Plovdiv a horse racing club and a horse base near the city. Plovdiv has several volleyball and basketball teams. Three of the city's seven hills are protected natural territories since 1995. Two of the first parks in Bulgaria are located in the city center "Tsar Simeon garden – city garden", where the very first work of the Italian sculptor Arnoldo Zocchi could be seen, and "Dondukov garden – old city garden". Some of the larger parks include the "Botanical garden", "Beli Brezi", "Ribnitsa", and "Lauta". Plovdiv is twinned with the following cities: The asteroid (minor planet) is named after the city.
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv prestigious tournaments. By 1944 the team is the biggest in the region of Plovdiv in terms of members, and has a dedicated following with its fans setting records for the period in attendance of football matches. In the mid-1930s the labour union of the railway workers and sailors establishes several cultural and sporting organisations across the country. The railway workers established their sports club in Plovdiv as well, since the city is one of the major travel centres in the country. On 13 June 1935 the club "ZSK Plovdiv" was founded, abbreviated from "Zheleznicharski Sporten Klub Plovdiv" meaning "the sporting