Balchik Балчик | |
|---|---|
 Aerial overview of Balchik | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Balchik Location of Balchik | |
| Coordinates:43°25′37″N28°09′42″E / 43.42694°N 28.16167°E /43.42694; 28.16167 | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Province(Oblast) | Dobrich |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nikolay Angelov |
| Elevation | 199 m (653 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Town | 11,052 |
| • Municipality | 19,331 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal Code | 9600 |
| Area code | 0579 |
Balchik (Bulgarian:БалчикBulgarian pronunciation:[bɐɫˈt͡ʃik];Romanian:Balcic,Turkish:Balçık) is atown andseaside resort on theBulgarian Black Sea Coast in theSouthern Dobruja area of northeasternBulgaria. It is inDobrich Province, 35 km southeast ofDobrich and 42 km northeast ofVarna. It sprawls scenically along hilly terraces descending from theDobruja plateau to the sea, and is often called "The White City" because of its white cliffs.
Under theOttoman Empire, the town came to be known with its present name, which perhaps derived from aGagauz word meaning "small town".[4]
Another theory suggests that it is named after the medieval rulerBalik, brother ofDobrotitsa, after whom the city ofDobrich is named.[citation needed]
Founded as aThracian settlement, it was later colonised by theancient GreekIonians with the nameKrounoi (Ancient Greek:Κρουνοί), later renamed asDionysopolis (Ancient Greek:Διονυσόπολις) after the discovery of a statue ofDionysus in the sea.[5]
Later it became aGreek-Byzantine andBulgarian fortress.
Karvuna is the old Bulgarian name of the ancient Dionysopol.[6][7] The external resemblance to the name of the modern town of Kavarna is an occasion for some local historians to identify Karvuna withKavarna, but the archaeological and historical data are not in favour of this proposal. Karvuna was the capital of the Karvuna region, also calledDobrudja in the Middle Ages until the arrival of the Ottoman Turks. The remains of the castle of the boyars Balik and Dobrotitsa were found above the city hospital of Balchik in the "Horizon" district (Gemidzhiya), but were almost erased by natural processes. In the Vasil Levski neighbourhood there are remains of the great fortress of Karvuna, built by the Byzantines and used by them and by the Bulgarians during theFirst Bulgarian Empire. Later, due to difficulties in defending the vast fortress located in the plain and the lack of a view of the sea,[citation needed] the Bulgarians built a fort of which only modest remains are preserved on the highest hill of the city, the Dzheni Bair or Ekhoto ('Echo') hill.[8][9] The earthen rampart behind the ditch dates to the late 12th century, with various habitation-related findings from the 11th-15th centuries.[8][9] Theboyar Balik lived in the said castle opposite it on the hill above the present hospital, south of the great Kavarna fortress, which the centuries have now completely obliterated.Dobrotitsa (r. 1347–86), after ruling for some time here, moved the capital of theDespotate of Karvuna from Karvuna toKaliakra.[citation needed]
Under the Ottomans, the town came to be known by its present name.[4]
After theliberation of Bulgaria in 1878, Balchik developed as centre of a rich agricultural region, wheat-exporting port, and district (okoliya) town, and later, as a major tourist destination with the beachfront resort ofAlbena to its south.
After theSecond Balkan War, in 1913, the town became part of theKingdom of Romania, with its name spelled Balcic. It was regained by Bulgaria during World War I (1916–1919), but Romanian rule was restored when hostilities in the region ceased.
DuringRomania's administration, theBalchik Palace was the favourite summer residence ofQueen 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 theTreaty of Craiova awarded the region back to Bulgaria). It was then moved toBran Castle, in central Romania. Today, the Balchik Palace and the adjacent Balchik Botanical Garden are the town's most popular landmarks and a popular tourist sightseeing destination.
During the inter-war period, Balchik was also a favorite destination for Romanian avant-garde painters, lending his name to an informal school of post-impressionist painters, the Balcic School of Painting,[10] which is central in the development of Romanian 20th-century painting. Many works of the artists comprising the group depict the town's houses and the Turkish inhabitants, as well as the sea. Some seaside villas of the Romanian elite are preserved in Balchik, includingVilla Storck (built in 1920–1926 by the artistsCecilia Cuțescu-Storck andFrederic Storck) and the adjacent modernistVilla Sanda (1934).
In 1940, just before the outbreak ofWorld War II in the region and in the wider context of Bulgaria's interwar policy of returning the lost territories, the Great Powers' moves to secure Bulgarian support, and the earlier Second Vienna Award, Balchik was ceded back by Romania to Bulgaria by the terms of theTreaty of Craiova. This included an exchange of populations by ethnic groups.
The city's population was 11,051 people (data fromNational Statistics Institute - Bulgaria, 2018). The total population of Balchik municipality was 19,331.
According to an estimate by Bulgarian historian Rayna Gavrilova, the Bulgarian population before 1878 was only around 10%.[11]
The ethnic composition has gradually changed from mostlyGagauz andTatar/Turkish to predominantly Bulgarian. According to the latest (2011) census data, Balchik's ethnic composition is the following:[13][14]
Held each year since 1991, "The Process – Space Art Festival" is an annual international festival ofcontemporary art, which takes place over two weeks in June.[15] Balchik Palace also hosts the "In the Palace International Short Film Festival".
Held annually each summer since 2006 in the nearby town of Kavarna, theKavarna Rock Fest hosts top-name bands for a three-day festival. Previous acts have includedMotörhead,Twisted Sister,Mötley Crüe,Scorpions,Alice Cooper,Deep Purple, and theMichael Schenker Group.[16]
For the last few years,[when?] the mayor has cancelled the Kavarna Rock Fest due to different music preference.[whose?]
Balchik is becoming well known internationally as a golfing destination. There are three 18-hole championshipgolf courses within the local vicinity, two designed byGary Player - Thracian Cliffs GC and BlackSeaRama GC; and one designed byIan Woosnam - Lighthouse GC. A fourth 18-hole golf course is currently in the planning stages.[17]
Boxberg, Germany
Bran, Romania
Cieszyn, Poland
Galich, Russia
Hagfors, SwedenMangalia, Romania
Stará Ľubovňa, SlovakiaTambov, Russia
Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic
Capital:Balchik | ||
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