Technical University of Sofia - Branch Plovdiv

Plovdiv is one of the oldest towns not only in Bulgaria but in Europe as well. Its origin dates as far back as the time ancient Troy was built. The Thracians, being the earliest inhabitants in the Balkan Peninsula, were the first to establish themselves permanently on the three hills by the river and later fortify their settlement, naming it Eumolpia. 

In 342 BC Philip II of Macedon conquered the settlement and erected strong fortress walls around it, giving it the name of Philippopolis. 

In 72 BC the Romans, in their turn, invaded the town and called it Trimontium (The Three Hills). Within the Roman Empire the town became the centre of the province of Thrace, reaching the prime of economic and cultural prosperity about two centuries later. 

After the fall of the Roman Empire Plovdiv became a part of Byzantine and was completely reconstructed by Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 AD. 

In the middle of the 6th century the Slavs came to the town, changing the ethnic structure of the whole region. They translated the older name of Philippopolis into their own language to sound as Puldin, which was gradually transformed phonetically into Plovdiv. 

The six hills endow the town with inimitably picturesque beauty. Even today, Plovdiv’s most attractive place of interest is its old part, which the local people proudly call the Old Town. 

Plovdiv is the centre of a district, covering 6,000 sq. km. of Bulgaria’s territory. Its strategic crossroads location between the East and the West has turned it into a major cultural, commercial, communicational and tourist centre.