Editing Plovdiv (section)

==Sports and recreation==
[[Plovdiv Sports Complex]] consists of [[Plovdiv Stadium]] with several additional football fields, tennis courts, [[swimming pool]]s, a [[rowing (sport)|rowing base]] with a 2&nbsp;km-long channel, restaurants, and cafés in a spacious park in the western part of the city just south of the [[Maritsa]] river. There are also playgrounds for children. It is popular among the citizens and guests of Plovdiv who use it for jogging, walking, and relaxation. Plovdiv Stadium (55,000 seats) is the largest football venue in Bulgaria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/bulgaria.shtml |title=World Stadiums |publisher=World Stadiums |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805140219/http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/bulgaria.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other stadiums include [[Hristo Botev Stadium (Plovdiv)|Stadion Botev]] (19,000 seats), [[Lokomotiv Stadium (Plovdiv)|Lokomotiv]] (10,000 seats), [[Maritsa Stadium]] (5,000 seats), and [[Todor Diev Stadium]] (7,000 seats). There are seven indoor [[sports hall]]s: [[Kolodruma]], University Hall, Olimpia, Lokomotiv, Dunav, Stroitel, Chaika, Akademik, and Total Sport. In 2006, [[Aqualand]], a water park, was opened near the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plovdivguide.com/newsfiles/news.php?id=2127&lang_id=1 |title=Aqualand |publisher=Plovdivguide.com |date=4 August 2006 |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103030221/http://www.plovdivguide.com/newsfiles/news.php?id=2127&lang_id=1 |archive-date=3 November 2006  }}</ref> Several smaller water parks are in the city as well.
<gallery mode="packed-hover" class="center" caption="Sport Facilities">
 File:Plovdiv_Stadium.JPG|[[Plovdiv Stadium]] and sport complex
 File:Гребната през есента.jpg|Rowing base
 File:Kolezha.jpg|[[Hristo Botev Stadium (Plovdiv)|Hristo Botev Stadium]]
 File:Lokomotiv Stadium 2022.jpg|[[Lokomotiv Stadium (Plovdiv)|Lokomotiv Stadium]]
 File:Sports hall of Plovdiv University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria 2.jpg|Plovdiv University sports hall
</gallery>
[[association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in the city; Plovdiv has four professional teams. The city has [[PFC Botev Plovdiv]], founded in 1912 and [[PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv|PFC Lokomotiv]], founded in 1926.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lokomotivpd.com/ |title=Official site of Lokomotiv Plòvdiv |publisher=Lokomotivpd.com |date=28 May 2011 |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-date=26 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226131542/http://lokomotivpd.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Both teams are a regular fixture in the [[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|top Bulgarian league]]. The rivalry between them is considered to be even more fierce than the one between [[PFC Levski Sofia|Levski]] and [[PFC CSKA Sofia|CSKA]] of [[Sofia]]. There are two other football clubs in the city – [[Maritsa Plovdiv|Maritsa FC]] (founded in 1921) and [[Spartak Plovdiv]] (1947).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spartakpd.info/ |title=Spartak Plovdiv |publisher=Spartakpd.info |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719045859/http://www.spartakpd.info/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Plovdiv is host of the international [[boxing]] tournament "Strandzha" which has taken place since 1949.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boxing.mdkbg.com/eng/index.html |title=International boxing tournament Strandzha |publisher=Boxing.mdkbg.com |access-date=3 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714063510/http://boxing.mdkbg.com/eng/index.html |archive-date=14 July 2011  }}</ref> In 2007, 96 boxers from 20 countries participated in the tournament. There is a [[horse racing]] club and a horse base near the city. Plovdiv has several volleyball and basketball teams.
[[File:Plovdiv-tsar-simeon-garden-201704.jpg|thumb|right|A view from the "singing fountains" in Tsar Simeon's garden.]]
[[File:City Garden P5030039.jpg|thumb|right|A view from the City garden.]]
Three of the city's seven hills are protected natural territories since 1995. Two of the first parks in Bulgaria are located in the city center {{spaced ndash}} ''Tsar Simeon garden – city garden'', where the very first work of the Italian sculptor [[Arnoldo Zocchi]] could be seen, and ''Dondukov garden – old city garden''. Some of the larger parks include the ''Botanical garden'', ''Beli Brezi'', ''Ribnitsa'', and ''Lauta''.