21 Sunday Dec 2014
Posted in Bucharest, Events, Historic Residences, Romanian Royal Family, Weekly Picture
The royal palace and King Carol I Foundation were badly affected by machine-gun fire exchanges during the Romanian Revolution when Ceausescu was toppled from power, December 1989.
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I endeavour in the “Weekly Pictures” post series to bring to light worthy of note, often less known images from the royal past and present and thus further enhance the understanding of royal history and what it represents for us.
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All rights reserved
15 Monday Dec 2014
Posted in Romanian Royal Family
“Holiness is an infinite compassion for others;
Greatness is to take the common things of life
and walk truly among them.
Happiness is a great love and much serving”.
This is one of the favourite quotations from Olive Schreiner mentioned by Queen Marie of Romania.
20 Thursday Nov 2014
Tags
Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Beatrice Infanta of Spain, Crown Prince Michael of Romania, European royal families, Historic Residences, Ileana Archduchess of Austria, King Alexander II of Yugoslavia, King Michael of Romania, Prince Nicholas of Romania, Princess Ileana of Romania, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, Romanian Royal Family, Royal Palaces, Victoria Melita Grand Duchess
Diana Mandache, “The Balchik of Queen Marie”, Curtea Veche Publishing, Book Launch 22 November 2014
Diana Mandache, “The Balchik of Queen Marie”, 204 pp, 201 ill. (Sepia & colour), Curtea Veche Publishing, 2014, hardback, dust jacket, 1st edition (Romanian language)
The text is structured over seven chapters:
Sources of documents and photographs. Notes
This new book is based on new sources which bring to light a novel understanding of the vision of the Romanian Queen for the creation of her Fool’s Paradise, as she called the new residence on the Black Sea shore in the interwar period. The text is accompanied by photographs from various sources, mainly from Queen Marie’s diary. The Balchik of Queen Marie thus becomes an imago mundi whilst her marine royal residence “Tenha Yuvah” (The Solitary Nest) stands as the center of the world, being the home reuniting important personalities from her inner circle and also from royal history (King Ferdinand of Romania, Victoria Melita, Sandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Beatrice Infanta of Spain, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, King Alexander II of Yugoslavia, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria, Anton Archduke of Austria, King Carol II of Romania, Crown Prince Michael of Romania, Princess Helen of Romania). I also found information about King George V, Queen Mary, King George VI, or about the Edinburghs at Eastwell, Osborne, Fabron, in Malta, etc. Past times, royalty and politics, the magnificent royal gardens of the Balchick royal estate, all of these recall a glorious period from this part of the world, the Queen’s views on international politics and events in the 1930s. Marie asked in her will to have her heart interred at Stella Maris chapel on the grounds of her Black Sea estate. As a consequence of the changing of the frontieres in 1940 and loss of that territory by Romania, a new destiny started for her former sea shore domain. The diplomatic documents that I unearthed, from the tumultuous period 1940-1948 also reveal the evolution on the property, a fate that was in the end decided by the communist regimes of Romania and Bulgaria. This volume is a book about royal destinies, royal heritage, historic architecture and the beautiful riviera of interwar Romania, Balchik is now a part of Bulgaria after the Treaty of Craiova concluded in September 1940. Today the former royal estate is a Cultural Center in the neighbouring country, a magnet for Romanian tourists and also for many travellers all over the world fascinated by the multifaceted personality of Romania’s great queen.
20 Thursday Nov 2014
Posted in Bucharest, Events, Romanian Royal Family, Royal Books
Tags
Andrei Muraru, Balchik, Balcic, Curtea Veche Publishing, Diana Mandache, Prince Radu of Romania, Queen Marie of Romania, Romanian Royal Family, Stelian Tanase
Your are kindly invited to the book launch of my latest work: “The Balchik of Queen Marie”. His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania will attend the event.
Speakers: Stelian Tanase, Andrei Muraru, Diana Mandache
Book signing
Saturday 22 November, 3.45 pm at Romexpo (Bucharest), The Gaudeamus Book Fair International – Curtea Veche Publishing
25 Saturday Oct 2014
I would like to wish HM King Michael of Romania a very happy 93rd birthday!
01 Monday Sep 2014
Stella Maris church. Photos© Diana Mandache & Valentin Mandache
31 Sunday Aug 2014
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands greet supporters during the celebration to the 200 Years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on August 30, 2014 in Maastricht
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa & Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Queen Maxima & King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Philippe of Belgium with Queen Mathilde, Daniela Schadt and Federal President of Germany Joachim Gauck attend celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the kingdom of The Netherlands.
