Queen Mary's Castle, Balchik, Bulgaria

From the lower entrance, after checking the access tickets, we go up some steps until we meet a first path parallel to the sea, already situated one level above the beach. Here we turn left and cross Prince Nicholas Terrace we are heading towards...

1. The marble throne

The marble throne was Queen Mary's favorite place where she sought peace and quiet, contemplated nature or came to write at the marble table next to the throne. The throne was brought by the Queen from Florence. The two handles end in lion heads. Next to the throne is a small artesian fountain.

The direction we are on leads us to one of the two central objectives of our visit: The castle, which is called...

2. Quiet Nest Villa

The Quiet Nest is symbol of Queen Marie's private residence (1875 - 1938) and emblematic image of the royal domain of Balchik. The villa is built in Turkish style. Here the queen used to come with pleasure to visit the place called by Her Majesty "Tenha Yuvah", today "The Quiet Nest".

On the ground floor the villa hosts today a painting gallery from the collection of the Cultural Center "Palace" with works by famous Bulgarian artists. Temporary exhibitions of works by modern artists, poetry evenings and performances are also organized here.

In exhibition halls objects from the time of Queen Maria, who was also the creator of the surrounding architectural complex, are on display. Some of the rooms display a collection of icons from the 17th and 18th centuries, works by Bulgarian Renaissance painters, as well as archaeological finds from the Balchik area.

Great Hall on the third floor was the queen's bedchamber, which communicated with bay of His Majesty, decorated in oriental style with a luxurious well in the center and four smaller marble wells with taps for cold and hot water. Hot water was supplied by a steam installation. Its facilities are impressive if you transport yourself back to the years when the villa was inhabited. From here the steps climb up to terrace ring of the minaret. It is said that the most beautiful sunsets can be admired from here.

On the stone wall of the villa is a statue of the Virgin Mary - the guiding star of the seas and protector of the sea routes.

Summer CaféThe reading room is located on the ground floor of the villa. Here you can read newspapers, magazines or publications about culture, history, religion, in several foreign languages, all in a pleasant oriental atmosphere.

3. Castle gardens

Alexander's Garden

It is located immediately next to Villa Cuibul Linistit, in the extension of the direction from which we came, after the villa. It is named after the Serbian King Alexander, husband of one of Queen Mary's daughters, Mignon. Each of the millstones placed on the ground symbolizes a century of human history. The Dalmatian columns were a gift from Alexander. We didn't visit it, nor the other gardens surrounding the Quiet Nest.

Hanging Gardens

We continue from the Villa Cuibul Linistit, uphill perpendicular to the direction from which we came, towards the Hanging Gardens. These are cut into the slope and offer a fairy-tale view of a superb botanical labyrinth situated behind/above the Cuib Linistit. Stone benches invite to rest and contemplate the beauty of the place.

Garden of Weeping Trees

This is more recent, realized in 2004, and is made up of trees with drooping branches, hedges and hanging plants, with branches that almost touch the ground. These plants require special technology for growing and care, many of which are grafted. If we cross the garden to the right we emerge into a downhill path that runs tangential to the stream it crosses, m to the bridge over the Great Waterfall, to which we will have time to return in the late afternoon. On the other bank we continue gently uphill until we reach Vila Arc.

Garden of Gethsemane

It is a supreme garden filled with roses of different colors, some very fragrant.

4. Queen Mary's Tomb

At one end of the hanging gardens are Queen Mary's Tomb and Balcic Cross. It is the place chosen by the Queen as her final resting place. Queen Maria died on July 18, 1938, in Sinaia. In accordance with her wishes, Maria's heart was brought to Balchik and placed in a small golden coffin with the coat of arms of Romania. On September 7, 1940, Cadrilater, including the picturesque Balchik, returns to Bulgaria. The coffin with Queen Maria's heart will return to Romania.

"Perhaps in today's world there is more hate than love. But love is stronger and, one day, even if I may not live to see it, it must win. "" - Queen Mary

5. Vilele

Above the hanging gardens, the path leads to the ...

Villa Gutman

Gutman was one of the administrators of the royal complex. Today the villa can accommodate guests for accommodation. From Villa Gutman we continue on the only road that can be seen, to the right. If we turn slightly further to the right, we reach ... the Garden of Weeping Trees, shown above.

Prince Nicholas Villa

The Prince Nicholas Villa or Blue Arrow was on the coin of our visit to the winery.

Vilele

Several villas are located on the area, you can find them on the map, some of them I have mentioned in the route above, but not all: Villa Prince Nicolae, Moara, Apartamentul, Izbanda, Zalez, Gutman, villas that also offer accommodation at prices from 40 leva double in low season to 300 leva in Villa Moara in the middle of summer.

6. Arc Villa or Santinelei Chalet

This is actually the main entrance to the complex, the upper entrance, from the mainland. I got you in through the back door! But still with a ticket!

It's a large gate with two canaturi, like a control tower. This used to be the sentinel's gatehouse, where the guards worked. Above the gate is a lantern with wax candle bulbs, which lights the way for late guests. The gates are massive, wooden. From the second floor you can see four main directions: the way to the Villa izbanda, the way to the Castle (Villa Cuibul Linistit), the way to the sea and the way to the Divine Garden. Nowadays this is the favorite place for organizing events, weddings. To the right of the upper entrance there is an alley to...

7. Silver Fountain

It got its name from its crystalline water. The relief majolica ceramic icon on the east wall depicting the work Homage to the Newborn Child was a gift received by Queen Marie from the French royal family. The white stone fountain is 'guarded' by wrought iron gates. The way the fountain was constructed has a biblical connotation by comparison with the Samaritan fountain in Sahar, Edem and the Garden of Gethsemane with the architectural ansmablas of the same name in the Balchik Complex. Those in Balchik are oriented towards the Black Sea, the biblical ones towards the Mediterranean.

8. Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden is, I believe, the ensemble of all the gardens on the royal estate of Balchik, some of which we have already named, others you can find on the map. It belongs to Queen Maria's Castle, and was built and landscaped immediately after its completion by the Swiss Jules Janine, chief gardener to the Russian Emperor Nickolai II. Set on about 16 hectares, the garden is laid out on a steep hillside that slopes down to the sea in six terraces, one for each of the Queen's children. More than 3000 plant species are cultivated in the garden which belong to 35 floral families and 800 genera composing an incredible diversity of varieties and forms.

In the garden you can see some exotic plants, such as: paper tree, ginkgo biloba, metasequoia, sand lily, roses and many other endangered species.

Divine Garden or Garden of Allah

The Divine Garden, or Garden of Allah, was built by Queen Mary similar to the Garden of Eden described in the Holy Scriptures. Water from the Divine Garden gushes forth from a cistern with three spouts, symbolizing the three faces of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On the stone above the ciborium is inlaid the image of the Virgin Mary with a boat in her arms with the text:

Dei Mater, Stella Mares, ora pro nobis (Mother of God, Star of the Sea, pray for the people.

The water from the cistern flows into a water mirror, reminiscent of the cross of Christ with the halo. The stones at the water's edge symbolize Christ's years on earth and his journey to Golgotha. On both sides of the canal rise green cypresses symbolizing eternal life, a tree also found in Eden. It was one of Queen Mary's favorite places, when she felt the need to be close to God, here in Balchik.

The Divine Garden is... divine! Don't miss it! A floral infinity that I invite you to admire in pictures. It was really hard for me to sort the pictures, I must have photographed more than 100 frames in this place alone. We caught the moment of the tulalas, who offered a colorful ball of a great spectacular. I cannot put into words...

One of the biggest attractions is the collection of large cacti in the Garden of Allah, partly outdoors, partly in a huge greenhouse, planted 80 years ago, making it the largest collection in SE Europe. In August many of them are in bloom. We've caught a few of them in bloom on May Day. The garden also displays ancient vases, stone benches and slender cypresses.

After visiting this breathtaking place and enjoying an ice cream at the upper entrance, we went back for a short walk along the same road to the bridge over the Great Waterfall.

9. Great Waterfall, Bridge of Wishes, Blue Wave and Magnolia Garden

Near the slope that descends from the Blue Arrow Villa, there is an artificial waterfall about 15-20 meters high. It is Mare Waterfall. On the alley to the right of the waterfall we can find a spring, useful on hot days if you want to cool off. Tested. To the right of the Big Waterfall, the course of the brook has inlets built of stone. The water is captured from the three springs above, and after it gurgles into the waterfall, it splits again through stone channels all over the terraces/gardens, forming other smaller waterfalls. At the base of the Great Waterfall is a superb vantage point located on the bridge called... Bridge of Wishes or Bridge of Sighs.

They say that if you make a wish and cross the bridge with your eyes closed, the wish will come true. The waterfall and the bridge are among the most photographed places by visitors to the estate.

After crossing the bridge we continue straight ahead through the park on the lowest terrace. It is Blue Wave Garden. Here is the famous white magnolia (magnolia grandeflora) planted by Queen Mary herself, and this tree is one of the oldest of its kind in the Balkans. Magnolia is the symbol of longevity.

10. Nimfaeum Water Temple

In this place the water, in the form of three streams, passes through the thick wall of a temple and collects in a pool at the cistern. The cistern is the image of the Vitedza (House of Mercy) in Jerusalem. Here, the queen loves to celebrate her name days and birthdays. The Temple of Water is considered one of the romantic spots on the royal estate. The frescoes and lanterns are the originals. On the stone bench here, it is pleasant to rest. From here there is a good view to the Stella Maris Chapel and the Blue Valley Garden.

11. Stella Maris Chapel

Stella Marris means starfish. The throne in the chapel, carved in wood and lightly gilded, and the iconostasis were bought by Queen Mary of Cyprus. The front legs of the throne are carved in the shape of snakes. The iconostasis, also gilded, has the scene of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary painted on the left and the Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the habit on the right. In the chapel are painted scenes from the Old and New Testament, the Holy Trinity, the Nativity of Christ, other scenes. Near the entrance are painted the faces of Queen Mary and Princess Ileana, who are the founders of the chapel.

The Stella Maris Chapel is a copy of the original one in Cyprus, where Queen Mary's heart rested until 1940, when after the loss of this territory by Romania, it was moved.

From this place we make our way back to the Bridge of Wishes, passing an amateur xylophone artist. After the bridge we continue straight ahead and we arrive back where we started. What a ride! I still haven't recovered!