76 years later - the return of King Ferdinand's mortal remains to Bulgaria

The mortal remains of the longest reigning Bulgarian monarch of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom, Tsar Ferdinand, are now on Bulgarian soil. In the afternoon on May 29, they were transported by plane to Sofia airport from the German town of Coburg.

The coffin withTTsar Ferdinand's remains was placed in the central lobby of Vrana Palace.

Tsar Ferdinand’s mortal remains arrived in Bulgaria (photos)

The mortal remains of Tsar Ferdinand were placed in Vrana Palace

King Ferdinand ruled for 31 years until his abdication in 1918, when he left Bulgaria. Blamed for two national disasters, he was revered as a monarch who accepted to come to a soon-to-be liberated unknown country. It is an undeniable fact that he was the head of state who declared Bulgaria's independence in 1908.

"First of all, I am grateful for all this, because this is for our history of Bulgaria. I thank God that I have lived to see this moment (of the return of the remains), Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who is the grandson of Ferdinand I, told the media on May 29.

“It also shows that we respect our past like other nations and recognise and respect the merits of our former rulers," he said.

BNT: 76 years later, Bulgaria is the last country to return the remains of its king, the longest reigning king in our country, are we too late?

- Yes, that's true, but look - the fact is that he came back thanks to the efforts of so many people and I think that this is also a signal to our present, most of all to look to the future, because if we have no idea about the past, we can't expect much ahead," Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said.

"I am proud and everything here has exceeded my expectations - the ceremony, the warmth of the people and everything done at state level, purely personal. I am extremely happy to see my father so happy, the Orthodox, the Catholic Church and the mufti together. It is a pride for all of us this recognition," said Cyril Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

"Today is a special moment for our family! Tsar Ferdinand was the former head of our state for so many years. We are very, very happy indeed that he is back here again," said Constantine Assen Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

The Unburied King - the man behind the legend

• Tsar Ferdinand was born in 1861 in Vienna. He was the son of Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Clementine, daughter of King Louis Philippe I of the French.
• In 1887 he was elected by the National Assembly as Bulgarian Prince.
• On the declaration of Bulgaria's independence in 1908, he became the first Bulgarian King of the Third Bulgarian State.
• During the first 25 years of his reign, defined as extremely successful, he modernized Bulgaria. During his reign, Sofia University, the Museum of History, the Opera House, the Borisov Garden, and the Zoo were established. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was moved from Braila to Sofia. (1887 – 1912)
• During the reign of Tsar Ferdinand - the Bulgarians experienced their two national catastrophes. And in 1918, in one of the most difficult periods for Bulgaria - he abdicated in favor of his son Tsar Boris III.
• He left for the German town of Coburg, where he died in 1948 surrounded by his two daughters Eudoxia and Nadezhda. He survived the deaths of his two sons and the monarchy in Bulgaria.

One of the last words of Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand was "when are we leaving for Bulgaria". His last wish was to be buried in Bulgaria.\

Tsar Ferdinand - an experienced politician, a strong character and a maximalist - this is how historians see him from the distance of time. Well liked but also heavily criticized, he also fits into history as a founding father.

"King Ferdinand was the founder of Sofia University, Ferdinand was the founder of the History Museum in Sofia, of the Linguistics Museum in Sofia, he was the founder of the Sofia Zoo and many, many, many," says Prof. Helmut Schaller - historian, president of the German-Bulgarian Society.

"And it turns out that the man who brought opera to Bulgaria was Prince Ferdinand," said Acad. Georgi Markov - member of the initiative committee for the return of the mortal remains of Tsar Ferdinand.

He was described as very well-educated, and in his family his children called him "Saint Elijah" because when he was angry he often waved his cane. Ferdinand's grandchildren from his son Tsar Boris III - Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Maria Louisa - never saw him, only wrote him letters.

"With awe.

BNT: Why?

Because he was the grandfather and he was a great man and we were little," Princess Marie-Louise said.

Ferdinand's other grandchildren from his youngest child, Nadezhda, have strong memories from the meetings with him.

"He was a likeable grandfather," recalled Duke Alexander von Württemberg.

"He used to show us the birds and butterflies he collected. There was one grouse that we weren't supposed to touch with a finger because it would bite us. I remember we were young in the 1930s when he had an exhibition of his bird collection in Coburg," remarked Duke Eugen von Württemberg.

"I was 8 years old when my mother took us to see him, I was nervous. I had to make a beautiful curtsy. But he was so kind: he stroked my head and said, 'you look so much like Nadezhda, you are my little Nadezhda'. He was a really good grandfather," adds Duchess Sophie von Württemberg.

Ferdinand's other passion was music. He was a frequent guest of Richard Wagner's family.

"We, the people of Coburg, know that he loved the theatre very much, gave money for the theatre, talked to the artists, even sometimes went on stage. That's what I've heard," explained Dr. Harald Bachmann, honorary chairman of the donors of the Coburg District Foundation.

After his death, King Ferdinand was laid to rest in a wooden coffin in the crypt of St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Coburg, never buried in the ground, standing like this - as if he was ready for the road. Until today.