„Welcome to our Romanian Chisinau!” King Ferdinand and Queen Maria in the capital of Bessarabia

Abstract

The article presents the two visits of the first royal couple of Great Romania, Ferdinand I and Maria, in the capital of Bessarabia, Chisinau. The first visit took place between 20th and 23rd of May 1920, before the recognition of Great Romania by the international powers. King Ferdinand I, Queen Maria and Princess Elisabeta were accompanied by Alexandru Averescu, the prime-minister, and by the director of the Police and General Safety, Romulus P. Voinescu. Their presence had a symbolic character of the royal Romanian authority in Bessarabia. It was the most important event of Chisinau after the Great Union. The organizers followed all of the rituals of such an international event in order to give in a festive space a new solidarity, a new society. The second visit took place after 5 years, on 8th and 9th of september 1925, King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria, accompanied by their sons, Prince Carol and Prince Nicolae, and their daughter-in-law, Princess Elena, visited Chisinau again, honoring it on the occasion of the inauguration of the agricultural exhibition.

Keywords

• chișinău
• the great union
• king ferdinand i
• queen maria
• bessarabia