Precious treasures owned by Ferdinand I of Bulgaria are displayed at the Regional History Museum of Sofia.
The belongings of the Bulgarian monarch are gradually entering the museum and are part of the permanent exhibition, reported BGNES.
The longest-reigning monarch in the Third Bulgarian State - for 31 years, he is highly educated, an art collector, imposes European order in Bulgarian society, is an admirer of new technologies, and one of his great passions, along with botany, entomology and philately, is the cars and locomotives.
It is not by chance that an extremely valuable exhibit is located on the first floor of the museum - the car with a Mercedes engine and a coupe, made in Paris by the companies "Rothschild and Sons" and "R. Heims and Oscher" in 1905. The car was purchased by Prince Ferdinand I for "the needs of the Palace" after its participation in the Berlin-Munich Rally, in which it won second place. The car has a black leather interior and is also the first car owned by the Bulgarian state. The car was restored to its original form in 2011 and is in perfect condition.
In another hall of the museum, the sabre of Prince Ferdinand I and a souvenir cup, which was presented to him by the Ministry of Railways in 1912 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, are kept.
The massive gold desk, made in the furniture studio of A. Bembe in the city of Mainz at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, cannot go unnoticed either. The desk was presented to Prince Ferdinand I by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The two had a correspondence filled with code words and pseudonyms.
Among the valuables is undoubtedly the large clock, a gift to Prince Ferdinand I from the English Queen Victoria at the end of the 19th century. The clock is made of black wood with gilded elements and reminds of the emblem of London - Big Ben.
The hall with the desk, the clock, the sabre and the souvenir cup recreates the palace cabinet.
An interesting fact is that the former Turkish inn in Sofia was converted into a palace, with the reconstruction beginning at the time of Prince Alexander I and continuing under Prince Ferdinand I. The northeast and west wings were completed to meet the new functions of the building. The palace is the home of the monarch and his family and a symbol of the monarchical institution.
Another hall on the same floor takes us to the magnificent Louis XVI-style carriage from the Palace of Versailles, France. The golden carriage, made for Queen Marie Antoinette of France, was used for the wedding of Prince Ferdinand I and Princess Marie Louise in 1893.
The carriage was a wedding gift to the newlyweds from Ferdinand I's mother, Princess Clementine of Bourbon-Orléans, daughter of the French King Louis Philippe.
Prince Ferdinand I and Princess Maria Luisa pass in a sumptuous carriage from the city to the palace, wildly applauded by the assembled crowd, who had never seen such splendour before.
The harness, decorated with the Bulgarian coat of arms, was specially made in Vienna. The great chariot is drawn by six horses with gilt bridles, with tall ostrich feathers.
One of the photographs on the wall in the hall captures the huge arch that was erected in the centre of Sofia to welcome Prince Ferdinand I and Princess Maria Luisa on the occasion of their wedding in 1893. Another photograph shows the newlyweds dressed in wedding clothes.
A textile panel with the monogram of King Ferdinand I is also hung on the wall.
Visitors to the museum can also see a photograph from the wedding of King Ferdinand I and Queen Eleonora from 1908, as well as a portrait of him.
On the second floor of the museum is the First Volume of the Golden Book of Sofia, open to the first page, on which Tsar Ferdinand I signed his calligraphic signature.
"Wise Sofia, situated at the foot of the majestic and beneficent Vitosha, You, whose geographical location arouses admiration throughout Europe, let us hope that your inhabitants will be able to make of You a capital worthy of the natural beauties among which God has placed you ", wrote the king on April 12, 1912 / BGNES
