Plovdiv will welcome the guests of the Central European Diabetes Association Congress in June 2008

Congress venue - Congress Center of the International Plovdiv Fair

Plovdiv - one of the oldest cities in Europe - preserves the undying values of its 6-8 millenia long history. It is older than Rome, Carthage or Constantinople. During its existence Plovdiv was inhabited by many peoples who gave it different names: in Thracian: Eumolpias, Pulpudeva; Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, renamed it into Philippoupolis; during the Roman Empire the city became the capital of Thracia, known as Trimontium (City of Three Hills), called by Lucian “The largest and most beautiful of all cities”; under the Turkish yoke Plovdiv was named: Filibe. In the Middle Ages the Bulgarians called the city Пълдин or Пловдив.

One of the most remarkable places of the city is the Antique Amphitheatre built by Emperor Mark Avrelii during the II century A.D. Theatre and opera performances are still staged here on warm summer nights

The magnificent Roman Stadium in Plovdiv was built over the Sahat tepe and Taxim tepe (hills). It was also constructed during the II century and reproduces the layout in Delphi, Greece.

The whole development of the Bulgarian national architectural tradition can be traced out in the Old Town of Plovdiv. The Old Plovdiv nowadays is an original living museum, an architectural phenomenon with many of the houses of those times' most prominent bulgarians turned into museums, galleries hosting various art exhibitions, festivals and biennials.

The Etnographic Museum in Plovdiv is one of the most interesting museums in Bulgaria. Its exhibits are on show in a beautiful house, which is a fine example of the Bulgarian Baroque architecture of the National Revival Period, built in 1847.