History of BulgariaHistory of Bulgaria
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.
Chapel

Balchik · 20th century

Why did Marie’s house change countries?

The house stays. Why does its country change?

9 scenes · 4 min · Sources · 13

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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.

Archival portrait of Queen Marie. The Library of Congress dates it between 1918 and 1928; the location is not identified as Balchik.

Part 1 · 20th century

The queen’s house

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.

The 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?

Listen to scene · 1

Synthetic voice · 0:27
Sources · 5
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Muzeul Național Peleș Regina Maria Personalități
  3. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; National Photo Company Collection Queen Marie of Romania / Standard Eng. Co. Library of Congress online catalog
  4. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  5. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders12
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 2 · 20th century

Before the house: a border

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.

During 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.

Listen to scene · 2

Synthetic voice · 0:34
Sources · 2
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
The white villa with a slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace. Photographed in 2009; not a construction image.

Part 3 · 20th century

White walls, tiles, a tower

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.

The house and gardens are built during the 1920s and 1930s. Construction ends in 1936.

1 · The round tower
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.
2 · The tiled roof
Rows of roof tiles are visible. The photograph does not establish which were laid during Marie’s lifetime and which may have been replaced.
3 · The covered terrace
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.

Listen to scene · 3

Synthetic voice · 0:29
Sources · 3
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657 Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff
  3. Izvora Balchik Palace 2.jpg Wikimedia Commons · 2009
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.
Stone columns and an elongated space outlined in stone, 2009. The photograph does not establish when the individual elements were placed.
Low building with arches and a tiled roof in the ensemble, 2009. Its historical function is not established in this story.
A green arch over a path, 2009. The photograph does not establish that the plants date from Marie’s time.

Part 4 · 20th century

A garden on a slope

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.

The gardens already exist during Marie’s lifetime. A university botanic garden is founded here in 1955. Scientists study plants there.

1 · A terrace wall
Stone walls separate strips of land at different levels. The photograph shows their arrangement but does not date every stone.
2 · Steps between levels
The small staircase links two terraces. It shows how the slope is organized.
3 · The Black Sea
The sea lies below the gardens. The image shows their setting, rather than a historical state border.

Listen to scene · 4

Synthetic voice · 0:31
Sources · 4
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site
  3. Sofia University, University Botanic Gardens (Author’s Team) Examination of the authenticity of the summer residence of Queen Maria of Romania near the city of Balchik University Botanic Gardens — Historical Study
  4. Izvora Balchik Palace 23.jpg Wikimedia Commons · 2009

Part 5 · 20th century

Activity: the house or the border?

Why does Marie’s house end up on Bulgarian territory?

  1. The state border changes.
  2. The house is dismantled and moved.
  3. Marie becomes Queen of Bulgaria.
Why is that?

At the start we learned that the house was not moved. The border changes and the home is in a different country.

Correct · The state border changes.

  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site

Listen to scene · 5

Synthetic voice · 0:04
Sources · 2
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
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.
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders12
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 6 · 20th century

The Treaty of Craiova

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.

The 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.

Listen to scene · 6

Synthetic voice · 0:32
Sources · 5
  1. Muzeul Național Peleș Regina Maria Personalități
  2. Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657 Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff
  3. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  4. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  5. Basilica.ro — Agenția de știri a Patriarhiei Române Se împlinesc 86 de ani de la trecerea la Domnul a Reginei Maria Basilica.ro, Aniversări și comemorări · 2024

Part 7 · 20th century

Activity: put events in order

Put the events in order, earliest first.

  1. Southern Dobruja passes to Romania
  2. Construction ends
  3. Marie’s death
  4. Treaty of Craiova
  5. University garden founded
Why is that?

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.

Correct order

  1. Southern Dobruja passes to Romania
  2. Construction ends
  3. Marie’s death
  4. Treaty of Craiova
  5. University garden founded
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  3. Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657 Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff
  4. Muzeul Național Peleș Regina Maria Personalități
  5. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  6. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site

Listen to scene · 7

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 6
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  3. Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657 Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff
  4. Muzeul Național Peleș Regina Maria Personalități
  5. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  6. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site
Marie’s seaside house, photographed in 2011. A modern view of the residence.

Part 8 · 20th century

The house stays, the border moves

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.

Listen to scene · 8

Synthetic voice · 0:18
Sources · 3
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Florin Anghel Locuri ale memoriei în disputele diplomatice. Domeniul regal de la Balcic în negocierile româno-bulgare din vara anului 1940 Anuarul Institutului de Istorie „A. D. Xenopol“ – Iași · 2010 · XLVII · 239–252
  3. Sofia University, University Botanic Gardens (Author’s Team) Examination of the authenticity of the summer residence of Queen Maria of Romania near the city of Balchik University Botanic Gardens — Historical Study

Part 9 · 20th century

Activity: match the pairs

Match each name or year with its description.

  1. Marie · The queen with the seaside home
  2. Craiova · The city of the 1940 treaty
  3. 1955 · The university garden’s founding year
Why is that?

Marie is the queen with the seaside home. Craiova is the treaty city. The university garden is founded in 1955.

  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  3. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site

Listen to scene · 9

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 3
  1. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  2. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  3. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site

A new find for your collection

The Romanian queen’s house ends up in Bulgaria because the state border changes in 1940. That answers our opening question.

Bulgaria and the deportations of 1943 · Sofia and SkopjePeshev’s letter and the deportationsExplore another struggle over power and freedom.Boyana Church · BoyanaThe faces of BoyanaGeorgi Ivanov · BaikonurInto orbit, without docking

People in this story

Marie of Romania

Sources

  1. Florin Anghel Locuri ale memoriei în disputele diplomatice. Domeniul regal de la Balcic în negocierile româno-bulgare din vara anului 1940 Anuarul Institutului de Istorie „A. D. Xenopol“ – Iași · 2010 · XLVII · 239–252
  2. Sofia University, University Botanic Gardens (Author’s Team) Examination of the authenticity of the summer residence of Queen Maria of Romania near the city of Balchik University Botanic Gardens — Historical Study
  3. Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, University Botanic Gardens University Botanic Garden – Balchik University Botanic Gardens — official site
  4. Basilica.ro — Agenția de știri a Patriarhiei Române Se împlinesc 86 de ani de la trecerea la Domnul a Reginei Maria Basilica.ro, Aniversări și comemorări · 2024
  5. Institutul Național al Patrimoniului; Colecția Andrei Ștomff PALATUL BALCIC — postcard record 13657 Cărți poștale — Colecția Andrei Ștomff
  6. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Създаването на Двореца Двореца — official institutional site
  7. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик История Двореца — official institutional site
  8. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; National Photo Company Collection Queen Marie of Romania / Standard Eng. Co. Library of Congress online catalog
  9. Muzeul Național Peleș Regina Maria Personalități
  10. Izvora Balchik Palace 2.jpg Wikimedia Commons · 2009
  11. Izvora Balchik Palace 23.jpg Wikimedia Commons · 2009
  12. Kingdom of Romania; Kingdom of Bulgaria (official publication: Parlamentul) Tratat din 7 septembrie între România și Bulgaria Monitorul Oficial · 1940 · Electronic transcription, unpaginated
  13. Държавен културен институт „Културен център „Двореца“ – Балчик Кралица Мария Двореца — official institutional site

Images

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.

National Photo Company Collection · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress

Archival portrait of Queen Marie. The Library of Congress dates it between 1918 and 1928; the location is not identified as Balchik.

Open source

Full attribution

Archival image: National Photo Company Collection; Standard Eng. Co. (catalogue credit), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

The white villa with a slender round tower, tiled roof and covered terrace. Photographed in 2009; not a construction image.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Stone columns and an elongated space outlined in stone, 2009. The photograph does not establish when the individual elements were placed.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Low building with arches and a tiled roof in the ensemble, 2009. Its historical function is not established in this story.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

A green arch over a path, 2009. The photograph does not establish that the plants date from Marie’s time.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.

Andrei Stroe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Marie’s seaside house, photographed in 2011. A modern view of the residence.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Andrei Stroe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.

Geographic context, without historical borders

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso · Public domain · Natural Earth

Open source

Full attribution

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso