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Religions of Plovdiv


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In its ethnic character Plovdiv is the third largest cosmopolitan city inhabited by Bulgarians after Sofia and Varna. Some Gypsies (See The Roma in Plovdiv), Turks, Armenians, Jews and Greeks form minority groups. 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%);most of these 6,7% Turks are Roma from the ghetto quarters who self-identify as Turks on the 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 former 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 � and there are 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
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