- Tsarska Bistritsa
Tsarska Bistritsa ("
Tsar 'sBistritsa "; _bg. Царска Бистрица) is a former royal palace in southwesternBulgaria , high in theRila Mountains , just above the resort ofBorovets and near the banks of the Bistritsa River. Built between 1898 and 1914, it served as thehunting lodge of TsarFerdinand of Bulgaria and his son Boris III.The hunting lodge was nationalized after 1945, when Bulgaria became a
Communist state . The democratic changes of 1989 led to the controversial return of the palace toSimeon II , the last monarch of Bulgaria and afterwards a politician, in October 2002. [http://www.standartnews.com/archive/2006/02/10/folio/index.htm]The architecture of Tsarska Bistritsa combines, in the spirit of
Romanticism , elements of the authenticBulgarian National Revival style with other European architectural styles. A cabin from thetransatlantic ship "New America" is part of the interior. It was either a gift from the captain or won by Ferdinand during apoker game. The wooden ceilings and columns in the lodge are richly decorated in a Bulgarian style. Tsarska Bistritsa also has the royal family's collection of hunting trophies filled up for more than half a century.The palace is powered by a
Siemens AG 170 kW generator built and installed in 1912. Other structures include astable , achapel , a garage, asentry box and fountains.Sitniakovo andSaragiol are also located in theRila Mountains .References
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*External links
* [http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/bistritsa Pictures of Tsarska Bistritsa]
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