Plovdiv canal in the country. In that period, Plovdiv became the birthplace of Bulgaria's movement for democratic reform, which by 1989 had garnered enough support to enter government. Plovdiv has hosted specialized exhibitions of the World's Fair in 1981, 1985, and 1991. The population by permanent address for the municipality of Plovdiv for 2007 is 380,682, which makes it the second in population in the nation. According to the data of the National Institute of Statistics (NSI), the people who actually live in Plovdiv are 346,790. According to the 2012 census, 339,077 live within the city limits and 403,153 in the
Plovdiv founded in the late 19th century. It possesses 5,000 pieces of art in four buildings. Since 1981, it has had a section for Mexican art donated by Mexican painters in honour of the 1,300-year anniversary of the Bulgarian State. On 5 September 2014, Plovdiv was selected as Bulgarian host of European Capital of Culture in 2019. The city will co-host the event with Matera and another city (yet to be decided). After Plovdiv was elected as European Capital of Culture in 2019, an ambitious cultural program has started its realisation. According to this program, there will be an Island of