The palace of Romanian King Ferdinand I and his wife, Queen Marie.
The Balchik Palace Complex is an excellent destination for those tired of lying on the beaches of Albena, Golden Sands, or Kavarna.
The only “drawback” of the complex is that it doesn’t have a palace in the strict sense. Queen Marie Alexandra Victoria, like many Polish gardeners, preferred relaxing in a rustic environment.
The Royal Palace is essentially a house in a style still seen today in the old districts of Pomorie, Nesebar, or Varna. A plus for many tourists is that, instead of spending time looking at artworks as in the Vatican Museums or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, visitors to Balchik Palace can, at a reasonable price, buy preserves, liqueurs, and wines still made today according to recipes of the Romanian queen.
The palace was built in 1924 and designed by Italian architects, combining Neo-Baroque, Neo-Romanesque, and Neo-Moorish elements. The complex consists of three main parts: the summer residence, the winter villa, and the clock tower. All buildings were designed to fully take advantage of the surrounding landscape, including views of the Black Sea.
Queen Marie’s Palace was her favorite summer retreat and became known as the "Oriental Palace." The palace houses numerous rooms, including guest rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, salons, and a library. The complex also features botanical gardens, a passion of Queen Marie, with many rare species of plants, trees, and shrubs.
After World War II, the palace became state property and was used for various purposes, including as a children’s sanatorium. Today, it is open to visitors and is one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural landmarks.
Balchik Palace and Park Complex
Queen Marie`s Palace in Balchik
A small and intimate castle, known as the Quiet Nest or Villa Guttman. After her death, in accordance with her wishes, Queen Marie’s heart was kept at the monastery in the Balchik Palace, but after the region became part of Bulgaria, it was moved to Bran.
The Royal Palace in Balchik was built in a typically Greek style and is surrounded by magnificent and lush gardens. The architectural style of the palace combines Moorish and Mediterranean elements with the silhouettes of local buildings. Constructed on three terraces, the castle is separated from the sea only by a cliff. This place encouraged contemplation and tranquility, giving the impression of being lifted from a long-past era.
Marie Alexandra Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duchess of Edinburgh and granddaughter of British Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, was born on October 29, 1875, at Eastwell Park in Kent. She became queen by marrying the future King Ferdinand I of Romania in 1893. Marie quickly won the hearts of Romanians, embracing her new country openly and serving as its de facto ruler. She volunteered as a Red Cross nurse during World War I and influenced the course of the war through her political engagement.
Marble Throne
One of Queen Marie’s favorite spots, and still admired by visitors today, is the marble throne overlooking the sea. Made of pink and white marble, it was brought from Florence and is believed to have belonged to a Roman patrician.
Stella Maris Chapel in Balchik
The Stella Maris Chapel, meaning “Star of the Sea,” is an Orthodox chapel built in Byzantine style for Queen Marie of Romania.
The chapel was constructed by master mason Gaetan Denize at the request of Queen Marie as a place for prayer. In 1930, its interior was painted by artists Anastase Demian and Tache Papatriandafil. Built from stone, the chapel features a small courtyard, a fountain, and Christian tombs.
About the chapel, Queen Marie wrote:
"Stella Maris, the smallest church in the country; a modest Orthodox altar built by me, a Protestant, because Stella Maris stands before me as a symbol of my life; an altar raised as a testament to a faith that is not my own, in a country that was once foreign to me, but which I conquered through joy, suffering, and all that bound me to it, year after year, ever deeper."
Botanical Garden in Balchik
In 1940, the Balchik Palace Park became the Balchik Botanical Garden. Covering 65,000 square meters, it hosts around 2,000 plant species. One of its main attractions is a collection of large cacti species, the second largest in Europe after the collection in Monaco.
Koprivshtitsa
A town in Bulgaria, located in the central part of the country, in the Topolnitsa River valley, about 111 km east of the capital.