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| | Balchik Tourist Information and Travel Guide at InfoHub.com |
 | | Founded by the Milesians in the sixth century BC and named Krounoi ("The Springs"), the town was a valued haven for Greek merchants attempting to pass the treacherous waters around Cape Kaliakra, as well as an important centre for viniculture - hence its later name, Dionysopolis, honouring the god of the vine. |
 | | By the sixth century AD, the harbour had silted up, and the Turks were subsequently to dub the town Balchik, or "Town of Clay". |
 | | Package tourists from Albena are, however, bussed into town during the day to stroll around the streets and visit Balchik's main attraction: the summer palace of Queen Marie of Romania, a reminder of the inter-war years when Balchik was ruled from Bucharest. |
| www.infohub.com /Destinations/Europe-&-Russia/Bulgaria/Balchik (261 words) |
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