venice, Alexandria and Constantinople. The magnificent panelled ceilings and ‘Oriental-style’ marble bathroom, with its domed ceiling and skylight, are high points.
Stadium of PhilippopolisHISTORIC SITE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0876662881; www.ancient-stadium-plovdiv.eu; h9am-6pm)F
While the once-huge 2nd-century Roman stadium is mostly hidden under a pedestrian mall, there are stairways from different sides allowing for exploration. A new on-site 3D movie (adult/student 6/3, child free; 10 screenings daily) offers an immersive experience of the stadium's glory days as a venue for gladiator matches.
Regional History MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-623 378; ul Lavrenov 1; 2 lv; h9.30am-6.30pm Wed-Mon, 12.30-6pm Tue Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar)
Plovdiv's Historical Museum concentrates on the 1876 April Uprising and the massacre of Bulgarians at Batak, which directly led to the Russian declaration of war on Turkey the following year. Built in 1848 by Dimitâr Georgiadi, the museum is also called the Georgiadi Kâshta.
City Gallery of Fine ArtsGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-635 322; www.galleryplovdiv.com; ul Sâborna 14a; 3lv; h9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)
Occupying an 1881 girls gymnasium, this gallery contains more than 7000 artistic works by 19th- and 20th-century masters, including Nikolai Pavlovich, Konstantin Velichkov and Georgi Danchov.
Permanent Exhibition of Dimitar KirovGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-635 381; Kiril Nektariev 17; adult/student 5/1 lv; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar)
Housed in a grand old-town mansion where Plovdiv's budding artists worked in the 1960s, this special place celebrates the life and works of Dimitar Kirov, who died in 2008. Arguably Plovdiv's most original artist, Kirov produced work marked by bold and vivid uses of colour, from mosaics to abstracts.
Milyo StatueSTATUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
'Milyo the idiot', as he's affectionately known, was a local prankster and mimic, fondly remembered in Plovdiv's shopping precinct in the form of a statue. Keep your voice low: Milyo cups his ear to eavesdrop on shoppers' conversations.
Icon GalleryMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP
; ul Sâborna 22; adult/student 2/1 lv; h9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun)
This small museum beside the Church of Sveti Konstantin & Elena has a sublime display of icons from the 15th century onwards.
Tsanko Lavrenov & Mexican Art ExhibitionsGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-628 745; ul Artin Gidikov 11; adult/student 3/1 lv; h9.30am-12.30pm & 1-5.30pm Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat)
For something completely different, this time-warp 1846 house has displays of 1970s Mexican woodcuts, serigraphs and copies of pre-Columbian art downstairs (a gift to the communist state in 1981), and paintings by local artist Tsanko Lavrenov upstairs.
Zlatyu Boyadjiev GalleryGALLERY
(Chomakov House; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-635 308; ul Sâborna 18; adult/student 5/2 lv; h9am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar)
Get two famous Bulgarians for the price of one at this tasteful National Revival–era mansion. Seventy-two paintings by Plovdiv native Zlatyu Boyadjiev (1903–76) are exhibited here, many idealising the Bulgarian peasantry. The figure after whom the house itself is named, Dr Stoyan Chomakov, fought against Ottoman domination and later bequeathed this house to the city of Plovdiv for posterity.
Dzhumaya MosqueMOSQUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Dzhumaya; h6am-11pm)
Bulgaria's first working mosque, this unmissable Ottoman building in the middle of Plovdiv's pedestrianised shopping zone was originally built in 1364. It was demolished and rebuilt in the mid-15th century. It is possible to enter (dress modestly), though the interior doesn't match up to the mosque's grand history and imposing 23m minaret.
Cultural Center ThrakartMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-631 303; http://trakart.org/museum; Podlez Arhaeologiski; 5 lv; h9am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar)
Visible through floor-to-ceiling windows in the Tsar Obedinitel underpass, Cultural Center Thrakart contains extensive Roman floor mosaics and various artefacts from Roman (and earlier) times. Concerts are performed on the centre’s small stage.
Nedkovich HouseMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-626 216; ul Lavrenov 3; 3 lv; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Mar)
This butterscotch-coloured 1863 mansion has a leafy courtyard and a marble fountain. Its interior design showcases the European classical and baroque styles favoured by its former owner, a moneyed merchant from Karlovo.
Roman OdeonRUINS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Constructed at the end of the 1st century AD, the Odeon was once the seat of the city council. It now hosts occasional performances in its small, reconstructed amphitheatre.
City Art GalleryGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %032-635 322; www.galleryplovdiv.com; ul Knyaz Aleksandâr 15; adult/student 4/2 lv; h9am-12.30pm & 1-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5.30pm Sat)
This branch of the City Gallery of Fine Arts holds small, temporary exhibitions of abstract art, housed within one of Plovdiv's first Bulgarian Renaissance schools.
Center for Contemporary ArtGALLERY
(Chifte Banya; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.arttoday.org/site/news.php; pl Hebros; adult/student 2/1 lv; h10am-1pm & 1.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun)
A stocky 16th-century Turkish bathhouse now features irregular, rotating displays of contemporary art. Free entry on Thursdays.
NATIONAL REVIVAL MANSIONS
Plovdiv’s old town boasts some of the finest and best-restored 19th-century mansions in Bulgaria. These baroque-style houses were originally constructed during the National Revival period, a post-Ottoman era where Bulgarian art, literature and architecture flourished. They are instantly recognisable by their overhanging upper storeys, jutting eaves and bright exterior paintwork. Inside, they have finely carved woodwork (including gloriously intricate ceiling carvings) as well as painted wall decorations and ornamental niches. Many of these lovely buildings have been restored as house-museums with original 19th-century furniture and artwork, often with displays about local culture and history; they are well worth peeping inside, to get a flavour of the era. Still others have been renovated as restaurants and hotels, allowing you to bed down in grand Revival style.
zFestivals & Events
Kapana FestCULTURAL
(www.facebook.com/kapanafest; hearly Jun)
Plovdiv's artiest neighbourhood hosts street parties, open-air musical performances and late-night carousing during this vibrant five-day festival of culture. Expect anything from conceptual art to folk costume fashion shows, and you can count on a lot of bunting. Check the Facebook page or ask at the tourist office about events.
Old Plovdiv
1Top Sights
1Roman AmphitheatreC5
1Sights
2Archaeological MuseumA2
3Atanas Krastev HouseC3
4Balabanov HouseC3
5Center for Contemporary ArtC2
6Church of Sveta BogoroditsaC4
7Church of Sveti Konstantin & ElenaD3
8City Art GalleryB5
9City Gallery of Fine ArtsC4
10Cultural Center ThrakartC6
11Dzhumaya MosqueB4
12Ethnographical MuseumD3
13Hindlian HouseC3
14Icon GalleryD3
15Milyo StatueB5
16Nedkovich HouseD3
17Permanent Exhibition of Dimitar KirovD4
18Regional History MuseumD3
19Roman OdeonC7
20Ruins of EumolpiasC2
21Stadium of PhilippopolisB4
22Sveta Marina ChurchC5
23Tsanko Lavrenov & Mexican Art ExhibitionsC3
24Tsar Simeon GardenB7
25Zlatyu Boyadjiev GalleryD4
4Sleeping
26At Renaissance SquareD5
27Dali Art HotelB5
28Guesthouse CocoB3
29Hebros HotelC3
30Hikers HostelC3
31Hostel Old PlovdivC3
32Hotel EliteA2
33Hotel EvmolpiaC3
34Hotel OdeonC6
35Old Plovdiv HouseB3
36Plovdiv Guest HouseD3
5Eating
37DreamsB6
38Grazhdanski KlubC4
39GustoC6
Hebros RestaurantC3
40HemingwayC6
41Klebarnitsa KapanaB3
42Puldin RestaurantC4
43Rahat TepeD3
6Drinking & Nightlife
44Apartment 101B7
45Art Club NylonB3
46Bar Maria LuizaD6
47Basquiat Wine & ArtB3
48Dolce FelliniC6
49Kotka i MishkaB3
50Monkey HouseB4
51Rock Bar DownloadB3
52SandakC4
53Vino CultureB5
3Entertainment
54Lucky House of CinemaA7
55MarmaladB3
56Nikolai Masalitinov Dramatic TheatreB5
Night of the GalleriesART
(http://night.bg; hlast Fri in Sep)
Plovdiv's heritage mansions and venerable galleries make an especially delightful stomping ground during the Europe-wide Night of the Galleries, where museums fling open their doors until the early hours of the morning and experimental art performances illuminate the Kapana district.
Unification DayCULTURAL
(h6 Sep)
The nationwide anniversary of Bulgaria's 1885 unification with Ottoman province Eastern Roumelia is toasted with aplomb, and festivities are especially vigorous in Plovdiv, where the historic declaration was made. Events include a military roll-call in the main square, firework displays, and plenty of rakia (Bulgarian brandy).
International Folklore FestivalCULTURAL
(cultura@plovdiv.bg; h1st weekend Aug)
Witness open-air Bulgarian folklore performances alongside traditional song and dance from a medley of other countries at this popular five-day festival.
Verdi FestivalPERFORMING ARTS
(hearly Jun)
Opera performances are held in Plovdiv's Roman amphitheatre during this two-week festival.
International
Festival of Chamber MusicMUSIC
(http://chamberfestivalplovdiv.com; hmid-Jun)
Local and international chamber music acts perform during this long-running summer festival. Events unfold in atmospheric locations, including Plovdiv's Ethnographic Museum.
GUIDED TOURS
Hristo Petrov (%0879694681; hristo.petroff@yahoo.com) If you're looking for a driver to help you explore Plovdiv and beyond, knowledgable Hristo can take small groups on day trips by car. A typical rate for visiting Buzludzha in the central mountains from Plovdiv is around 150 lv.
Patrick Penov (%0887364711; www.guide-bg.com) For a tour with a personal touch, licensed guide Svetlomir 'Patrick' Penov crafts superb itineraries around Bulgaria for groups of up to four people. Tours can cover anything from Thracian treasures and wineries to horse riding, mountain biking and authentic village life. Longer trips can explore beyond Bulgaria's borders. Patrick has well over two decades of experience and can conduct tours in English or Spanish. Average daily rates are 200 lv to 250 lv.
4Sleeping
Plovdiv has abundant choice, from polished hostels to snug guesthouses and right up to chic high-end hotels. It's only quality campgrounds that seem to be lacking, with some out-of-town accommodation complexes phasing out their camping facilities. Prices increase during May and September when the international fairs are on. Book well in advance for events such as Plovdiv Jazz Festival and Kapana Fest.