{{infobox settlement|official name	Plovdiv
Native name	Пловдив
Nickname	The city of the seven hills ''(Градът на седемте хълма)''
Motto	Ancient and eternal ''(Древен и вечен)''
Image shield	Plovdiv-coat-of-arms.svg|20px|right|Coat of arms of Plovdiv
Pushpin map	Bulgaria
Map caption	Location of Plovdiv in Bulgaria
Coordinates region	BG
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision type1	Province
Subdivision name
Subdivision name1	Plovdiv
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Slavcho Atanasov (IMRO)
Area total km2	101.98
Population as of	Census February 2011
Population total	338,153
Population density km2	3316
Population urban	396092
Population metro	546472
Timezone	EET
Utc offset	+2
Timezone dst	EEST
Utc offset dst	+3
Elevation m	164
Footnotes	}}

Plovdiv () is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 8,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 6000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in the world. Some sources include Plovdiv among Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities. It is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities (Plovdiv-city, Maritsa and Rodopi) and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region (NUTS II), as well as 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. The oldest American educational institution outside the United States was founded in Plovdiv in 1860, it was later moved to Sofia – today's American College of Sofia.

Known in the West for most of its history by the Greek name ''Philippopolis'', 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. In 1878, Plovdiv was made the capital of the autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia; in 1885, it became part of Bulgaria with the unification of that region and the Principality of Bulgaria.

Plovdiv is situated in the southern part of the Plovdiv Plain on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are high. Because of these seven hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of the Seven Hills".

Plovdiv is host to economic and cultural events such as the International Fair Plovdiv, the international theatrical festival "A stage 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.

Name

Plovdiv was given various names throughout its long history. It was originally a Thracian settlement by the name of ''Eumolpias'', named after the mythical Thracian king Eumolpos, son of Poseidon. Philip II of Macedon conquered the area in 342-341 BC and renamed the city ''Philippoupolis'' (), of which the later Thracian name for the city, ''Pulpudeva'', is a translation. After the Romans took control of the area, the city was named , meaning the Three Hills. During the Middle Ages the city was known as Philippoupolis in Byzantine Greek and ''Paldin'' (Пълдин) or ''Plavdiv'' (Плъвдив) in Old Bulgarian, variations of the town's earlier Thracian name. The city was known as Philippopolis in Western Europe well into the early 20th century. The city was known as ''Filibe'' in Turkish during the Ottoman Empire.

The asteroid (minor planet) 3860 Plovdiv is named after the city. It was discovered by the Bulgarian astronomer Violeta G. Ivanova on 8 August 1986. Plovdiv Peak () on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is also named after Plovdiv.

Geography

Plovdiv is located on the banks of the Maritsa river, approximately southeast of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The city is situated in the southern part of the Plain of Plovdiv, an alluvial plain forming the western portion of the Upper Thracian Plain. The heights of Sredna Gora rise to the northwest, to the east are the Chirpan Heights and the Rhodope mountains surround the plain from the south. The city had originally developed to the south of Maritsa and it spawned across the river in the last 100 years. Modern Plovdiv covers an area of , which is less than 0.1% of Bulgaria's total area. This makes the city is the most densely populated in the country with 3,769 inhabitants per km².

Inside the city proper are located six syenite hills, called ''tepeta''. In the beginning of the 20th century there used to be seven of them, but one (Markovo tepe) was destroyed. Traditionally the citizens have called them Dzhendem tepe, Bunardzhik, Sahat tepe, Nebet tepe, Dzhambaz tepe and Taksim tepe. The last three form the area of the Three Hills (), a lively section of the city centre.

Climate

Plovdiv has a humid continental climate with considerable humid subtropical influences. There are four distinct seasons during the year and large temperature jumps between seasons are common.

Summer (late May to mid September) is hot, moderately dry and sunny with a July and August average of . Plovdiv sometimes experiences very hot days typical in the interior of the country. Summer nights are also mild.

Autumn starts in mid or late September; days are long and relatively warm in early autumn. However the nights become chilly by September. The first frost occurs on average by November.

Winter is normally cold and snow is common. The average number of days with snow cover in Plovdiv is 33. The average depth of snow cover is and the maximum is normally but in some winters it can reach or more. Average January temperature is .

Spring arrives in March but that season is cooler than autumn. The frost season ends in March or in April at the latest. The days are mild and relatively warm in mid spring.

The average relative humidity is 73%, being highest in December with 86% and lowest in August with 62%. The total precipitation is 540 mm and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest months of the year are May and June with an average precipitation of 66.2 mm, while the driest month is August with an average precipitation of 31 mm.

Gentle winds (0 to 5 m/s) are predominant in the city with wind speeds of up to 1 m/s representing 95% of all winds during the year. Mists are common in the cooler months especially along the banks of the Maritsa. On average there are 33 days with mist during the year.

Climate table:

History

Antiquity

Plovdiv has settlement traces dating from the Neolithic, roughly 6000 BC. Archaeologists have discovered fine pottery and other objects of everyday life from as early as the Neolithic Age, showing that in the end of the 4th millennium BC. there already was an established settlement there. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Plovdiv's written post-Bronze Age history lists it as a Thracian fortified settlement named Eumolpias. In 4th century BC the city was a centre of a trade fair (called ''panegyreis''). In 342 BC, it was conquered by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, who renamed it "Φιλιππόπολις", ''Philippopolis'' or "the city of Philip" in his own honour. Later, it was reconquered by the Thracians who called it ''Pulpudeva'' (a reconstructed translation of Philipopolis)

In 72 BC it was seized by the Roman general Marcus Lucullus but was soon restored to Thracian control. In 46 AD the city was finally incorporated into the Roman Empire by emperor Claudius, it was called ''Trimontium'' (''City of Three Hills'') and served as metropolis (capital) of the province of Thrace. It gained a city status in late 1st century. Trimontium was an important crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "The largest and most beautiful of all cities" by Lucian. Although it was not the capital of the Province of Thrace, the city was the largest and most important centre in the province. In those times, the ''Via Militaris'' (or ''Via Diagonalis''), the most important military road in the Balkans, passed through the city. The Roman times were a period of growth and cultural excellence. The ancient ruins tell a story of a vibrant, growing city with numerous public buildings, shrines, baths, and theatres. The city had an advanced water system and sewerage. It was defended with a double wall. Many of those are still preserved and can be seen by tourists. Today only a small part of the ancient city has been excavated.

Middle Ages

The Slavs had fully settled in the area by the middle of the 6th century and changed the ethnic proportions of the region. With the establishment of Bulgaria in 681 Philipopolis became an important border fortress of the Byzantine Empire. It was captured by Khan Krum in 812 but the region was fully incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire in 834 during the reign of Khan Malamir. It remained in Bulgarian hands for a relatively short time until it was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire in 855-856. Under Byzantine control the city became the centre of Paulician heretics transported from the eastern borders of the empire to serve as military settlers on the European frontier with Bulgaria. From Philippopolis the influence of dualistic doctrines spread to Bulgaria forming the basis of the Bogomil heresy. Under tsar Simeon the Great (893–927) the city and most of the Byzantine possessions in the Balkans were conquered by the Bulgarian Empire. The city remained in Bulgarian hands under Simeon's son, Peter I (927–969).

In 970 the Asian army of the Byzantine Empire under the eunuch Peter was destroyed by the Bulgarians near Plovdiv. The city again came to be known as Philippopolis and became Byzantine in character. Aime de Varennes in 1180 encountered the singing of Byzantine songs in the city that recounted the deeds of Alexander the great and his predecessors, over 1300 years before. Byzantine rule was succeeded by that of the Latin Empire in 1204, and there were two short interregnum periods as the city was twice occupied by Kaloyan of Bulgaria before his death in 1207. In 1208 Kaloyan's successor Boril was defeated by the Latins in the Battle of Philippopolis. Under Latin rule, Plovdiv was the capital of the Duchy of Philippopolis governed by Renier de Trit, and later on by Gerard de Strem. Bulgarian rule was reestablished during the reign of Ivan Asen II between 1225 and 1229. In 1263 Plovdiv was conquered by the restored Byzantine Empire and remained in Byzantine hands until it was re-conquered by George Terter II of Bulgaria in 1322. Byzantine rule was restored once again in 1323, but in 1344 the city and eight other cities were surrendered to Bulgaria by the regency for John V Palaiologos as the price for Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria's support in the Byzantine civil war.

Ottoman Rule

In 1364 the Ottoman Turks under Lala Shakhin Pasha seized Plovdiv. The Turks called the city ''Filibe''. It was the capital of Rumelia until 1382 when the Ottomans captured Sofia which became the main city of the province. Plovdiv survived as one of the major cultural centers for Bulgarian culture and tradition. The name ''Plovdiv'' first appeared around that time and is derived from the city's Thracian name ''Pulpudeva'' (assumed to be a translation of Philippopolis, from Pulpu = Philippou and deva = city), which was rendered by the Slavs first as ''Pəldin'' (''Пълдин'') or ''Pləvdin''.

National revival

Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Plovdiv was a focal point for the Bulgarian national movement in the Eastern Rumelia province of the Empire. During that period Plovdiv was a major economic center along with Istanbul, Odrin and Solun. The richer citizens constructed beautiful houses many of which can still be seen in the Architectural reserve ''Old Plovdiv''. Plovdiv was a sanjak centre of Rumelia Province between 1364–1864 and was the sanjak centre of Edirne Vilayet between 1864–1878 during Ottoman Rule.

Plovdiv had an important role in the struggle for Church independence which was according to some historians a peaceful bourgeois revolution. Plovdiv became the center of that struggle with leaders such as Nayden Gerov, Dr Valkovich, Joakim Gruev and whole families. In 1836 the first Bulgarian school was inaugurated and in 1850 modern secular education began when the "St Cyrill and Metodius" school was opened. On 11 May 1858 the day of Saints Cyril and Methodius was celebrated for the first time, this later became a National holiday which is still celebrated today. In 1858 in the Church of Virgin Mary the Christmas liturgy was served for the first time in the Bulgarian language since the beginning of the Ottoman occupation. In 1868 the school expanded into the first grammar school. Some of the intellectuals, politicians and spiritual leaders of the nation graduated that school.

The city was liberated from the Ottomans during the Battle of Philippopolis in 1878.

Eastern Rumelia

According to the Treaty of San Stefano on 3 March 1878 the Principality of Bulgaria included the lands with predominantly Bulgarian population. Plovdiv which was the biggest and most vibrant Bulgarian city was selected as a capital of the restored country and for a seat of the Temporary Russian Government. Great Britain and Austria-Hungary, however, did not approve that treaty and the final result of the war was concluded in the Congress of Berlin which divided the newly liberated country into several parts. It separated the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia from Bulgaria and Plovdiv became its capital. The Ottoman Empire created a constitution and appointed a governor. As of 1 January 1885, the city of Plovdiv had a population of 33,442, of which 16,752 were Bulgarians (50%), 7,144 Turks (21%), 5,497 Greeks (16%), 2,168 Jews (6%), 1,061 Armenians (3%), 151 Italians, 112 Germans, 112 Romani people, 80 French people, 61 Russians and 304 people of other nationalities.

In the spring of 1885 Zahari Stoyanov formed the Secret Bulgarian Central Revolutionary Committee in the city which actively conducted propaganda for the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. On 5 September several hundred armed rebels from Golyamo Konare (now Saedinenie) marched to Plovdiv. In the night of 5–6 September these men led by Danail Nikolaev took control of the city and removed from office the General-Governor Gavril Krastevich. A provisional government was formed led by Georgi Stranski and universal mobilization was announced. After the Serbs were defeated in the Serbo-Bulgarian War, Bulgaria and Turkey reached an agreement according to which the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia had a common government, Parliament, administration and army. Today 6 September is celebrated as the Unification Day and the Day of Plovdiv.

Recent history

After the unification, Plovdiv remained the second city in Bulgaria in population and significance after the capital Sofia. The first railway in the city was built in 1874 and in 1888 it was linked with Sofia. In 1892 Plovdiv became host of the First Bulgarian Fair with international participation which was succeeded by the International Fair Plovdiv. After the liberation the first brewery was inaugurated in the city.

In the beginning of the 20th century Plovdiv grew as a significant industrial and commercial center with well-developed light and food industry. German, French and Belgian capital was invested in the city in development of modern trade, banking and industry. In 1939 there were 16,000 craftsmen and 17,000 workers in manufacturing factories, mainly for food and tobacco processing. During the Second World War the tobacco industry expanded as well as the export of fruit and vegetables. In 1943 1,500 Jews were saved from deportation in concentration camps by the archbishop of Plovdiv, Cyril, who later became the Bulgarian Patriarch.

On 6 April 1956 the first trolleybus line was opened and in the 1950s the Trimontsium Hotel was constructed. In the 1960s and 1970s there was a construction boom and many of the modern neighborhoods took shape. In the 1970s and 1980s antique remains were excavated and the Old Town was fully restored. In 1990 the Sports complex "Plovdiv" was finished, it included the largest stadium and rowing 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.

Demographics

Population

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 NSI (National Institute of Statistics) the people who actually live in Plovdiv are 346,790. There have a been a number of reports in recent years contending that Plovdiv has been surpassed by Varna in population. None of them, however, have been confirmed by official statistics.

Population of Plovdiv:

1880 - 24,053

1884 - 33,442

After the Unification Plovdiv became the largest city in the country for several years with 33,032 inhabitants compared to 30,428 for Sofia. According to the 1946 census Plovdiv was the second largest city with 126,563 inhabitants compared to 487,000 for the capital.

Ethnicity and religion

In its ethnic character Plovdiv is the 3rd largest cosmopolitan city inhabited by Bulgarians after Sofia and Varna. Some Gypsies (See: "The Roma in Plovdiv"), Turks, Armenians, Jews and Greeks form different minorities. According to the 2001 census from population of 338 224 inhabitants the Bulgarians were 302 858 (89.5%), followed by 22 501 from the Turkish minority (6.7%), 5 192 from the Roma minority (1.5%) and 7 673 others and unspecified (2.3%); it should be noted that most of these 6,7% Turks are Roma from the gettho quarters who self-identify as Turks on census.

At the first census after liberation from Ottoman rule in 1884, from population of 33,442 inhabitants the majority were 16,752 Bulgarians (50%), followed by 7,144 Turks (21%), 5,497 Greeks (16%), 2,168 Jews (6%), 1,061 Armenians (3%), 151 Italians, 112 Germans, 112 Roma, 80 Frenchs, 61 Russians and 304 people of other nationalities. After the Wars for National Union (Balkan Wars and World War I) the city became home for thousands of refugees from the occupied Bulgarian lands in Macedonia, Western and Eastern Thrace. Many of the old neighbourhoods are still referred to as ''Belomorski'', ''Vardarski''. Most of the Jews left the city after the foundation of Israel in 1948, as well as most of the Turks and Greeks.

The vast majority of the inhabitants are Christians - mostly Eastern Orthodox, but there are also Catholics, Eastern Catholics and Protestant trends (Adventists, Baptists and others). There are also some Muslims and Jews. In Plovdiv there are many churches, two mosques and a synagogue.

City government

Plovdiv is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province, Municipality of Plovdiv, Maritsa municipality and Rodopi municipality. The Mayor of the Municipality of Plovdiv Slavcho Atanasov, together with the six district mayors represent the local executive authorities. The Municipal Council which consists of 51 municipal counselors, represents the legislative power and is elected according to the proportional system by parties’ lists. The executive government of the Municipality of Plovdiv consists of a mayor who is elected by majority representation, five deputy mayors and one administrative secretary. All the deputy mayors and the secretary control their administrative structured units.

According to the ''Law for the territorial subdivision of the Capital municipality and the large cities'' the territory of Plovdiv Municipality is subdivided into six district administrations, their mayors being appointed following approval by the Municipal Council.

! District	! Neighbourhoods
	''Kapana'', ''Stariya grad'', ''Marasha'', ''Centar''
	''Karshiaka'', ''Gagarin'', ''Filipovo'', ''Zaharna Fabrika''
	''Hristo Botev - Yug'', ''Hristo Botev - Sever'', ''Vastanecheski'', ''Uhoto'', ''Yuzhen'', ''Komatevo'', ''Ostromila'', ''Belomorski''
	''Kamenitsa'', ''Izgrev'', ''Stolipinovo''
	''Hristo Smirnenski'', ''Proslav'', ''Mladezhki Halm'', ''Mladost''
	''Olga Skobeleva'', ''Lauta''

In 1969 the villages of Proslav and Komatevo were incorporated into the city. In 1987 the municipalities of Maritsa and Rodopi were separated from Plovdiv which remained their administrative center. In the last several years the inhabitants from those villages had taken steps to rejoin the "urban" municipality.

Main sights

The city has more than 200 archaeological sites, 30 of which are of national importance. There are many remains from antiquity - Plovdiv is among the few cities with two ancient theatres; remains of the medieval walls and towers; Ottoman baths and mosques; a well-preserved old quarter from the National Revival period with beautiful houses, churches and narrow paved streets. There are numerous museums, art galleries and cultural institutions. Plovdiv is host to musical, theatrical and film events.

The city is a starting point for trips to places in the region, such as the Bachkovo Monastery at 30 km to the south, the ski-resort Pamporovo at to the south or the spa resorts to the north Hisarya, Banya, Krasnovo, Strelcha.

Roman Town

The Roman theatre (Antichen teatur) is probably the best known monument from Antiquity in Bulgaria. It was built in the beginning of the 2nd century during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan. It is situated in the natural saddle between the Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe hills. It is divided into two parts with 14 rows each divided with a horizontal lane. The theatre could accommodate up to 7,000 people. The three-story scene is located on the southern part and is decorated with friezes, cornices and statues. The theatre was studied, conserved and restored between 1968 and 1984. Many events are still held on the scene including the Verdi festival and the International Folklore festival. The Roman Odeon was restored in 2004. It was built in the 2nd-5th centuries and is the second (and smaller) antique theatre of Philipopolis with 350 seats. It was initially built as a bulevterion - edifice of the city council - and was later reconstructed as a theatre.

The Roman Stadium is another important monument of the ancient city. It is situated between Sahat Tepe and the Three Hills in the modern Dzhumaya Square. It was built in the 2nd century and modeled after the stadium in Delphi. In Roman times it could hold 30,000 spectators. Only a small part of the northern section with 13 seat rows can be seen nowadays - the larger part lies under the main street and a number of buildings.

The Roman forum dates from the reign of Vespasian in 1st century and was finished in the 2nd century. It is located near the modern post office next to the Odeon. It has an area of 11 hectares and was surrounded by shops and public buildings. The forum was a focal point of the streets of the ancient city.

The Eirene Archaeological complex is located in the southern part of the Three Hills on the northern part of an ancient street in the Arheologicheski underpass. It includes remains of a public building from the 3rd-4th centuries which belonged to a noble citizen. Eirene is the Christian name for Penelopa - a maiden from Megadon who was converted to Christianity in 2nd century. There are colourful mosaics which have geometrical forms and figures.

On Nebet Tepe are found remains of the first settlement on the Three Hills which in 12th century BC grew to the Thracian city of Eumolpias, one of the first cities in South-eastern Europe. Massive walls surrounding a temple and a palace have been excavated. The oldest part of the fortress was constructed from large syenite blocks - the so called "cyclop construction".

Museums and protected sites

The Archaeological Museum was established in 1882 as a People's Museum of Eastern Rumelia. In 1928 the museum was moved to a 19th century edifice on Saedinenie Square built by the famous Plovdiv architect Josef Schnitter. The museum contains a rich collection of Thracian art. The three sections "Prehistory", "Antiquity" and "Middle Ages" contain precious artifacts from the Paleolithic to the early Ottoman period (15th-16th centuries). The famous Panagyurishte treasure is part of the museum's collection.

The Historical Museum of Plovdiv was founded in 1951 as a scientific and cultural institute for collecting, saving, and researching historical evidence about Plovdiv and the region from 16th to 20th centuries. The exhibition is situated in three buildings.

The Regional Ethnographic Museum - Plovdiv was inaugurated in 1917. On 14 October 1943 it was moved to a house in the Old Town. In 1949 the Municipal House-museum was reorganized as a People's Ethnographic Museum and in 1962 it was renovated. There are more than 40,000 objects.

The Museum of Natural Science was inaugurated in 1955 in the old edifice of the Plovdiv Municipality built in 1880. It is among the most important museums in the country with rich collections in Paleontology, Mineralogy and Botanic sections. There are several rooms for wildlife and it contains Bulgaria's largest freshwater aquarium with 40 fish species. It has a collection of minerals from the Rhodope mountains.

The Museum of Aviation was established on 21 September 1991 on the territory of the Krumovo airbase 12 km to the south-east of the city. The museum possesses 59 aircraft and both indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

The Old Town of Plovdiv is a historic preservation site known for its Bulgarian Renaissance architectural style. The Old Town covers the area of the three central hills (Трихълмие, ''Trihalmie'') —Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe. Almost every house in the Old Town has its characteristic exterior and interior decoration.

Churches, mosques and temples

There are a number of 19th century churches, most of which follow the distinctive Eastern Orthodox construction style. Those are the Saint Constantine and Saint Helena, the Saint Marina, the Saint Nedelya, the Saint Petka and the Holy Mother of God Churches. There are also Roman Catholic Cathedrals in Plovdiv, the largest of them being the Cathedral of St Louis. There are several more modern Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Protestant churches, as well as older style Apostolic churches. Two mosques remain in Plovdiv from the time of the Ottoman rule. Of them the Djumaya Mosque, is considered the oldest European mosque outside Moorish Spain.

The Sephardic synagogue is located at Tsar Kaloyan Street 13, in the remnants of a small courtyard in what was once a large Jewish quarter. Dating to the 19th century, it is one of the best-preserved examples of the so-called "Ottoman-style" synagogues in the Balkans. According to author Ruth E. Gruber, the interior is a "hidden treasure…a glorious, if run-down, burst of color." An exquisite Venetian glass chandelier hangs from the center of the ceiling, which has a richly painted dome. All surfaces are covered in elaborate, Moorish-style, geometric designs in once-bright greens and blues. Torah scrolls are kept in the gilded Aron-ha-Kodesh.

Culture

Theatre and music

The Plovdiv Drama Theatre is a successor of the first professional theatre group in Bulgaria founded in 1881. The Plovdiv Puppet Theatre, founded in 1948, remains one of the leading institutions in this genre. The Plovdiv Opera was established in 1953.

Another post of Plovdiv's culture is the Philharmonic, founded in 1945. Soloists such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Boukov and Mincho Minchev have worked with the Plovdiv Philharmonic. The orchestra has toured in almost all of the European countries. The Trakiya Folklore Ensemble, founded in 1974, has performed thousands of concerts in Bulgaria and more than 42 countries. The Trakiya Traditional Choir was nominated for a Grammy Award. The Detska Kitka Choir is one of the oldest and best known youth choirs in Bulgaria, winner of numerous awards from international choral competitions. The Evmolpeya choir is another girls' choir from Plovdiv, whose patron when it was established in 2006 became the then mayor Ivan Chomakov. The choir was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador and a municipal choir.

Literature

Plovdiv is among the nation's primary literary centres - in 1855 Hristo G. Danov created the first Bulgarian publishing company and later the first printing-press. The city's traditions as a literary centre are preserved by the first public library in Bulgaria, the Ivan Vazov National Library, by the 19 ''chitalishta'' (cultural centres) and by numerous booksellers and publishers. The library was founded in 1879 and named after the famous Bulgarian writer and poet Ivan Vazov who worked there for five years creating some of his best works. Today the Ivan Vazov National Library is the second largest national library institution with more than 1,5 million books, owning rare Bulgarian and European publications.

Arts

The city has traditions in Iconography since the Middle Ages. During the Period of National Revival a number of notable icon-painters (called in Bulgarian ''zografi'', ''зографи'') from all regions of the country worked in Plovdiv - Dimitar Zograf and his son Zafir Zograf, Zahari Zograf, Georgi Danchov and others. After the Liberation the famous Bulgarian painter of Czech origin Ivan Mrkvička came to work in the city. The Painters' Society was established there by artists from Southern Bulgaria in 1912 whose members included the prominent painters Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Sirak Skitnik, Tsanko Lavrenov.

Today the city has 30 art galleries. The Art Gallery of Plovdiv was founded in the late 19th century. It possesses 5,000 pieces of art in 4 separate buildings. Since 1981 it has a section for Mexican Art donated by Mexican painters in honour of the 1,300-year anniversary of the Bulgarian State.

Economy

Located in the middle of a rich agricultural region, since the beginning of the 20th century Plovdiv grew as an industrial center. Food processing, tobacco, brewing and textiles were the main pillars of the industry. During Communist rule the city's economy greatly expanded and was dominated by heavy industry - it still produces lead and zinc, machinery, electronics, motor trucks, chemicals and cosmetics. After the fall of Communism in 1989 and the collapse of Bulgaria's planned economy, a number of industrial complexes were closed.

Plovdiv has one of the country's fastest growing economies with average GDP growth of 12-13%. As of 2005 the total revenues are 9.4 billion leva (approximately 4.8 billion euro), which is with 88% more than in 2001. The profits for the same period rose 4.5 times. Unemployment is 6,5% which is lower than the national average. One recent problem is the municipality's administrative borders, which almost completely coincide with the city limits. Due to the constant increase of investments which are $465,000,000 for 2005 some of the businesses have to be redirected to the Maritsa or Rodopi municipalities such as the industrial zone of Radinovo village.

Industry has been expanding again since the late 1990s, with manufacturing plants built in the city or in its outskirts, mainly the municipality of Maritsa. In this period, some €500,000,000 has been invested in construction of new factories. Some of the new plants include the Liebherr refrigerator plant with 1,850 employees and a capacity of 450,000 items per year, the Socotab tobacco processing plant (2,000 employees), a bicycle plant (500 workers, capacity 500,000 units), а Schneider electronics factory, a biodiesel plant, the Bulsaphil textile plant (790 workers), and several electronics and high-tech plants producing CD players and other electronic equipment. The largest electronics plant in the Balkans was inaugurated in the nearby village of Voivodinovo.

Due to the demand for business office space Business Park Plovdiv is going to be constructed in the district of Trakiya. The investment is for €68,000,000 and the park will occupy an area of . A commercial and industrial park is to be built in the village of Radinovo at several km to the north-west of the city with a built-up area of .

Shopping and commerce

The commercial sector is developing quickly. Shopping centers have been built mainly in the Central district and the district of Trakiya. Those include Shopping Center Grand, Market Center and two more all on the Kapitan Raycho Street, Forum in Trakiya, Excelsior and others. There are several malls under construction - the €40 million Mall of Plovdiv with a shopping area of , 11 cinemas and parking for 700 cars, €50 mln. Central Mall Markovo tepe, a huge €60 mln. mall and hotel complex in the district of Trakiya as well as several other projects planned or under construction.

Several hypermarkets have been built mainly on the outskirts of the city: Metro, Kaufland, Sani (2 outlets), Praktiker, Billa, Mr. Bricolage, Baumax, Technopolis, Technopark Europa, and others. The main shopping area is the central street with its shops, cafés and restaurants. A number of cafés, craftsmen workshops and souvenir shops are situated in the Old Town and the small streets in the centre, known among the locals as "The trap" ().

The Plovdiv International Fair, held annually since 1892, is the largest and oldest fair in the country and all of southeastern Europe, gathering companies from all over the world in an exhibition area of located on a territory of on the northern banks of the Maristsa river. It attracts more than 600,000 visitors from different countries.

The city also has a duty-free zone since 1987. It has a customs terminal handling cargo from trucks and trains.

Transport

Plovdiv has a geographical position which makes it an international transport hub. Three of the ten Pan-European corridors run into or near the city - Corridor IV (Dresden–Bucharest–Sofia-Plovdiv- Istanbul), Corridor VIII (Durrës-Sofia-Plovdiv-Varna/Burgas) and Corridor X (Salzburg–Belgrade-Plovdiv-Istanbul). A major tourist center, Plovdiv lies at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains, and most people wishing to explore the mountains choose it as their trip's starting point.

Plovdiv is a major road and railway hub in southern Bulgaria: the Trakiya motorway (A1) is only at to the north. It lies on the important national route from Sofia to Burgas via Stara Zagora. First-class roads lead to Sofia to the west, Karlovo to the north, Asenovgrad and Kardzhali to the south, Stara Zagora and Haskovo to the east. There are intercity buses which link Plovdiv with cities and towns all over the country and many European countries. They are based in three bus stations: South, Rodopi and North.

Railway transportation in the city dates back to 1872 when it became a station on the Lyubimets–Belovo railway line. There are railways to Sofia, Panagyurishte, Karlovo, Peshtera, Stara Zagora, Dimitrovgrad and Asenovgrad. There are three train stations - Plovdiv Central, Trakiya and Filipovo as well as a Freight Station.

Plovdiv has an extensive public transport system, including around 40 bus and trolleybus lines. Six bridges span over the Maritsa river including a railroad bridge and a covered bridge. There are important road junctions to the south, south-west and north.

Plovdiv International Airport is located near the village of Krumovo, southeast of the city. It takes charter flights from Europe and has scheduled services with Ryanair to London and S7 to Moscow. Many small airports are located in the surroundings of the city including the important military airbase in Graf Ignatievo to the north of Plovdiv.

Education

Around two thirds of the citizens (62,38%) have secondary, specialized or higher education. That percentage has increased in the period 1992–2001.

Plovdiv has 78 schools including elementary, high, foreign language, mathematics, technical and art schools. There are also 10 private schools and a seminary. The number of pupils for 2005 is 36,964 and is constantly decreasing since the mid 1990 due to lower birth-rate. Among the most prestigious schools are: English Language School, High School of Mathematics, Ivan Vazov Language School, National Schools of Commerce - Plovdiv, the English Academy, National School for Music and Dance Art Plovdiv, French High School of Plovdiv.

The city has 6 universities and a number of state and private colleges and branches of other universities. Those include Plovdiv University with 900 lecturers and employees and 13,000 students, the Medical University of Plovdiv with 2,600 students, the Medical College, Technical University of Sofia - Branch Plovdiv, Agricultural University - Plovdiv, University of Food Technologies, the Academy for Music, Dance and Fine Arts and others.

International Olympiad in Informatics(IOI) in 2009 took place at University of Plovdiv "Paisiy Hilendarski", during 8–15 August 2009. Honorary Patron of IOI 2009 is Georgi Parvanov President of Bulgaria.

Between 1875 and 1906, the Zariphios School provided education in the Greek language for Plovdiv's Greek community.

Sports and recreation

The Plovdiv Sports Complex is the biggest in Eastern Europe. It consists of the Plovdiv Stadium with several additional football fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, rowing base with 3 km long channel, restaurants, cafés situated in a spacious park in the western part of the city just south of the Maritza river. There are also playgrounds for the children. It is popular among the citizens of Plovdiv and the guests of the city who use it for jogging, walking and relaxation. The Plovdiv Stadium has 55,000 seats which makes it the largest football venue in Bulgaria.

Other stadiums include Botev Stadium (22,000 seats), Lokomotiv Stadium (11,000 seats), Maritsa Stadium (5,000 seats) and Todor Diev Stadium (7,000 seats). There are also six indoor sports halls - Lokomotiv, Dunav, Stroitel, Chaika, Akademik, Total Sport. In 2006 a water park was opened near the city centre called Aqualand. Several smaller water parks are situated in the city as well. Football is the most popular sport in the city. Plovdiv has four professional football teams. Botev Plovdiv was founded in 1912, and is named after one of the most ardent Bulgarian poets and revolutionaries, Hristo Botev. The city also has PFC Lokomotiv, founded in 1936. Both teams are a regular fixture in the top Bulgarian league. The rivalry between them is considered to be even more fierce than the one between Levski and CSKA of Sofia. There are also two other football clubs in the city – Maritsa FC (founded in 1921) and Spartak Plovdiv (1947).

Plovdiv is host of the international boxing tournament "Strandzha" which takes place since 1949. In 2007 ninety-six boxers from 20 countries participated in the tournament. There is a horse racing club and a horse base near the city. Plovdiv has several volleyball and basketball teams.

Three of the city's seven hills are protected natural territories since 1995. Two of the first parks in Bulgaria are located in the city center - ''Tsar Simeon garden'' (also known as the ''City garden'') and ''Dondukov garden''. Some of the larger parks include the ''Botanical garden'', ''Beliz Brezi'', ''Ribnitsa'' and ''Lauta''.

Notable citizens

Anjel Vagenstein, writer

Asen Kisimov, actor

Boris Christoff, basso

Dinko Dermendjiev, football player

Filibeli Hafız Ahmed Pasha, Ottoman Grand Vizier

George Ganchev, fencer, actor, writer, politician

Georgi Slavchev, pianist, composer

Hristo Danov, publisher

Hristo Stoichkov, football player, winner of the European Footballer of the Year award (1994)

Isaac Passy, Bulgarian philosopher

Jean Videnov, ex-prime minister of Bulgaria

Jordan Jovtchev, gymnast

Maria Petrova, three times World Champion in rhythmic gymnastics

Milcho Leviev, musician and composer

Milen Dobrev, weightlifter

Nayden Gerov, linguist, folklorer and writer

Nayden Todorov, conductor

Nikolay Argirov, Bear Wrestler, Radio DJ, School Teacher and part time President

Nikolay Buhalov, Olympic canoeing champion

Ognyana Petkova, Olympic canoeing bronze medalist

Nonka Matova, six-time Olympian and Olympic shooting silver medalist

Petar Stoyanov, ex-president of Bulgaria

The birthplace of Silvena Rowe, world-famous celebrity television chef and food writer

Solomon Passy, mathematician, activist and politician

Stefka Kostadinova, world record holder in the women's high jump

Tanya Gramatikova, photographic artist

Tzvetana Maneva, actress

Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgarian number 1 tennis player and World number 40

Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, painter

Irien Trendafilov, cartoonist

Georgi Ivanov, cosmonaut

Veneta Rangelova, pop singer and music pedagog(10.3.1957)

Blagovest and Svetoslav Argirov,[23.4.1959],pop singers and composers

Stoyan Zahariev, pop singer and composer

Toma Sprostranov, radio and TV journalist

Maria Neykova, pop singer and composer{b.21.12.1941-1.8.2002}

Hristo Kidikov, pop singer (b.16.10.1946)

Apostolos Nikolaidis (1896–1980), athlete

Christos Tsigiridis (1877–1947) electrical engineer and technological pioneer

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Plovdiv is twinned with the following cities:

* Brno, Czech Republic.

Columbia, South Carolina>Columbia, United States.

* Daegu, South Korea.

* Gyumri, Armenia.

* Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

* Istanbul, Turkey.

* Ivanovo, Russia

Košice, Slovakia. ''(since 2000)''

* Kumanovo, Мacedonia.

* Kutaisi, Georgia.

* Leskovac, Serbia.

* Luoyang, China.

* Ohrid, Macedonia.

* Okayama, Japan.

* Petra, Jordan.

* Poznań, Poland.

* Rome, Italy

* Saint Petersburg, Russia.

* Thessaloniki, Greece.

Valencia, Venezuela>Valencia, Venezuela.

Gallery

See also

List of airports in Bulgaria

List of cities in Bulgaria

List of mayors of Plovdiv

References

;Notes

External links

Official web page

Pictures from Plovdiv (the old town)

The Ancient Plovdiv

Plovdiv web page and virtual tour

Ancient Plovdiv Municipal Institute

Map of Plovdiv

Information for Plovdiv

Category:Populated places in Bulgaria Category:Former capitals of Bulgaria Category:Plovdiv Province Category:Ancient Greek cities Category:Ancient cities

ar:بلوفديف ast:Plovdiv br:Plovdiv bg:Пловдив ca:Plóvdiv cs:Plovdiv cy:Plovdiv da:Plovdiv de:Plowdiw et:Plovdiv el:Φιλιππούπολη es:Plovdiv eo:Plovdiv fa:پلوودیو fr:Plovdiv ko:플로브디프 hy:Պլովդիվ hr:Plovdiv io:Plovdiv id:Plovdiv os:Пловдив is:Plovdiv it:Plovdiv he:פלובדיב jv:Plovdiv ka:პლოვდივი kk:Пловдив la:Philippopolis lv:Plovdiva lt:Plovdivas lmo:Filipopul hu:Plovdiv mk:Пловдив mt:Plovdiv mr:प्लॉव्हडिव्ह ms:Plovdiv mn:Пловдив nl:Plovdiv (stad) ja:プロヴディフ no:Plovdiv nn:Plovdiv pnb:پلوودیف pl:Płowdiw pt:Plovdiv ro:Plovdiv rmy:Plovdiv ru:Пловдив sco:Plovdiv sk:Plovdiv cu:Фїлїппополь sr:Пловдив sh:Plovdiv fi:Plovdiv sv:Plovdiv tl:Plovdiv tr:Filibe tk:Plowdiw uk:Пловдив vi:Plovdiv vo:Plovdiv war:Plovdiv yi:פלאוודיוו zh:普罗夫迪夫

name	Tarja Turunen
alt	Turunen has long black hair parted in the middle and is wearing a bright yellow dress.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen
born	August 17, 1977Kitee, Finland
city of residence	Buenos Aires, Argentina
instrument	Vocals, piano
genre	Symphonic rock, symphonic metal, classical, classical crossover, Lied
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
years active	1996–present
label	Universal, Spinefarm, Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner, NEMS Enterprises, Drakkar Entertainment
associated acts	Nightwish, Beto Vázquez Infinity, Noche Escandinava
website	TarjaTurunen.com }}

Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli or Tarja Turunen (), born August 17, 1977, is a Finnish singer-songwriter and composer. She is a full lyric soprano and has a vocal range of three octaves.

She is well-known as a professional classical (art song) singer but best known as the former lead vocalist of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, which she founded with Tuomas Holopainen and Erno Vuorinen in 1996. Their combination of hard and fast guitar riffs with Turunen's classical lead vocals quickly aroused the enthusiasm of critics and audiences. Their symphonic metal style, soon dubbed "opera metal", inspired many other metal bands and singers.

Turunen was dismissed from the band on October 21, 2005. She started her solo career in 2006 with the release of a Christmas album called ''Henkäys Ikuisuudesta'', which was supported by a classical tour in Finland and Russia. In 2007, Turunen released ''My Winter Storm'', an album featuring various styles, including alternative rock and symphonic metal. Her Storm World Tour supported this album. Turunen released her third album, ''What Lies Beneath'', on September 1, 2010. She performed several concerts in Europe, playing in metal festivals including the Graspop Metal Meeting and the Wacken Open Air, before starting the What Lies Beneath World Tour, scheduled to last until the end of 2012.

Early life

Tarja Turunen was born in the small village of Puhos, near Kitee, Finland. She has an older brother, Toni, and a younger brother, Timo. Her talent for music was first noted when she sang the song ''Enkeli taivaan'' (the Finnish version of ''From Heaven Above to Earth I Come'') in the Kitee church hall at age three. She joined the church choir and started having vocal lessons. At age six, she started playing piano.

At comprehensive school, Turunen performed as a singer for several projects. Her first piano teacher Kirsti Nortia-Holopainen remembered that “Tarja was in a school that had some very musical people. Even then she got to perform a lot. I think she sang in every school function there was.” Her music teacher, Plamen Dimov, later explained that “If you gave Tarja just one note, she immediately got it. With the others, you´d have to practice three, four, five times”. At school she had a tough time, since some girls bullied her because they envied her voice. To solve that problem, Dimov organized projects outside school. At fifteen, Turunen had her first major appearance as a soloist at a church concert in front of a thousand listeners. In 1993 she attended the Senior Secondary School of Art and Music in Savonlinna.

For several years Turunen preferred to perform soul music, like her biggest childhood idols, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. Later she listened to songs from the classical singer Sarah Brightman, especially the song ''The Phantom of the Opera'', and decided to focus on that genre of music. At eighteen, she moved to Kuopio to study at the Sibelius Academy.

Musical career

With Nightwish

At Christmas break 1996 former classmate Tuomas Holopainen invited Turunen to join his new acoustic mood music project. She immediately agreed. At the recording session for the first demo Holopainen discovered that due to her classical singing lessons, Turunen's voice had become much more powerful than he recalled from their school days. At the following band practices, Emppu Vuorinen used an electric guitar instead of an acoustic guitar because he felt that it gave a better accompaniment to her voice. Holopainen decided to form Nightwish as a metal band. He later explained that the band members had gradually realised that Turunen's voice had become too dramatic for acoustic mood music. They came to the conclusion that the music had to be massive too. In this way Turunen was a major influence on the musical style of Nightwish.

In September 1997 Nightwish recorded a second demo with "more bombastic, dramatic" songs. Holopainen used this material to convince the Finnish label Spinefarm Records to publish the band's debut album, ''Angels Fall First''. The success of the first album came as a surprise to everyone. As the album hit the top 40 of the Finnish charts, Nightwish started their tour The First Tour of the Angels. That same year, Turunen performed at the Savonlinna Opera Festival for the first time, singing songs from Richard Wagner and Verdi.

Due to her commitment to the band, Turunen was not able to concentrate sufficiently on her schoolwork and interrupted her academic studies. In 1998 Nightwish published their second album, ''Oceanborn''. This album lacked the earlier elements of folk and ambient music, and instead focused on fast, melodic keyboard and guitar lines and Turunen's dramatic voice. In addition to the Oceanborn Europe Tour (1999), Turunen sang solo in Waltari's rock-themed ballet ''Evankeliumi'' (also known as ''Evangelicum'') in several sold-out performances at the Finnish National Opera. In 2000 and 2001 Nightwish recorded ''Wishmaster'' and ''Over the Hills and Far Away'' and toured Europe and South America (the Wishmaster World Tour).

In 2000 Turunen enrolled at the German music university Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe to gain a professional qualification as a soloist with further specialization in art song. In addition to the good reputation of the university, Turunen chose to go to Karlsruhe because her increased profile in Finland meant that some people at the Finnish university did not take her seriously as a classical singer due to her commitment in a metal band. At Karlsruhe she was accepted as a classical singer who also sang in a metal band. In particular, her professors did not think of it as a flaw. While there, she recorded vocals for Nightwish's 2002 album ''Century Child'' and for Beto Vázquez Infinity. As with the other albums, Holopainen wrote the pieces and sent Turunen the lyrics and a demo recording of the prerecorded instrumental tracks by mail. Using the demo, Turunen designed her vocal lines and the choral passages.

In 2002 Turunen toured South America, performing in the classical Lied concert ''Noche Escandinava'' (''Scandinavian Night'') to sold-out houses. Following this and an exhausting world tour in support of ''Century Child'' (the World Tour of the Century), Nightwish took a hiatus and Turunen returned to Karlsruhe to finish her studies. In 2003 she married the Argentine Marcelo Cabuli, whom she had met on tour while staying in Buenos Aires in 2000. After the hiatus Nightwish recorded the album ''Once''; it was released on October 5, 2004. The album hit No. 1 on the European Top 100 Albums. The band performed in the supporting Once Upon a Tour throughout 2004 and 2005.

For Christmas 2004, Turunen released her first solo single, titled "Yhden Enkelin Unelma" (One Angel's Dream), which sold gold in her native country of Finland. At Christmas 2005 it made a reentry at position one in the Finnish Charts. In spring 2005 she prepared the duet "Leaving You for Me", a collaboration with Martin Kesici, accompanied by a video.

Breakup

The first change in the line up of Nightwish was in September 2001, when bassist Sami Vänskä was fired because Holopainen was no longer able to continue working with him. In the following years the relationship between Holopainen and Turunen's husband and manager Marcelo Cabuli deteriorated. This had an impact on the relationship between Holopainen and Turunen as well. In December 2004 Turunen announced to the band members that she wanted to leave the band after one more album and its subsequent tour, planned for 2006/2007. According to her husband, Turunen had agreed to release her first solo album after the new studio album from Nightwish. After the last concert of the ''Once Upon a Tour'' on October 21, 2005 (which was released on video as ''End of an Era''), Holopainen gave Turunen a letter signed by himself and the other band members informing her that the band did not want to work with her any more. The letter was simultaneously published on the band's website. The letter accused Turunen of having skipped too many rehearsals and of having behaved like a diva, and claimed her husband was partly responsible for her behavior. Turunen responded through an open letter on her website and through some interviews in which she explained her view. She was upset that after nine years of working together, Holopainen had announced the separation via an open letter. She felt the allegations were untrue, and asked that her husband be kept out of the debate. Because of the continuing media interest, Marcelo Cabuli posted a message addressing the situation on the website in February 2006. He asked that anyone who had questions should email him. In June 2006 Cabuli posted a lengthy reply to many of the questions he had received.

Despite the circumstances of the separation, Holopainen's appreciation of Turunen as an artist remained. He explained that he did not search for a similarly trained singer as a successor for Turunen because he considers her to be extraordinarily good in her genre and therefore irreplaceable. He said that one day he would like to reestablish the friendship. In October 2007, Turunen said in an interview that she is very proud of her career with Nightwish. She considers the remaining band members extremely talented and wishes all the best for them and their subsequent lead singer Anette Olzon.

Between 1997 and 2006 she had toured the world with Nightwish, playing in all the continents except Africa and Antarctica. She performed live for more than 500,000 people.

Independent career

In December 2005 Turunen performed several classical concerts in Finland, Germany, Spain, and Romania. Since Turunen expected to participate in another Nightwish album, several Christmas concerts and the release of her Christmas album ''Henkäys Ikuisuudesta'' (Finnish for "breath of eternity") were the only activities scheduled for 2006.

In July 2006 Turunen again played at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, this time as the main act; Turunen sang alongside Finnish tenor Raimo Sirkiä, supported by the Kuopio Symphonic Orchestra. Turunen performed classical arias like "O mio babbino caro" by Puccini, "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" by Verdi and some songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber—"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "Phantom of the Opera"—among other songs. In November she performed at the charity concert “Tomorrow's Child” with the Tapiola Choir as a benefit for the UNICEF Children's Fund. On December 6, 2006, Turunen performed a big concert at the Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland; it was broadcast live by the Finnish channel YLE TV2 for 450,000 viewers. She was nominated for the Finnish Emma Award as Best Soloist of 2006. Also in 2006, she recorded vocals for her brother Timo Turunen's debut album.

In 2007 Turunen recorded vocals for the track "In The Picture" on the Nuclear Blast All-stars album ''Into the Light'' In spite of speculation to the contrary at the time, Turunen did not focus entirely on classical music after the separation of Nightwish. Since August 2006 she worked on her next solo album, ''My Winter Storm'', the beginning of her solo projects. It was the first time that Turunen had written songs. She was supported by some professional songwriters. The choir and orchestral arrangements were written by film music composer James Dooley.

Turunen released ''My Winter Storm'', an album featuring various styles, including symphonic metal with classical “operatic” lead vocals, in November 2007. The album took the number one spot on the Finnish charts, and went platinum in Finland and double platinum in Russia. In late 2007 Turunen was nominated for an Echo as best newcomer and an Emma for best Finnish artist.

On May 9, 2008, Turunen embarked the Storm World Tour to promote ''My Winter Storm''. She opened the tour by performing at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig and ended the tour in 2009 at the O2 Academy Islington in London. In December 2008, the EP ''The Seer'' was released in the UK and the new extended edition of ''My Winter Storm'' released on January 2, 2009.

On November 18, 2009, the Finnish charity Christmas album ''Maailman kauneimmat joululaulut'' (Finnish for "The World's Most Beautiful Christmas Songs") was released; three songs feature Turunen's vocals. In December 2009 she recorded her vocal part for the song "The Good Die Young", a duet with Klaus Meine which is included on the final Scorpions album ''Sting in the Tail''.

Turunen recorded her third album, ''What Lies Beneath'', in 2009 and 2010; it was released on September 1, 2010. The album combined metal with classical “operatic” elements in an out of the box approach. She started the What Lies Beneath World Tour performing in several festivals, including the Wacken Open Air and the Graspop Metal Meeting, with special concerts at Miskolc Opera Festival and at the Masters of Rock, when she performed accompanied by a full orchestra. The tour is scheduled to last until the end of 2012. Also in 2010 she supported Alice Cooper on the German leg of his tour.

On April 12, 2011, Turunen announced that she was planning to record a Classical album live in a church in Finland with the finnish organist Kalevi Kiviniemi. On July 17, 2011, she is scheduled to sing again at the Savonlinna Opera Festival as the main act, accompanied by the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra.

Singing style

Development

Parallel to visiting the music school in Savonlinna, Turunen began serious classical vocal training at 17. After school, she began studying music (with a specialization in church music) at the Sibelius Academy. Due to her commitment with Nightwish, she had to interrupt her academic studies.

From 2001 to 2003 she studied at the music academy Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, where she trained as a soloist with further specialization in art song. Turunen originally applied to train as a choir singer. At the audition she attracted the attention of professor Mitsuko Shirai, who encouraged Turunen to apply for soloist training.

As a classical singer, Turunen always sings with classical vocal technique. She explained that in the early days of Nightwish, it was difficult to combine classical technique with the metal sound in a way that gave her liberty of action without damaging her vocal cords. Classical techniques helped her to play with her voice, so she decided not to pursue extra training in rock/pop singing.

Towards the turn of the millennium, the combination of hard and fast guitar riffs with classical female lead vocals attracted a great deal of attention in the metal scene. The new music style of Nightwish quickly aroused the enthusiasm of critics and audiences; this symphonic metal style was soon dubbed "opera metal". Turunen does not see herself as an opera singer. She has sung excerpts from operas at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, but she stresses that singing opera cannot be performed as a side project. She would need special training to perfectly sing an entire opera without a microphone.

When asked how the association between the opera and metal genres may have arisen, Turunen said that despite the obvious differences, the two music styles have some similarities:

From the first Nightwish album ''Angels Fall First'' (1997) on, critics described Turunen's vocals using adjectives such as ''angelic'' or ''valkyrian''. On the following albums the singing was technically more complex. On the Nightwish album ''Oceanborn'' (1998), her classical vocal training was much more noticeable. For the song "Passion and the Opera", Turunen performed a staccato coloratura reminiscent of the aria "Hell's vengeance boils in my heart", sung by the soprano role Queen of the Night in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. "Sleeping Sun" required a well trained breathing technique. Turunen explained in an interview that when they recorded ''Oceanborn'', she had serious doubts, fearing that she was not yet advanced enough in her studies to have mastered the required techniques.

A challenge of a different kind was the cover version of "Over the Hills and Far Away" (2001), as it required a deeper voice, far below the vocal range of an average soprano. In an interview with ''Breakout'' magazine, she reported that in the studio, the band members were shaken by a paroxysm of laughter as she tried to warm up for the vocal lines. As a side benefit of her efforts, Turunen gradually expanded her vocal range considerably into the lower range, which manifested even more on the following albums.

For the album ''Century Child'' (2002), she experimented with a more "rock" sounding voice, where she maintained the classical singing technique, but, for example, sang with less vibrato. Turunen was not satisifed that she had successfully transitioned to this new style until the album ''Once'' (2004).

This deeper "rock"-sounding voice on ''Once''—as well as on the song "In the Picture" of the album ''Into the Light''—was welcomed by critics as a refreshing change.

Her first solo album ''My Winter Storm'' (2007) contains rock and metal songs as well as songs that resemble classical songs. Turunen uses both her classical singing voice and a rock-sounding voice. In many songs she starts with a rock voice, and then switches for widely arching melodies into a distinctly classical singing voice.

In an interview, she explained that ''My Winter Storm'' was the first album where she had the chance to use her full vocal range.

Register

Turunen's voice type is soprano (more precisely, (full) lyric soprano). Over the course of her career, Turunen has developed a vocal range of three octaves.

Reception

Turunen's voice is described by critics as remarkably powerful and emotional. Sometimes it is stated that her voice is too trained or operatic for metal music, but even critics who do not like classical voices admit that her voice suits the kind of metal songs she sings unusually well.

Until the end of their collaboration, Turunen's singing was a trademark of Nightwish. She was known as the face and voice of Nightwish while bandleader Holopainen was the soul. Turunen was seen as a key to Nightwish's success. She is respected by other musicians of the metal genre and is an influence on their work; for instance, Simone Simons names her as her inspiration to study classical music and apply that vocal style to a metal band.

The media closely covered her very public separation from Nightwish, and Turunen's character became the subject of many media discussions. The band members stated that she had become greedy.

Marcelo Cabuli answered fans' questions related to this topic, stating that the band had agreed on the distribution of earnings in a contract at the formation of Nightwish. Based on that contract, other members got a higher share of royalties, which Turunen has never regretted.

Turunen receives most of her media attention in her homeland of Finland. In December 2003 she was invited by Finnish president Tarja Halonen to celebrate the Finnish Independence Day at the Presidential Palace together with other local celebrities. The event is televised annually live by the state-owned brodcaster, the Finnish Broadcasting Company. In December 2007 she performed different versions of the Finnish national anthem "Maamme" (Finnish: "Our country") accompanied by the Tapiola Sinfonietta, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Finnish independence. The concert was televised by the Finnish Broadcasting Company for 2 million Finnish viewers. During her solo career, Turunen has sold over 86,000 certified records in Finland, which places her among the top 50 of best-selling female soloists.

In Europe, her popularity is mainly limited to the hard rock and metal scene. She had a broader exposure on November 30, 2007, when she was invited to open the farewell fight of Regina Halmich. Her performance of "I Walk Alone" was televised live by the German television station ZDF for 8.8 million viewers.

Discography

''Henkäys Ikuisuudesta'' (2006)

''My Winter Storm'' (2007)

''What Lies Beneath'' (2010)

References

External links

Tarja's Official Website

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kitee Category:Female heavy metal singers Category:Finnish female singers Category:Finnish heavy metal singers Category:Finnish singer-songwriters Category:Finnish sopranos Category:Women composers Category:Nightwish members

ar:تاريا تورونن an:Tarja Turunen be:Тар'я Турунен be-x-old:Тар’я Турунэн bg:Таря Турунен ca:Tarja Turunen cs:Tarja Turunen da:Tarja Turunen de:Tarja Turunen el:Τάρια Τούρουνεν es:Tarja Turunen eo:Tarja Turunen fa:تاریا تورونن fr:Tarja Turunen hy:Տարյա Տուրունեն hr:Tarja Turunen it:Tarja Turunen he:טאריה טורונן ka:ტარია ტურუნენი lv:Tarja Turunena lt:Tarja Turunen hu:Tarja Turunen nl:Tarja Turunen ja:ターヤ・トゥルネン no:Tarja Turunen uz:Tarja Turunen pl:Tarja Turunen pt:Tarja Turunen ro:Tarja Turunen ru:Турунен, Тарья simple:Tarja Turunen sk:Tarja Turunen sl:Tarja Turunen sr:Тарја Турунен sh:Tarja Turunen fi:Tarja Turunen sv:Tarja Turunen tr:Tarja Turunen uk:Тар'я Турунен zh:塔雅·图伦尼

name	Mike Terrana
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	January 21, 1960, Buffalo, New York
instrument	drums
genre	Instrumental rock, power metal, neo-classical metal, Heavy metal, progressive metal, jazz fusion
years active	1978–present
label	Dockyard 1
associated acts	Masterplan, Tarja Turunen, Axel Rudi Pell, Savage Circus, Rage, Steve Lukather, Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Macalpine| website Official website
notable instruments	DrumCraft, Meinl Percussion cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Trick BassDrum Pedals, Remo Drum Heads}}

Mike Terrana (January 21, 1960) is an American hard rock and heavy metal drummer. His first professional work was in 1984 with the MCA band Hanover Fist from Toronto, after which he recorded and toured with various bands, playing various styles of music in Western New York state. Between 1987 and 1997, he was based in Los Angeles, working with various guitarists, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Macalpine, Steve Lukather, and bands like Kuni and Beau Nasty.

In 1997 Terrana moved to Europe, first in Holland for six months and then Germany (where he now owns a Cattery.). He worked with Rage, Gamma Ray, Axel Rudi Pell, Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween guitar player), Savage Circus.

He is a recording and touring member for Tarja Turunen band and has recently recorded her latest solo release entitled "What Lies Beneath" on Universal records. . Terrana is also engaged in projects in the instrumental fusion genre and performs drum clinics around the world for DrumCraft and Meinl Percussion cymbals.

He is also the drummer of melodic power metal band Masterplan since 2006. Mike currently lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Discography

Artension

"Into The Eye Of The Storm" (1996)

"Phoenix Rising" (1997)

"Sacred Pathways" (2001)

"New Discovery" (2002)

"Future World" (2004)

Axel Rudi Pell

"The Ballads II" (1999)

"The Wizard's Chosen Few (2000)

"The Masquerade Ball" (2000)

"Shadow Zone" (2002)

"Knights Live" (2002)

"Kings and Queens" (2004)

"The Ballads III" (2004)

"Mystica" (2006)

"Diamonds Unlocked" (2007)

"Tales of the Crown" (2008)

"The Best of Axel Rudi Pell: Anniversary Edition" (2009)

"The Crest" (2010)

"The Ballads IV" (2011)

Beau Nasty

"Dirty but Well Dressed" (1989)

Ferdy Doernberg

"Storytellers Rain" (2001)

"Till I run Out of Road" (2004)

Downhell

"A Relative Coexistence" (2008)

Driven

"Self-Inflicted" (2001)

Emir Hot

"Sevdah Metal" (2008)

Empire

"Chasing Shadows" (2007)

Jean Fontanille

"Unknown Parameter Value" (2008)

Roland Grapow

"Kaleidoscope" (1999)

Haggard

"Tales of Ithiria" (2008) (as narrator)

Hanover Fist

"Hungry Eyes" (1985)

Tony Hernando

"The Shades of Truth" (2002)

"Ill" (2005)

"VII" (2008)

Kuni

"Looking For Action" (1988)

Kiko Loureiro

"No Gravity" (2005)

"Fullblast" (2009)

Tony MacAlpine

"Freedom to Fly" (1992)

"Evolution" (1995)

"Violent Machine" (1996)

"Live Insanity" (1997)

Yngwie Malmsteen

"The seventh sign" (1993)

"I Can't Wait" (1994)

"Best of" (2000)

"Archive Box" (2001)

Masterplan

MK II (2007)

Time To Be King (2010)

Metalium

"Millennium Metal" (1999)

Razorback

"Deadringer" (2007)

Rage

"Ghosts" (1999)

"Welcome to the Other Side" (2001)

"Best of Rage / The G.U.N. Years"

"Unity" (2002)

"Soundchaser" (2003)

"Speak of the Dead" (2006)

Savage Circus

"Of Doom and Death" (2009)

Damir Simic

The Quest (1998) Live in Zagreb (2002)

"Demomstratus" (2004)

Stuart Smith

"Heaven & Earth" (1998)

Squealer

"Made for Eternity" (2000)

"Under the Cross" (2002)

Taboo Voodoo

"Somethin's Cookin"' (2003)

Tarja Turunen

"My Winter Storm" (2007)

"What Lies Beneath" (2010)

The Dogma

"Black Roses" (2006)

Tracy G

"Deviating from the Set List" (2003)

John West

"Mind Journey" (1997)

Zillion

"Zillion" (2004)

Theodore Ziras

"Superhuman" (2008)

Terrana solo CDs

"Shadows of the Past" (1998)

"Man of the World" (2005)

"Sinfonica" (2011)

Other releases

Tribute to Accept (Metalium track "Burning")(1999)

"Holy Dio - A Tribute to The Voice of Metal : Ronnie James Dio" (1999)

Videography

Axel Rudi Pell

"Knight Treasures (Live and More)" (2002)

"Live Over Europe DVD" (2008)

"One Night Live DVD" (2010)

Rage

"From The Cradle To The Stage Live DVD" (2004)

"Full Moon In St. Petersburg Live DVD" (2007)

Tony Hernando

"Tony Hernando THIII Live DVD" (2006)

Tony MacAlpine

"Starlicks Master Session VHS" (1992)

"Live in L.A. DVD" (1997)

Yngwie Malmsteen

"Live at Budokan DVD" (1994)

Terrana solo DVDs

“Rhythm Beast Performance DVD” (2007)

"Double Bass Mechanics DVD" (1996)

"Beginning Rock Drums DVD" (1995)

References

External links

Mike Terrana Official site

Masterplan Official Page

Tarja Turunen Official Page

Tarja Turunen Universal Records Official Record Company Page

''Lords of Metal,'' monthly e-zine, November 2007

Metal Zone Video Interview

Dockyard 1 Terrana DVD Release

Drummer Zone

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:American heavy metal drummers Category:American rock drummers Category:People from Buffalo, New York Category:American expatriates in Germany

cs:Mike Terrana de:Mike Terrana es:Mike Terrana it:Mike Terrana ja:マイク・テラーナ pl:Mike Terrana pt:Mike Terrana ru:Террана, Майк fi:Mike Terrana