This encyclopedia is devoted to Plovdiv – the second-largest city in the Bulgaria after Sofia. The book contains information about the climate, the population, the history, the economy, etc. in the city.

Plovdiv is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. In ancient times plovdiv is known as as Philippoupolis. The city is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities (Plovdiv, Maritsa and Rodopi) and the largest and most important city in Northern Thrace and the wider international historical region of Thrace. The city is an important economic, transport, cultural and educational center.

In the antiquity it was originally a Thracian settlement before becoming a major Roman city. In the Middle Ages, it retained its strategic regional importance, changing hands between the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires. It came under Ottoman rule in the 14th century.

Plovdiv is host to economic and cultural events such as the International Fair Plovdiv, the international theatrical festival “A scene on a crossroad”, the TV festival “The golden chest”. There are many remains preserved from Antiquity such as the Ancient amphitheatre, Roman odeon, Roman Stadium, the archaeological complex Eirene and others.