Palace of Queen Maria and the Botanical Garden
   Photo: Palace of Queen Maria and the Botanical Garden

In one and a half kilometers from the town of Balchik, on the beach, between three hills, the palace is located, bearing the poetic name "Quiet Nest" - a favorite vacation spot of Queen Marie of Romania. Designed by Italian architects Americo and Augustine, the building has three floors and is a good example of a combination of Eastern and Western architectural elements (perhaps the reason for this lies in the fact that Mary spent her childhood in Egypt and always stood up for rapprochement between Christianity and Islam). In a small chapel, located nearby, has a carved image of the queen with her daughter. In 1938, Maria died in Sinai while trying to prevent the duel between his sons. According to the will, her heart walled up in the walls of the chapel.

The palace complex is organically woven into a botanical garden. Here visitors can see more than three thousand plants from different parts of the world. Paths in the garden lined with white stone on which were placed in the time of Mary carpets. Very curious is the local collection of cacti - here represented about two hundred plants (it is the second largest cactus collection in Europe). Currently, the botanical garden is run by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and is regularly held various events and exhibitions.

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