Some time ago, the team of the only bilingual digital guide under the hills prepared an article with 5 places that the native people of Plovdiv still call by their old names and thus quite often confuse younger people or those who have moved under the hills.
Of course, after its publication, we received dozens more suggestions, and today we’ll check how many of us remember exactly what they are related to and where they are located.
Detmag Snezhanka
The store most beloved by children in the years before Democracy was reconstructed and turned into a modern gallery in 2019. The older residents of Plovdiv longingly talk about the magic that was hidden between its floors. Children's clothes and shoes, shiny and new toys, and real magic for the insatiable little eyes. And that's how they remember it and so guide people by this name...
Baikal bus stop
One of the central stops under the hills, which is located directly opposite the Rectorate of Plovdiv University. This is how it is designated in the route map of the city transport, but not everyone knows it by this name. A little further down from it in the direction of Stochna Station, there is also a card issuing office.
Balkan Cinema
One of the classic meeting places in the city under the hills. The iconic spot is a crossroads of many places - you can come from the underpass of the Monday Market, from the Grapes Market and, of course, from anywhere along Main Street. In the years since it was also known as the Bingo, and now it houses a casino, and unfortunately, over the years, it has increasingly lost its importance as a meeting spot in Plovdiv, replaced by some more fashionable places.
The Camel
Let's move for a while to Kyuchuk Paris, where the Camel was for a long time one of the most famous coffee clubs in the neighborhood and, accordingly, a landmark for its residents and guests. Now there is a residential building in its place, and below it the is also a café whose name Cameo is a reminder of the glorious past.
The Hali in Kyuchuk Paris
Archives say the building opened in 1952, and although it has housed offices for many years, we still refer to the Hali when we want to explain a location in the area.
Evmolpia
It was the most popular shopping center under the hills for many years, but subsequently, it changed its functions and today it has been rebuilt. The architect is Maria Sapundzhieva, the author of several other interesting buildings, as well as entire urban plans, such as the Trakia railway.
The shopping complex itself housed several larger and numerous smaller stores. The two bigger ones were the Obraztsov dom store and the DIY store, and inside there was also a regional universal store which also housed many smaller stores for clothes, shoes, textiles, etc. There were also establishments in the building - a café-restaurant, a summer buffet bar, etc. After the changes in the years after November 10, 1989, in the 90s the premises gradually changed their functions.
Today there is a luxury boutique hotel and restaurant there.
Grapes Market
Today it is the name of a neighborhood in the Central district of the city of Plovdiv, but in the past, there was an old Turkish chiftlik and a market, from where the name originates. During socialism, the square was named Vela Blagoeva. In the local consciousness, however, the place always remains Grozdovia. And grapes were sold there when Ruski Blvd. was the ring road of Plovdiv.
Today's square is named September 22.
The Russian Bookstore
The older residents of Plovdiv can tell you that for many years Byala Stana, the largest boza shop under the hills, was located here, and later - a bookshop for foreign literature.
Now the locals most often call it The Russian Bookstore. At that time, everyone studied Russian since junior high school, and people remember that thousands of titles could be found there. Books were available in a variety of genres, and alongside the writings on socialism, there were undeniably valuable publications.
