Tsar Simeon's Garden is the central city park of the city under the hills, which was artificially created by Lucien Chevallaz, the gardener of Plovdiv, in 1892 because of the First Bulgarian Exhibition. The garden is located in the heart of the city and is one of the iconic areas to visit. It has a Viennese pavilion, many fountains and a place for recreation, playgrounds.
Hundreds of Plovdiv residents and guests of the city choose it every day as a place to relax during a walk in the center or to steal some time on a bench in the sun, hurrying on errands.
Many of you have probably crossed it thousands of times, but apart from the great sights such as the Singing Fountains and the Viennese Pavilion, we rarely pay attention to the numerous monuments and sculptures.
That is why the team of the only digital guide under the hills set out in search of the hidden statues of famous Bulgarians and events that we most often miss and we counted seven of them. Can you guess which they are?
We start with the entrance from the Post Office Clock, where next to the pond with fish is the monument of the creator of this green oasis in the heart of the city. Also called the "Minister of Flowers", Lucien Chevallaz was one of the foreigners, proclaimed an honorary citizen of Plovdiv in 1901.
A little further down the alley you will see on the right the bust of G. S. Rakovski. He was first and foremost the first ideologue and organizer of the national liberation movement in Bulgaria and was its leader for the first ten years, but also a prominent writer, mason and poet, publicist, journalist, historian and ethnographer.
We continue in the right part of the park, where just before the exit on the left you will find Vasil Petleshkov - again a Bulgarian revolutionary, who went down in history as the leader of the April Uprising in Bratsigovo.
Further along the alley you will reach the most famous sculpture, a favorite of all kids - the bear and its habitat, the cave, which in the warm months has a lighted pond in front. To the left of this recreation area is the monument dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Okayama and Plovdiv. It is a gift from the Japanese city and is one of the most popular heroes there - Momotaro.
A little further down the alley leading to the pavilion we notice the bust of Dusho Hadzhidekov - a Bulgarian Revivalist who entered into close ties with Levski and took an active part in the struggle for Liberation of the country.
We skip the playground and head to the part of the park near the Singing Fountains. There, on the alley in front of the water facility, which leads to the Municipal Council, proudly stands Hristo Botev. This is also the place where on June 2 we honor the memory of the hero and those who died for the homeland.
We come to the last monument - that of Anton Bezenshek, immortalized as the creator of Bulgarian shorthand. It’s located in one of the more secluded places, between the alley on the side of Veliko Tarnovo Street and the one that leads to Central Square next to the Military Club.
Did we miss someone?
