# Upper Thracian Plain

The Upper Thracian Plain (Bulgarian: Горнотракийска низина, Upper Thracian Lowlands) is a region in Bulgaria that occupies the southeastern part of the country. It's a fertile area dominated by the river Maritsa and its many tributaries, including the sizable Tundzha and Arda.
Together with the Rhodope Mountains, the Upper Thracian Plain constitutes Northern Thrace (Bulgarian: Северна Тракия), bordering Greece (Western Thrace) to the south and Turkey (Eastern Thrace) to the southeast.

## Cities

The region contains five of Bulgaria's 27 province centres:
* 41.93425.5561 Haskovo (Хасково) — a city on the border between the Upper Thracian Plain and the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, with some Thracian ruins and hot springs nearby.
* 42.19324.3322 Pazardzhik (Пазарджик) — a mid-sized city on the same Maritsa river as Plovdiv. The Rhodope Narrow-Gauge Railway starts from the nearby town of Septemvri.
* 42.14324.7513 Plovdiv (Пловдив) — the nation's second largest city which boasts a lovely shopping promenade and many parks, the ruins of ancient Philippopolis (including a preserved amphitheatre), and a picturesque Old Town with many houses dating back to the Bulgarian National Revival.
* 42.424625.62844 Stara Zagora (Стара Загора) — "the city of linden trees", in the plain below the Sarnena Gora mountain. A historic city with ancient ruins, modern Stara Zagora had to be almost completely rebuilt after being burned down during the Liberation War (1877).
* 42.48526.5115 Yambol (Ямбол) — another mid-sized province centre, on the banks of the Tundzha. Home to one of the few dedicated military history museums in Bulgaria.
Smaller cities and towns:
* 42.00818724.8772956 Asenovgrad (Асеновград) — "Asen's city" under the slopes of the Rhodope Mountains, named after a medieval ruler; nearby is the Bachkovo Monastery, the second most prominent Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria after the Rila Monastery.
* 42.05725.597 Dimitrovgrad (Димитровград) — a Communist-era "planned city", built from scratch in the late 1940s and named after the first Communist leader of Bulgaria.
* 42.17426.5738 Elhovo (Елхово) — Elhovo is a town in Yambol Province, located on the left bank of Tundzha, between the Strandzha and Sakar mountains.
* 42.506724.70719 Hisarya (Hissar, Хисар) — a nice little town north of Plovdiv, known ever since Roman times because of its mineral springs. Home to some of the best preserved Roman ruins in Bulgaria - the impressive city wall still surrounds several neighbourhoods. You can easily visit the Balkan mountain range and Koprivshtitsa from this base.
* 42.28838824.96548210 Rakovski (Раковски) — a small town, the largest Roman Catholic enclave in Bulgaria (an otherwise mostly Eastern Orthodox country). It offers a unique cultural experience, with beautiful churches and religious festivals.
* 41.76526.20211 Svilengrad (Свиленград) — an important border town on the Maritsa, close to the point where the borders of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey meet; there are a couple of well-preserved fortress ruins in nearby villages.

## Understand

The Upper Thracian Plain is approximately triangular in shape, with the northern side of the triangle formed by the Sredna Gora range that runs parallel to the Balkan Mountains; the western tip of the triangle is wedged between the Sredna Gora mountains to the north and the Rhodope Mountains to the south.

## Go next

* Strandzha
* Rhodope Mountains