Roman Stadium – Plovdiv

The Ancient stadium of Plovdiv, part of the 100 National tourist sites, was built in the beginning of the II century A.D. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. With approximately 250 m of length and 50 m of width, the stadium could seat up to 30 000 spectators, tiered in 14 rows of marble. Some of the seats, where the most important guests stood, were labeled with their names. At the stadium were held The Pythian Games on the analogy of Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. Currently, the stadium is located beneath the main pedestrian zone of Plovdiv, and оnly the northern end of the edifice can be observed at Dzhumayata Square. Today tourists can access only through the northern entrance of the stadium, therefore sit on the marble rows and go 18 centuries back in time. There are an information centre and a café, and several times a day the 3D movie “Plovdiv in the 2nd Century” is projected.