Pazardjik was found during the second half of the ÕV century, on the left bank of the river Maritza, near the place of the market of the region. The favourable geographic position of the settlement-an important crossroad in the centre of a productive region-favoured its quick development. While it was a very little settlement at the beginning of the ÕV² century, it became an administrative centre of the region at the end of the century and remained as such until the Liberation.
     During ÕV²² century the town continued to grow and strengthened its position. There prospered the trade with iron, leather, rice. It made the first impression to the visiting travellers with its beautiful houses and its clean streets.
     In 1718 Gerard Kornelius Drish visited Pazardjik and he wrote "the buildings here according to construction, size and beauty stand higher than those of Nish, Sofia and all other places".
     In Õ²Õ century Pazardjik is already a big and important centre of crafts and trade, with a population of about 25 000 people. In the town, a host of two big fairs, every Tuesday and Wednesday there was a big market. A fact was a functioning post office with a telegraph.
      In 1837 the church "The Virgin Mary" was built, a monument with national significance, famous for its architecture and woodcarving. In the middle of the century Pazardjik became an important cultural centre. In 1847 a class school was opened, and in 1848 - Girls' School. In 1868 a community centre was founded in the town and in 1870 - women's union "Prosveta".
     During the Liberation War 1877-78, the town was fired by the retreating Turkish troops. It is liberated on 2. 01.1878 from the platoon of General Gurko. After the Liberation, the town grew and spread on the right bank of the river Maritza. At the end of the Õ²Õ century barracks and an agricultural school were built .
     From the beginning of the ÕÕ century people started to build factories, stores, houses and thus the industrial quarter of the town was built.
     From 1959 to 1987 Pazardjik is a centre of the region. With the last administrative division of the country from 1999 Pazardjik is a centre of a region already.

    Museums and Galleries

museum     The Historical Museum in Pazardjik with its over 33 000 exhibits reveals the rich historical past of Pazardjik region form ancient times until the present. The exposition is displayed in seven halls.
    The enthnographic exposition of the Historical Museum is in the biggest building for living in the town from the epoch of the Bulgarian National Revival. It was built in the style of a Plovdiv Revival Baroque house in 1850 form made from Bratzigovo masters. The owner of the house Nikola Hristovich was a rich tradesman. The exposition acquaints the visitor with the rich traditional material and spiritual culture of the population in Pazardjik region.
House-museum 'Konstantin Velichkov'

    House-museum "Konstantin Velichkov"

    House-museum "Konstantin Velichkov" - the memorial exposition in the native house of Konstantin Velichkov was opened in 1967 and was innovated several times. Through photographs, documents and original editions, the rich social, political and cultural life of the most outstanding personality Pazardjik gave to the Bulgarian National Revival - the writer, the translator, the artist, the participant in the preparation of the April Uprising in 1876, the Minister of the National Education Konstantin Velichkov is revealed.

    Art Gallery "Stanislav Dospevski"

    Art Gallery "Stanislav Dospevski"- Pazardjik was established in 1966. It is specialized in representing local authors mainly, among whom are the classicists Staneslav Dospevski, Konstantin Velichkov, Georgi Mashev, Georgi Gerasimov, Elena Konsulova - Vazova and others. It possesses a unique collection of portraits and self-portraits as well as the biggest collections of works of Georgi Gerasimov, Stoian Vasilev, Velichko Minekov and Zlatka Dabova.
House-museum 'Stanislav Dospevski'

    House-museum "Stanislav Dospevski"

    Bend over the canal Pasha Arc, the house of Stanislav Dospevski stares in the slowly flowing waters, as if to reassure its grandeur. Our steps echoe in the silence heavy with memories. The inscription on the front wall: "Possession of Stanislava D. Dospevskago Samokovtsa 1864" greets us.
Cathedral 'The Virgin Mary'
    There are the potraits of Dospevski and his relatives - a telling evidence that their author is not only one of the creators of the worldly potrait in Bulgaria but also one of its greatest masters.

    Cathedral Church "The Virgin Mary"

    The cathedral church " The Virgin Mary " is a monument with national cultural significance. It is famous for its architecture and its fine woodcarving of the iconostasis. It was built in 1937.

    Important Periodical Events in the Town:

    The holiday of the town is held annually at the beginning of June. It is accompanied with a rich cultural and entertainment programme.
Theatre     Winter Musical Evenings - Festival with more than twenty-year tradition for symphony music, found from and now bearing the name of Prof. Ivan Spasov - conductor, composer and public figure. It is held annually at the end of January.