Plovdiv Medical University - Bulgaria

The Medical University of Plovdiv is one of Bulgaria’s four public medical universities, founded in 1945. In 1950, its faculty became the independent Plovdiv Medical Academy, and in 1972 it was renamed the Higher Medical Institute of Plovdiv.

In 2002, following a decision by the Bulgarian National Assembly, it officially became the Medical University of Plovdiv. Today, the university has over 3,500 national and international students, supported by more than 600 professors and researchers. Its facilities include laboratories, clinics, diagnostic and treatment units, as well as research and training centres for medical and dental students.

The Central University Library offers students more than 170,000 volumes in multiple languages, an internet room, and a local network system with access to databases such as Medline and Micromedex. The university also publishes Folia Medica, a scientific journal exchanged with over 326 specialists from 54 countries, and indexed in Medline.

Located in Plovdiv, the historic capital of Thrace and Bulgaria’s second-largest city (around 350,000 inhabitants), the city has long been a cultural crossroads due to its rich and complex history. Plovdiv is renowned for its beautifully preserved Old Town in the Bulgarian National Revival style of the early 19th century, one of the best examples in the country.

The city sits on the banks of the Maritsa River, in the southern part of the Plovdiv plain, which forms the western section of the Upper Thracian Plain, approximately 152 km southeast of the capital, Sofia. On 17 October 2014, Plovdiv was designated, alongside Matera, as European Capital of Culture 2019.