The Cultural Tutor氏による、ブルガリアの知られざる美しい街、プロブディフの自然の景観と歴史の紹介とその反響

The Cultural Tutor @culturaltutor

Plovdiv in Bulgaria is one of the most beautiful cities you've (probably) never heard of. Why? With more than 3,000 years of wild history and architecture influenced by three different continents, there's simply nowhere else like it. So, here is the brief story of a hidden gem. In 342 BC King Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) founded a city in modern-day Bulgaria and called it Philippopolis. He picked a naturally advantageous site, what with seven steep hills (just like Rome) rising up around the Maritsa River, all within view of the Rhodope Mountains to the south and the Balkans to the north. There had already been a town in the area since 6,000 BC — it was also once ruled by Xerxes of Persia — and Plovdiv is still filled with ruins left by the ancient Thracians who lived in it so for so long. But it was Philip who established the first truly major city there and settled a mix of Thracians, Macedonians, and Greeks within it. Over the next two thousand years Plovdiv (which has had many names) was fought over, captured, sacked, and rebuilt several times. Thracians, Macedonians, Persians, Romans (including Marcus Aurelius), Huns, Bulgars, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, and Russians have all fought over or found their way to this old and storied city. And what has survived is an architectural and cultural delight. Plovdiv is scattered with ancient ruins, from the tumbled masonry of Thracian and Byzantine walls on Nebet Tepe (one of the seven hills, known as tepes, from Turkish) to the Roman theatre — one of the most complete in Europe, which regularly hosts musical & theatrical performances — and the great stadium which once held 30,000 spectators. Medieval fortifications have survived too, such as the Hisar Kapia Gate, and as with many Balkan cities Plovdiv has places of worship belonging to Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Jews, Protestants, and Muslims. The Dzhumaya Mosque, built by the Ottomans when they conquered Plovdiv in the 14th century, is the oldest mosque in Europe outside of Iberia. Its Old Town, which stands on ancient and Medieval foundations, was further developed in the mid-19th century during the Bulgarian National Revival — as national consciousness awakened and the desire for independence from the Ottomans grew ever stronger — hence its profusion of traditional architecture. Those timber-framed houses, with their jettied stories and projecting windows, are typical of Medieval Bulgarian architecture. And the result is a labyrinth of brightly painted houses and churches built along the cobbled lanes of a Medieval street plan, all raised several hundred feet above the surrounding landscape on the three hills of Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe, and Taksim Tepe. The city was blessed with a new wave of architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Bulgaria had revolted from the Ottomans and become an independent kingdom. Then, influenced by the Central European architecture of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Plovdiv's streets were filled with the colourful stucco and eclectic historicism of cities like Vienna. Soon enough a neighbourhood called "Kapana" emerged, the cultural and artistic heart of Plovdiv — which, to this day, is filled with artisans' workshops, galleries, cafés, and exhibition spaces. After that came the USSR and a host of Communist-era edifices. In other words, this city has become an architectural palimpsest of the highest order. Plovdiv is an aesthetic delight, a city of colour and shape, of narrow alleys and shimmering squares, of temples and fortresses and of a vibrant, living culture. And it is also a prime example of architecture's power to tell the whole story of a city. Each street is lined with thousands of years of war, religion, politics, cultural exchange, revolution, technological progress, and artistic evolution. This is one of the reasons why architecture is so important; it's like a language which brings the world to life. The buildings of Plovdiv are a physical story waiting to be read. Plovdiv's Old Town also speaks to the profound cultural significance of architecture. Those traditional houses were about a reawakening of Bulgarian identity after five centuries of enforced sleep under Ottoman rule. And this, if anything, is architecture's greatest significance: that the way things are built and how they look matters to people, that in buildings can be manifest identity, meaning, place, and purpose. Plovdiv is a beautiful city partly because of the unpredictable twists and turns of its history, caught as it was between the cultural and geopolitical cross-winds of countless different empires and peoples down the centuries — and partly by intention, because of how the people who live there have chosen to build and design their wonderful city.

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Manage2Damage @Manage2Damage

@culturaltutor That's my hometown!! It doesn't have much fame, so you can imagine the shock it was for me to see it here. That's the oldest town in Europe.

Ashraff Hathibelagal @Hathibel

Plovdiv is definitely known for its unique Roman amphitheater(Theatrum Trimontense, Пловдивски античен театър), built by Marcus Ulpius Trajan. This ancient amphitheater, built in the 1st century CE, is one of the best-preserved in the world. It is cleverly built into the natural slope of one of Plovdiv's hills, and therefore has excellent acoustics, which is why so many concerts are held there.

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DKH @danielkhunter

@culturaltutor Saving the color palette from this pick. pic.twitter.com/rUeatskaxZ

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Charlie Bennett @Char1ieBennett

@danielkhunter @culturaltutor ooh where is that? Eastern Europe i'm guessing

Ollie The Dev @olliethedev

@culturaltutor If only zoning bylaws were more favourable 🤣 pic.twitter.com/wsh3jespgL

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Today in History @HistoryNutOTD

@culturaltutor Truly a beautiful place! pic.twitter.com/iUOtRGh0nN

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Adam C @adamcarter

@culturaltutor Incredible. So much history.

Mind Expanding @MindExpanding1

@culturaltutor G-Force trading of jet pilots twitter.com/mindexpanding1…

Mind Expanding @MindExpanding1

🛩️ Jet pilots undergo intense G-force training to prepare for the extreme conditions of flight. In high-speed maneuvers, they can experience over 9 G's - more than nine times the force of Earth's gravity. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/hrQVFifY2d

2023-08-30 19:27:29

Time Capsule Tales @timecaptales

TL;DR Plovdiv, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, is a hidden gem in Bulgaria with a rich history dating back over 3,000 years. Founded by King Philip II of Macedon and once ruled by the likes of Xerxes of Persia and Marcus Aurelius, this captivating city is an architectural palimpsest, boasting ruins from ancient Thracian walls to a remarkably preserved Roman theatre. Layered with Medieval, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian influences, its Old Town reflects a revival of Bulgarian identity. Caught at the crossroads of various empires, Plovdiv is a vibrant tapestry of culture, history, and architecture, telling its complex story through its streets and buildings.

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The Mind Liberator @mentalliberty

@culturaltutor Never heard of this city Will definitely visit next time I’m in Bulgaria

Alexey A. Chepiga @alexey4e

@olliethedev @culturaltutor If this is a real photo, where was it made?

Alexey A. Chepiga @alexey4e

@olliethedev @culturaltutor Well, still, it was worth to ask))

wladin @wladin6

@Hathibel @culturaltutor * it’s a theatre, not an amphitheatre

Ashraff Hathibelagal @Hathibel

@wladin6 @culturaltutor You're right if you're speaking ancient Greek. But I think in English, if you're exposed to the elements during a show, it's an amphitheatre. But apparently even that is not a requirement. pic.twitter.com/8kbZprjIGQ

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wladin @wladin6

@Hathibel @culturaltutor Hm…interesting…

James Stafford 🇺🇦 @jpstafford

@Char1ieBennett @danielkhunter @culturaltutor Bulgaria. The thread is about Bulgaria.

Charlie Bennett @Char1ieBennett

@jpstafford @danielkhunter @culturaltutor Yeah I only saw the reply before I posted. I appreciaye I look completely stupid but that’s life

Mr.MindMorph @MrMindMorph

In Plovdiv’s embrace, time does intertwine, A city so ancient, its beauty does shine. Three thousand years, its stories unfold, Where continents' tales and histories are told. King Philip II, with vision so grand, Founded Philippopolis on this blessed land. Seven hills rise, like Rome in its prime, Guarded by mountains, standing the test of time. Thracians, Macedonians, and Persians came by, Romans and Ottomans, under the same sky. Wars and revivals, the city has seen, Yet, its spirit remains, forever so keen. Ancient ruins stand, a testament to age, Roman theatre, Byzantine walls, history's cage. Medieval fortresses, mosques, and churches galore, Plovdiv's Old Town, a legend, a lore. Timber-framed houses, painted so bright, Streets filled with stucco, a delightful sight. Kapana emerges, art and culture blend, A city of colors, where stories never end. Architecture speaks, in language so clear, Telling tales of the past, year after year. Identity, purpose, in buildings we see, Plovdiv's essence, a dance of history. Caught in the cross-winds of empires vast, Yet, by intention, its beauty does last. For in Plovdiv's charm, history does reside, A beacon of culture, in time's endless tide. Довиждане, Plovdiv, jewel so rare, Наздраве! To your spirit, beyond compare.

sidequest |🩸 @_SideQuest

@culturaltutor Beautiful city! Adding to the bucket list.

Arvydas Fergusson @Arvydas77

@culturaltutor Plovdiv has Roman ruins and Ottoman-era buildings, a vibrant arts and culture scene. Definitely worth a visit.

Tech.Is.Beautiful @LifeInfoFun

@culturaltutor Such a beautiful city 😍

Edd @Edd88_eth

@culturaltutor Studied in Sofia for some time but never made the trip. Now I get why everyone that has ever visited was so high on Plovdiv