Botanical Garden in the town of Balchik

The garden was established in 1955. Nowadays it spreads on an area of 194 decares. A large part of its territory has the statute of a protected area under the Law of Protected Areas. Within the limits of the protected area, specialists and amateurs can observe the natural ecosystems and admire the rich biodiversity of the region. The Botanical Garden is included in the 100 National Tourist Sites.
The territory of the Sofia University's Botanical Garden comprises the architectural and park complex called the Palace, including the buildings and the park area of the former summer residence of the Romanian Queen Marie which she used in the beginning of the 20th century. Along the sea coast, on an area with a large displacement, terraces have been shaped as gardens and interconnected by steep stairs, green tunnels and arches.
The Botanical Garden is specialized in the development of collections of tropical and subtropical exotic plants, as well as other unique plants. It is famous for its collection of large cacti and succulents which are exhibited in the open in the warm months, on an area of about 1 decare. In 2012, the continuous exhibition of cacti and succulents was opened, and fans of these thorny exotic plants can enjoy their flowers and their beauty the whole year round. Another attraction is the garden with winter resistant cacti.
Of interest for specialists and tourists are the exotic types introduced successfully into the garden, such as rubber, raisin, paper, ancient gingko, metasequoia, large flower magnolia, liriodendron and other trees. In the Garden's greenhouses, lemons the size of a handball, as well as a multitude of other exotic fruit, like bananas, papaya etc, are grown. Other emblems are the carpet like flowers in the Divine Garden and the beautiful nooks where annual spring and summer plants, alpine and water vegetation, ferns, protected and rare types, lianas, flowering and evergreen bushes thrive. Over 4,600 plant species are grown in this unique garden.
The Garden is the safety center for rare and endangered species under the Washington Convention. It also participates with its collections in the exchange of seeds, Index Seminum, with botanical gardens around the world.