Plovdiv Province Plovdiv Province Plovdiv Province (: "Oblast Plovdiv", former name Plovdiv okrug) is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities (общини, "obshtini", sing. общинa, "obshtina") on a territory of 5,972.9 km² with a population, as of February 2011, of 683,027 inhabitants. The province is named after its administrative and industrial centre — the city of Plovdiv. Plovdiv Province includes parts of the Upper Thracian Plain, the Rhodopes, Sredna Gora, the Sub-Balkan valleys and Stara Planina, including its highest peak, Botev (2,376m). The main rivers in the province are Maritsa, Stryama, Pyasachnik. There are numerous dams, the most important
History of Plovdiv In that period the richer citizens constructed houses, many of which can still be seen in the Architectural reserve "Old Plovdiv". The city was the capital of Rumelia Province between 1364–1864, and of Edirne province between 1864–1878 under Ottoman Rule. Plovdiv played a role in the struggle for Church independence. Plovdiv became the center of that struggle with leaders such as Nayden Gerov, Dr Valkovich, and Joakim Gruev. In 1836 the first Bulgarian school was inaugurated and in 1850 modern secular education began with the St Cyril and Methodius school. On 11 May 1858 the city celebrated the saints' day