"Sandro - Prince Alexander von Battenberg. One European destiny"
The exhibition participates in the Open Door Days for students at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The exhibition "Sandro - Prince Alexander von Battenberg. One European destiny", is visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the invitation of the State Cultural Institute and will be part of the rich program of the Open Door Days for students on December 2. It is a joint implementation of the "Values" Foundation and the "Heiligenberg-Jugenheim" Foundation - Germany, with the support of the Municipality of Sofia, and is dedicated to the first prince of post-liberation Bulgaria.
The exposition traces the life path of Alexander I, successively presents the history of his family and the ties of the family with the most powerful European dynasties of the 19th century, Sandro's childhood years in Heilingenberg Castle, training at the Royal Cadet School in Dresden, his participation as a Russian officer in the Russo-Turkish war of liberation. Special attention is paid to the period 1879-1886, when he was elected as the first ruler of the Third Bulgarian State. His dedication to the cause of the Principality of Bulgaria, as well as his role in the construction of the most important state institutes in the field of education, health care, military affairs, and justice, are emphasized. The importance of the Act of Unification for the future of the Bulgarian state and the participation of Alexander I in it, regardless of the unfavorable political development in personal terms, is highlighted. His difficult life path as Count von Hartenau after the abdication, his love story with his wife – the actress Johanna Leuzinger, and the birth of their two children Asen and Tsvetana are shown. The tragic early death of Alexander I Battenberg and the transfer of his mortal remains to Bulgaria according to his will, and their burial in the purpose-built tomb in Sofia, are appropriately reflected.
The exhibition is the result of a three-year in-depth study of the life and work of Prince Alexander I by experts of the "Heiligenberg-Jugenheim" foundation, which manages the estate of the same name of the Battenberg family in the province of Hesse. It not only shows previously unknown facts and documents for the first time, but also presents the figure of the first Bulgarian prince in a wider European context and an analysis of historical processes from the end of the 19th century. The exposition is an unequivocal recognition of the active participation of our country in the European political process immediately after the Liberation and its presentation in Bulgaria is important from the point of view of the positive messages affirming our European belonging that it carries.
