Dimitar Stanchov’s villa

At the beginning of the 20th century, villas of wealthy merchants, attorneys, bankers and politicians were created near the sea on the outskirts of Varna. One of the earliest monuments built in the early 20th century is dedicated to Dimitar Stanchov (1863-1940), a Bulgarian diplomat and politician who briefly held the position of Prime Minister.

The villa, formerly known as “Three Wells,” is a sophisticated structure that incorporates aspects from various architectural styles, including the Bulgarian Revival architectural history.

Stanchov gained recognition in 1887 when Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, the second prince of modern Bulgaria, appointed him as his private secretary. Ferdinand sought someone who was proficient in both German and Bulgarian, and Stanchov was recommended for the role by the head of the Theresianum.

Stanchov served as the diplomatic representative of Bulgaria in Romania (1894 – 1895), Austria-Hungary (1895 – 1897), and Russia (1896 – 1906). He served as ambassador to France from 1908 until 1915 but he stopped his duties during the First Balkan War to register in the Bulgarian Army. Despite primarily handling interactions with foreign journalists covering the war, he received a medal for displaying courage during a short period of direct combat near Salonika. He also served as an ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1908 and from 1920 to 1921, Belgium from 1910 to 1915 and from 1922 to 1924, Italy in 1915, and the Netherlands from 1922 to 1924.
Stanchov assumed the role of Prime Minister from March 12th to March 16th, 1907, after the assassination of Dimitar Petkov and before Petar Gudev took office

Additionally, he held the position of foreign minister in two different ministries. He vehemently opposed Bulgaria’s participation in World War I, resulting in his temporary suspension from duty. In 1919, following Bulgaria’s loss, he served as the secretary of the Bulgarian mission for the signing of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. In 1924, he relinquished his diplomatic roles because he disagreed with the right-wing views of Aleksandar Tsankov’s ministry.

Stanchov served as the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee from 1925 to 1929.

Stanchov married  Anna de Grenaud, a French noblewoman who served as the Mistress of the Robes at the Bulgarian Royal Court, in 1889. They were blessed with five children: Alexander (1890-1891), Nadezhda (1894-1957), Feodora (1895-1969), Ivan (1897-1972), and Helene (1901-1996).

Ivan Stanchov (1929-2021), the grandson, held the positions of Bulgaria’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland from 1991 to 1994, and served as the minister of foreign affairs in Reneta Indzhova’s caretaker administration from October 1994 to January 1995. Ivan Stanchov actively participated in philanthropic and socially advantageous endeavours.

In 1994, he founded and was the head of the “Karin Dom” foundation – Varna, a center for modern therapy of children with special needs and support for their families. He bestowed upon her his ancestral villa in the Sea Garden.

• Sources – Varna State Archive