Victor Yankov (below), of the organizational committee of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation has announced: “We are a city under transition.” Yankov made the statement to pave the way for 300 events slated to celebrate the city as Europe’s 2019 Capital of Culture alongside Matera in Italy.
Victor Yankov – Deputy Director of International Relations Plovdiv 2019
The upcoming celebrations mark 133 years since the reunification of the Bulgarian Principality and Eastern Rumelia in 1885, and four years since the city was announced as European Capital of Culture for 2019, alongside Matera in Italy. Visitors walking the cobbled streets of the old city will be reminded of the ancient history, a former Thracian settlement that is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, and an emerging modern city.
Ancient Plovdiv was once reined by Thracian princes, to later be ruled by Phillip of Macedonia, then Roman emperors, and Ottoman sultans, as a place that has seen the march of human history across the European continent. Heritage sites there include the Roman amphitheater and stadium and the Ottoman-era Dzhumaya Mosque, the Great Roman Basilica, along with many more yet to be completely unearthed by archeologists.
Organizers of the Plovdiv 2019 point out that the last decade has seen the city undergo a major social and economic transformation, becoming Bulgaria’s industrial powerhouse and top tourist destination. The city is now home to more than a hundred new manufacturing facilities in the Thracian Economic Zone, which is a Bulgarian-Foreign owned industrial center that has created more than 30,000 workplaces. Economic growth is the modern showcase subject for the coming festivities, joined by events in the old artisan are of Kapana promoting the city as a top tourism Mecca.
FORUM 2019: Future Matters Workshop from Plovdiv 2019 on Vimeo.
Kapana will now host year-round festivals, with dozens of bars, dining places, and little shops and galleries, Kapana has practically turned into the alternative heart of Plovdiv, kicking off the movement that would later turn the city into the Cultural Capital of Europe.