{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.balchik-palace","hasFind":true,"slug":"balchik-palace","url":"/en/stories/balchik-palace/","topic":"Balchik","title":"Why did Marie’s house change countries?","summary":"Through Queen Marie’s house we follow Southern Dobruja’s passage from Bulgaria to Romania and back. The house and gardens lead to a treaty that changes both borders and people’s lives.","cover":{"title":"Why did Marie’s house change countries?","subtitle":"Southern Dobruja between Romania and Bulgaria, 1913–1940","hook":"The house stays. Why does its country change?","summary":"Through Queen Marie’s house we follow Southern Dobruja’s passage from Bulgaria to Romania and back. The house and gardens lead to a treaty that changes both borders and people’s lives.","takeaway":"The Romanian queen’s house ends up in Bulgaria because the state border changes in 1940. That answers our opening question."},"sortYear":1930,"firstActivity":5,"epoch":{"id":"epoch.xx","styleId":"xx","sortOrder":0,"title":"20th century","dateLabel":"1901–2000","eraShort":"20th century","slug":"xx","fill":"#CFC9C4","ink":"#221616","raised":"#D6D1CD","dark":"#64615F"},"epochId":"epoch.xx","placeShort":"Balchik","date":"1924/1925–1940","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-cutout-480.13f7c019.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-cutout-960.13f7c019.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-cutout-1562.13f7c019.avif","w":1562}],"dominant":"#917b66","h":1377,"w":1562,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-cutout-960.13f7c019.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-cutout-960.13f7c019.webp","id":"asset.bal.chapel-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Stella Maris is a chapel: a small church in the residence. The photograph dates from 2009. According to the Romanian catalogue, Marie’s heart was kept here in 1938–1940.","objectCaption":"Chapel","caption":"Stella Maris is a chapel: a small church in the residence. The photograph dates from 2009. According to the Romanian catalogue, Marie’s heart was kept here in 1938–1940.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_25.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"},"scenes":[{"id":"balchik-palace.s1-maries-house","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"The queen’s house","body":"On the steep coast near Balchik, Queen Marie of Romania creates a seaside home. Today the house is known as the Quiet Nest. It is her residence: a house where she lives when she is here. The archival portrait shows her, rather than a scene of construction.\n\nThe house is built while Balchik is in Romania. After Marie’s death in 1938, it finds itself in Bulgaria. The building has not moved. What happens to the border between the two countries?","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-marie-portrait-480.8479b940.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-marie-portrait-960.8479b940.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-marie-portrait-1600.8479b940.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#656565","h":1301,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-marie-portrait-960.8479b940.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-marie-portrait-960.8479b940.webp","id":"asset.bal.marie-portrait","alt":"Archival portrait of Queen Marie. The Library of Congress dates it between 1918 and 1928; the location is not identified as Balchik.","objectCaption":"Archival portrait of Queen Marie. The Library of Congress dates it between 1918 and 1928; the location is not identified as Balchik.","caption":"Archival portrait of Queen Marie. The Library of Congress dates it between 1918 and 1928; the location is not identified as Balchik.","kind":"archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"National Photo Company Collection; Standard Eng. Co. (catalogue credit) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Archival image: National Photo Company Collection; Standard Eng. Co. (catalogue credit), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Archival image: National Photo Company Collection; Standard Eng. Co. (catalogue credit), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Marie_of_Romania_Standard_Eng._Co._LCCN2016826694.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-US-expired"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":27.820833333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.s1-maries-house","duration":27.947,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/s1-maries-house.867d29fb.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.peles"},{"id":"src.bal.loc"},{"id":"src.bal.history"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.s2-changing-border","number":2,"kind":"map","title":"Before the house: a border","body":"Southern Dobruja is a region between the Danube and the Black Sea. Balchik stands on its coast. In 1913, after a war between former allies, Bulgaria cedes Southern Dobruja to Romania. This is recorded in a treaty signed in Bucharest. A treaty is a written agreement between countries.\n\nDuring the First World War, control of the region changes again. After the war, Romanian rule is confirmed. Marie builds her residence in the following decades. She is a Romanian queen in a region Bulgaria and Romania dispute.","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Location of the residence; the marker does not show a historical border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.palace","name":"Marie’s residence near Balchik","latitude":43.40444444,"longitude":28.14694444,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":200,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q3334309"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.palace","url":"/en/map/#bal.palace"},{"note":"City where Bulgaria and Romania sign the treaty on 7 September 1940. The marker does not show the exact building or a border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.craiova","name":"Craiova","latitude":44.333333333333,"longitude":23.816666666667,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q168057","src.bal.treaty"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.craiova","url":"/en/map/#bal.craiova"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief@3x.jpg?v=075869a7dd","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-1024.4c826249.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-1536.8876519a.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-2048.4c826249.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-3072.8876519a.avif","w":3072}]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief-dark@3x.jpg?v=0941a59d06","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-1024.73ab39a9.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-1536.4f3ca147.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-2048.73ab39a9.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-3072.4f3ca147.avif","w":3072}]},"places":[{"note":"Location of the residence; the marker does not show a historical border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.palace","name":"Marie’s residence near Balchik","latitude":43.40444444,"longitude":28.14694444,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":200,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q3334309"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.palace","url":"/en/map/#bal.palace","number":1,"x":83.08681,"y":32.13013,"inside":true,"viewX":83.524736,"viewY":41.18875374838711},{"note":"City where Bulgaria and Romania sign the treaty on 7 September 1940. The marker does not show the exact building or a border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.craiova","name":"Craiova","latitude":44.333333333333,"longitude":23.816666666667,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q168057","src.bal.treaty"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.craiova","url":"/en/map/#bal.craiova","number":2,"x":28.95833,"y":7.223,"inside":true,"viewX":16.475264000000003,"viewY":9.259420000000002}],"extent":[0,0,1,1],"orientation":[{"name":"Sofia","kind":"town","x":22.774,"y":50.826,"viewX":8.814674580645168,"viewY":65.15565290322583},{"name":"Plovdiv","kind":"town","x":40.566,"y":65.549,"viewX":30.85379716129033,"viewY":84.02958903225807},{"name":"Varna","kind":"town","x":80.184,"y":37.187,"viewX":79.92899716129034,"viewY":47.67133483870968},{"name":"Burgas","kind":"town","x":74.532,"y":55.892,"viewX":72.92781006451612,"viewY":71.64993806451615},{"name":"Ruse","kind":"town","x":55.821,"y":20.617,"viewX":49.75031329032259,"viewY":26.42966387096775},{"name":"Veliko Tarnovo","kind":"town","x":51.465,"y":40.853,"viewX":44.35449393548389,"viewY":52.370910322580656},{"name":"Pleven","kind":"town","x":38.834,"y":31.796,"viewX":28.70835200000001,"viewY":40.7604206451613},{"name":"Stara Zagora","kind":"town","x":51.681,"y":57.962,"viewX":44.622055225806456,"viewY":74.30354451612905},{"name":"Shumen","kind":"town","x":67.951,"y":35.671,"viewX":64.77586167741937,"viewY":45.7279206451613},{"name":"Vidin","kind":"town","x":17.099,"y":16.308,"viewX":1.7849971612903286,"viewY":20.905803870967745},{"name":"Blagoevgrad","kind":"town","x":19.929,"y":68.531,"viewX":5.290545548387102,"viewY":87.85232064516131},{"name":"Haskovo","kind":"town","x":50.694,"y":70.78,"viewX":43.39944877419356,"viewY":90.73539354838711},{"name":"Smolyan","kind":"town","x":40.014,"y":80.031,"viewX":30.170029419354854,"viewY":102.59457870967745},{"name":"Sliven","kind":"town","x":60.286,"y":51.247,"viewX":55.28115200000001,"viewY":65.69534774193549},{"name":"Dobrich","kind":"town","x":79.091,"y":27.65,"viewX":78.57508748387097,"viewY":35.445516129032264},{"name":"Pernik","kind":"town","x":19.223,"y":53.257,"viewX":4.4160165161290355,"viewY":68.27203806451614},{"name":"Yambol","kind":"town","x":62.544,"y":56.432,"viewX":58.078158451612914,"viewY":72.34218322580647},{"name":"Pazardzhik","kind":"town","x":35.42,"y":64.052,"viewX":24.479397161290333,"viewY":82.11053161290324},{"name":"Vratsa","kind":"town","x":25.661,"y":37.29,"viewX":12.390829419354846,"viewY":47.8033741935484},{"name":"Gabrovo","kind":"town","x":47.734,"y":46.177,"viewX":39.73286812903227,"viewY":59.19593483870968},{"name":"Kardzhali","kind":"town","x":48.471,"y":78.573,"viewX":40.645797161290325,"viewY":100.72551677419357},{"name":"Kyustendil","kind":"town","x":14.889,"y":61.673,"viewX":-0.9525512258064469,"viewY":79.06080709677421},{"name":"Montana","kind":"town","x":21.563,"y":31.916,"viewX":7.314597161290328,"viewY":40.914252903225815},{"name":"Lovech","kind":"town","x":40.178,"y":39.23,"viewX":30.37317780645162,"viewY":50.29032903225807},{"name":"Silistra","kind":"town","x":72.008,"y":13.056,"viewX":69.80130683870969,"viewY":16.736949677419354},{"name":"Targovishte","kind":"town","x":63.402,"y":36.202,"viewX":59.140971354838726,"viewY":46.40862838709678},{"name":"Razgrad","kind":"town","x":62.709,"y":28.698,"viewX":58.28254554838711,"viewY":36.78898451612904},{"name":"Kazanlak","kind":"town","x":48.661,"y":52.884,"viewX":40.88115200000001,"viewY":67.79387612903227},{"name":"Danube","kind":"nature","x":46.384,"y":23.924,"viewX":38.06061006451614,"viewY":30.66902451612904},{"name":"Black Sea","kind":"nature","x":86.25,"y":45.496,"viewX":87.44301006451613,"viewY":58.322936774193565},{"name":"Balkan Mountains","kind":"nature","x":41.25,"y":49.45,"viewX":31.701074580645166,"viewY":63.39170967741937},{"name":"Rila","kind":"nature","x":25.625,"y":65.69,"viewX":12.346235870967744,"viewY":84.21034193548388},{"name":"Pirin","kind":"nature","x":24.125,"y":75.565,"viewX":10.488171354838714,"viewY":96.86945483870969},{"name":"Rhodope Mountains","kind":"nature","x":38.75,"y":79.447,"viewX":28.60430038709678,"viewY":101.84592838709679},{"name":"Strandzha","kind":"nature","x":76.25,"y":67.774,"viewX":75.05591329032258,"viewY":86.88189548387099}],"crop":{"sx":0.8072916666666666,"sy":0.7800704579768494,"x":0.15657986666666662,"y":0},"credit":{"id":"map-relief"}},"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":34.403708333333334,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.s2-changing-border","duration":34.517,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/s2-changing-border.c294c515.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.history"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.s3-white-villa","number":3,"kind":"artifact","title":"White walls, tiles, a tower","body":"Marie’s villa is one of the first buildings in the ensemble. An ensemble is a group of buildings and gardens designed as a whole. The photograph shows a white wall, a tiled roof and a slender round tower. Its top is pointed. It resembles a minaret, a tower found beside mosques. Here it forms part of the royal house’s design.\n\nThe house and gardens are built during the 1920s and 1930s. Construction ends in 1936.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-detail-480.b77bd3ff.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-detail-960.b77bd3ff.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-detail-1600.b77bd3ff.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#5e656f","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-detail-960.b77bd3ff.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-detail-960.b77bd3ff.webp","id":"asset.bal.house-detail","alt":"The white villa with a slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace. Photographed in 2009; not a construction image.","objectCaption":"The white villa with a slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace. Photographed in 2009; not a construction image.","caption":"The white villa with a slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace. Photographed in 2009; not a construction image.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_2.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"hbal-tower","x":0.483,"y":0.288,"title":"The round tower","body":"The slender tower has a pointed roof. The Romanian catalogue calls it a minaret; that describes a form, without establishing that the house is a mosque.","sourceIds":["src.bal.cimec","src.bal.photo.house-detail"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbal-tiles","x":0.602,"y":0.533,"title":"The tiled roof","body":"Rows of roof tiles are visible. The photograph does not establish which were laid during Marie’s lifetime and which may have been replaced.","sourceIds":["src.bal.photo.house-detail","src.bal.authenticity"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbal-veranda","x":0.746,"y":0.835,"title":"The covered terrace","body":"A veranda is a covered terrace in front of the house. Wooden posts support its roof. Its fence is called a railing. The photograph dates from 2009.","sourceIds":["src.bal.photo.house-detail"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":29.295291666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.s3-white-villa","duration":29.397,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/s3-white-villa.30aad8a8.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.cimec"},{"id":"src.bal.photo.house-detail"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.s4-garden-layers","number":4,"kind":"artifact","title":"A garden on a slope","body":"On the slope, stone walls form terraces: fairly level strips of land at different heights. Steps link the levels. While the villa is being built, gardens are laid out and the slope is reinforced. Old watermills are adapted: these are mills powered by water. Young plants are grown for planting, alongside fruit trees and vines.\n\nThe gardens already exist during Marie’s lifetime. A university botanic garden is founded here in 1955. Scientists study plants there.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-terraces-480.4902172e.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-terraces-960.4902172e.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-terraces-1600.4902172e.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#62644d","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-terraces-960.4902172e.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-terraces-960.4902172e.webp","id":"asset.bal.terraces","alt":"Stone walls and steps on the slope above the Black Sea, 2009. The photograph shows the terraces’ form but does not date individual stones or plants.","objectCaption":"Stone walls and steps on the slope above the Black Sea, 2009. The photograph shows the terraces’ form but does not date individual stones or plants.","caption":"Stone walls and steps on the slope above the Black Sea, 2009. The photograph shows the terraces’ form but does not date individual stones or plants.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_23.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-colonnade-480.002fc69e.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-colonnade-960.002fc69e.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-colonnade-1600.002fc69e.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#656754","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-colonnade-960.002fc69e.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-colonnade-960.002fc69e.webp","id":"asset.bal.colonnade","alt":"Stone columns and an elongated space outlined in stone, 2009. The photograph does not establish when the individual elements were placed.","objectCaption":"Stone columns and an elongated space outlined in stone, 2009. The photograph does not establish when the individual elements were placed.","caption":"Stone columns and an elongated space outlined in stone, 2009. The photograph does not establish when the individual elements were placed.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_36.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-pavilion-480.18cd2e96.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-pavilion-960.18cd2e96.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-pavilion-1600.18cd2e96.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#535451","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-pavilion-960.18cd2e96.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-pavilion-960.18cd2e96.webp","id":"asset.bal.pavilion","alt":"Low building with arches and a tiled roof in the ensemble, 2009. Its historical function is not established in this story.","objectCaption":"Low building with arches and a tiled roof in the ensemble, 2009. Its historical function is not established in this story.","caption":"Low building with arches and a tiled roof in the ensemble, 2009. Its historical function is not established in this story.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_13.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-green-tunnel-480.dc101e14.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-green-tunnel-960.dc101e14.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-green-tunnel-1600.dc101e14.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#595e3a","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-green-tunnel-960.dc101e14.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-green-tunnel-960.dc101e14.webp","id":"asset.bal.green-tunnel","alt":"A green arch over a path, 2009. The photograph does not establish that the plants date from Marie’s time.","objectCaption":"A green arch over a path, 2009. The photograph does not establish that the plants date from Marie’s time.","caption":"A green arch over a path, 2009. The photograph does not establish that the plants date from Marie’s time.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_37.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"hbal-wall","x":0.729,"y":0.624,"title":"A terrace wall","body":"Stone walls separate strips of land at different levels. The photograph shows their arrangement but does not date every stone.","sourceIds":["src.bal.photo.terraces","src.bal.authenticity"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbal-steps","x":0.432,"y":0.587,"title":"Steps between levels","body":"The small staircase links two terraces. It shows how the slope is organized.","sourceIds":["src.bal.photo.terraces"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"hbal-sea","x":0.148,"y":0.092,"title":"The Black Sea","body":"The sea lies below the gardens. The image shows their setting, rather than a historical state border.","sourceIds":["src.bal.photo.terraces"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":31.55925,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.s4-garden-layers","duration":31.659,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/s4-garden-layers.6442cbff.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.botanic"},{"id":"src.bal.authenticity"},{"id":"src.bal.photo.terraces"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.a1-border","number":5,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: the house or the border?","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.bal.border-cause","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Why does Marie’s house end up on Bulgarian territory?","sourceIds":["src.bal.creation","src.bal.history"],"items":[{"id":"q.bal.border-cause.o1","label":"The state border changes."},{"id":"q.bal.border-cause.o2","label":"The house is dismantled and moved.","whyWrong":"The story follows a border change, not a relocation of the building."},{"id":"q.bal.border-cause.o3","label":"Marie becomes Queen of Bulgaria.","whyWrong":"She is Romania’s queen; the story records no such change of title."}],"explanation":"At the start we learned that the house was not moved. The border changes and the home is in a different country.","correctItemId":"q.bal.border-cause.o1","sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.history"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":4.020375,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.a1-border","duration":4.139,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/a1-border.88e64367.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.history"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.s5-craiova-1940","number":6,"kind":"map","title":"The Treaty of Craiova","body":"On 7 September 1940, Bulgaria and Romania sign a treaty in the Romanian city of Craiova. It provides for Southern Dobruja to be handed over to Bulgaria in stages. This brings Balchik and Marie’s house into Bulgaria.\n\nThe treaty also affects families. It requires specified groups of Bulgarians from Northern Dobruja and Romanians from Southern Dobruja to move. They must leave their homes and go to the other side. This is a compulsory population exchange, more than a new line on a map.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-480.e58a7408.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-960.e58a7408.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-1600.e58a7408.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#3d3e32","h":1216,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-960.e58a7408.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-chapel-960.e58a7408.webp","id":"asset.bal.chapel","alt":"Stella Maris is a chapel: a small church in the residence. The photograph dates from 2009. According to the Romanian catalogue, Marie’s heart was kept here in 1938–1940.","objectCaption":"Chapel","caption":"Stella Maris is a chapel: a small church in the residence. The photograph dates from 2009. According to the Romanian catalogue, Marie’s heart was kept here in 1938–1940.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. 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The marker does not show the exact building or a border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.craiova","name":"Craiova","latitude":44.333333333333,"longitude":23.816666666667,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":6000,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q168057","src.bal.treaty"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.craiova","url":"/en/map/#bal.craiova"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief@3x.jpg?v=075869a7dd","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-1024.4c826249.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-1536.8876519a.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-2048.4c826249.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-3072.8876519a.avif","w":3072}]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief-dark@3x.jpg?v=0941a59d06","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-1024.73ab39a9.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-1536.4f3ca147.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-2048.73ab39a9.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-3072.4f3ca147.avif","w":3072}]},"places":[{"note":"Location of the residence; the marker does not show a historical border.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.bal.palace","name":"Marie’s residence near Balchik","latitude":43.40444444,"longitude":28.14694444,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":200,"sourceIds":["src.bal.coord.q3334309"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"bal.palace","url":"/en/map/#bal.palace","number":1,"x":83.08681,"y":32.13013,"inside":true,"viewX":83.524736,"viewY":41.18875374838711},{"note":"City where Bulgaria and Romania sign the treaty on 7 September 1940. 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events in order, earliest first.","sourceIds":["src.bal.history","src.bal.creation","src.bal.cimec","src.bal.peles","src.bal.treaty","src.bal.botanic"],"items":[{"id":"ev-bucharest","label":"Southern Dobruja passes to Romania"},{"id":"ev-house","label":"Construction ends"},{"id":"ev-death","label":"Marie’s death"},{"id":"ev-craiova","label":"Treaty of Craiova"},{"id":"ev-botanic","label":"University garden founded"}],"explanation":"After the region is ceded in 1913, construction ends in 1936. Marie’s death follows in 1938, then the treaty in 1940 and the university garden in 1955.","correctOrderIds":["ev-bucharest","ev-house","ev-death","ev-craiova","ev-botanic"],"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.history"},{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.cimec"},{"id":"src.bal.peles"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"},{"id":"src.bal.botanic"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.347,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.a2-timeline","duration":3.456,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/a2-timeline.68e2f9a0.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.history"},{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.cimec"},{"id":"src.bal.peles"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"},{"id":"src.bal.botanic"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.s6-house-and-state","number":8,"kind":"narrative","title":"The house stays, the border moves","body":"The Romanian queen’s house ends up in Bulgaria because the state border changes in 1940. But territory and ownership are different things. A house can stand in one country yet belong to a different owner. According to the palace website, Bulgaria buys the property in 1970.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-coast-480.d502090a.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-coast-960.d502090a.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-coast-1071.d502090a.avif","w":1071}],"dominant":"#8a8c7d","h":1600,"w":1071,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-coast-960.d502090a.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-bal-house-coast-960.d502090a.webp","id":"asset.bal.house-coast","alt":"Marie’s seaside house, photographed in 2011. A modern view of the residence.","objectCaption":"Marie’s seaside house, photographed in 2011. A modern view of the residence.","caption":"Marie’s seaside house, photographed in 2011. A modern view of the residence.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Andrei Stroe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Photo: Andrei Stroe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Andrei Stroe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BG_TX_Balchik_queen_Maria_castle_1.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":18.033625,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.s6-house-and-state","duration":18.133,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/s6-house-and-state.33baf252.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.anghel2010"},{"id":"src.bal.authenticity"}]},{"id":"balchik-palace.a3-matching","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: match the pairs","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.bal.matching","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each name or year with its description.","sourceIds":["src.bal.creation","src.bal.treaty","src.bal.botanic"],"items":[{"id":"m-marie","label":"Marie","pairedLabel":"The queen with the seaside home"},{"id":"m-craiova","label":"Craiova","pairedLabel":"The city of the 1940 treaty"},{"id":"m-daki","label":"1955","pairedLabel":"The university garden’s founding year"}],"explanation":"Marie is the queen with the seaside home. Craiova is the treaty city. The university garden is founded in 1955.","sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"},{"id":"src.bal.botanic"}],"columns":["Item","Description"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.3702083333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.balchik-palace.balchik-palace.a3-matching","duration":3.499,"src":"/audio/en/balchik-palace/a3-matching.4b6e5ecc.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.bal.creation"},{"id":"src.bal.treaty"},{"id":"src.bal.botanic"}]}],"minutes":4,"sources":[{"year":2010,"url":"https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=115812","institutionOrAuthor":"Florin Anghel","id":"src.bal.anghel2010","title":"Locuri ale memoriei în disputele diplomatice. Domeniul regal de la Balcic în negocierile româno-bulgare din vara anului 1940","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Anuarul Institutului de Istorie „A. D. Xenopol“ – Iași","supports":{"en":"Author’s interpretation of royal domain as a political symbol and site of Romanian national memory, including 1940 negotiations. Only the abstract supports the attributed interpretation used here."},"authors":["Florin Anghel"],"volume":"XLVII","issue":"47","pages":"239–252","accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://ubg-bg.com/en-historic-recearch.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Sofia University, University Botanic Gardens (Author’s Team)","id":"src.bal.authenticity","title":"Examination of the authenticity of the summer residence of Queen Maria of Romania near the city of Balchik","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"University Botanic Gardens — Historical Study","supports":{"en":"The page presents conducted authenticity research, including its aims, scope and conclusions. No verified link is established here between individual details in our photographs and the study’s results. The full study and an item-by-item restoration history have not been reviewed."},"authors":["Sofia University, University Botanic Gardens (Author’s Team)"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.ubg-bg.com/en-info-ubg-balchik.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens","id":"src.bal.botanic","title":"University Botanic Garden – Balchik","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"University Botanic Gardens — official site","supports":{"en":"University garden established in 1955 by Daki Yordanov; older landscape park already existed during Marie’s lifetime; later scientific function. Current counts of species and visitor advice deliberately excluded."},"authors":["Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2024,"url":"https://basilica.ro/se-implinesc-86-de-ani-de-la-trecerea-la-domnul-a-reginei-maria/","institutionOrAuthor":"Basilica.ro — Agenția de știri a Patriarhiei Române","id":"src.bal.burial","title":"Se împlinesc 86 de ani de la trecerea la Domnul a Reginei Maria","accessedOn":"2026-11-03","container":"Basilica.ro, Aniversări și comemorări","supports":{"en":"Separate corroboration that Marie’s body was buried at Curtea de Argeș while her heart was placed in Stella Maris. The 1938–1940 Balchik interval is independently supplied by INP record 13657; no portrait or article photograph is reused."},"authors":["Basilica.ro — Agenția de știri a Patriarhiei Române"],"accessed":"2026-11-03"},{"year":null,"url":"https://cartipostale.cimec.ro/Detaliu.php?id=13657","institutionOrAuthor":"Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff","id":"src.bal.cimec","title":"PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff","supports":{"en":"Romanian heritage catalogue: 1925–1936, Emil Guneș; main white villa with tiled roof and minaret; chapel held heart 1938–1940; postcard mailed 16 August 1934. Catalogue text consulted; postcard not downloaded or relicensed."},"authors":["Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://dvoreca.com/bg/sazdavaneto-na-dvoretsa.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик","id":"src.bal.creation","title":"Създаването на Двореца","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Двореца — official institutional site","supports":{"en":"Name and residence; institutional chronology 1924–1936; gardens, reused mills and estate services; 1940 territorial transfer versus 1970 purchase. Do not infer a first visit date from this page alone."},"authors":["Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://dvoreca.com/bg/istoriya.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик","id":"src.bal.history","title":"История","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Двореца — official institutional site","supports":{"en":"Southern Dobruja ceded to Romania in 1913; postwar Romanian rule; return under the 1940 settlement. The page’s 27-year shorthand does not prove uninterrupted rule. Its broad national judgements and 11,278 sq km are not adopted."},"authors":["Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016826694/","institutionOrAuthor":"Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; National Photo Company Collection","id":"src.bal.loc","title":"Queen Marie of Romania / Standard Eng. Co.","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Library of Congress online catalog","supports":{"en":"Identity and archival dating 1918–1928 of the portrait. This image is not identified as photographed at Balchik. Commons metadata and source chain checked; original LoC item not independently opened."},"authors":["Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; National Photo Company Collection"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://peles.ro/ro/personalitati/regina-maria/","institutionOrAuthor":"Muzeul Național Peleș","id":"src.bal.peles","title":"Regina Maria","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Personalități","supports":{"en":"Romanian museum biography, birth in 1875, marriage to Ferdinand, death in 1938 at Pelișor. Museum evidence is distinguished from the conflicting Bran claim on the Balchik institution’s biography."},"authors":["Muzeul Național Peleș"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2009,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_2.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Izvora","id":"src.bal.photo.house-detail","title":"Balchik Palace 2.jpg","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Wikimedia Commons","supports":{"en":"Visible features and photo rights only. White villa, slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace; 2009 photograph, not construction evidence."},"authors":["Izvora"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2009,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balchik_Palace_23.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Izvora","id":"src.bal.photo.terraces","title":"Balchik Palace 23.jpg","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Wikimedia Commons","supports":{"en":"Visible features and photo rights only. Stone walls and steps on the slope above the Black Sea, 2009. The photograph shows the terraces’ form but does not date individual stones or plants."},"authors":["Izvora"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":1940,"url":"","institutionOrAuthor":"Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul)","id":"src.bal.treaty","title":"Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Monitorul Oficial","supports":{"en":"Primary treaty: frontier, compulsory exchange of specified ethnic populations in Dobruja; separate optional provisions elsewhere; scheduled territorial handover. 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