BALTCHIK

Balchik (Bulgarian: Балчик, Romanian: Balcic) is a Black Sea coastal town in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna. In classical antiquity it was the ancient Greek colony of Krunoi and later the Greek-Byzantine fortress Dionysopolis (after Dionysus). It the Middle Ages it was part of the Byzantine Empire (most of the times), tsar Samuil's Bulgarian Empire, Golden Horde, Second Bulgarian Empire, Principality of Karvuna and Wallachia, but its importance was eclipsed by the nearby town of Karvuna (Carbona). Under the Ottoman Empire (after 1420) its development was insignificant for over 4 centuries, but in the modern times, under Bulgaria and Romania, the town of Balchik grew up and is now a popular tourist destination. The town still helds a large Turkish population. During Romania's administration of Southern Dobruja (1913 to 1940), the Balchik Palace was the favourite summer residence of Queen Marie of Romania and her immediate family. The town is the site of Marie's Oriental villa, the place where her heart was kept, in accordance with her last wishes, until 1940 (when the Treaty of Craiova awarded the region back to Bulgaria). It was then moved to various locations within Romania, including Bran Castle. Today, the Balchik Palace and the adjacent Balchik Botanical Garden are the town's most popular landmarks. Balchik Ridge, in Antarctica, is named after the town. Area Code: + 579