In the second half of the 19th century, a French prince passionate about trains caused a scandal by using the Orient-Express as a toy. Discover this story in this bonus episode of "At the Heart of History".
Listening to the account of the snowstorm that hit the Orient Express in 1929, you may have wanted to learn more about this legendary train. In this bonus episode of "At the heart of history", the history specialist Jean des Cars tells you how the Orient-Express was damaged by the whims of a French prince.
Who then is the one called at the beginning of the XXth century the "Czar of the Bulgarians"? He reigns over one of these new countries, born on the spoils of the Ottoman Empire: Bulgaria. This state was created by the Congress of Berlin in 1878. But we do not rush to reign over this territory with uncertain borders and deemed ungovernable. Ferdinand de Saxe-Cobourg Gotha ascended the Bulgarian throne in 1887, pushed by his mother Clémentine d'Orléans, youngest daughter of the French king Louis-Philippe. She is so skilful that her family nicknamed her "Clementine Medici"!
Her son is a very refined young man, esthete, jewelry collector. But he also has the political talents of his mother. His beautiful cousin, Queen Marie of Romania, nicknamed him "Ferdinand the Fox".
However, his real passion is trains and one in particular, the Orient-Express. Already legendary, it crosses Bulgaria twice a week, in each direction, on the route from Paris to Constantinople. Ferdinand can't resist: he has to get on board! Better still: he has to drive it!
The prince in charge
Already, when he was only crown prince, Ferdinand made stop his car along the way, at the border. The train was forced to stop. The future tsar was boarding the locomotive. And, after having courteously greeted the engineer, the driver and the conductor, he put on a white jumpsuit (which, because of the coal, would quickly turn black!), Actuated the whistle and the lever for the admission of steam. He was master on board! The team protested because it was going too fast, suddenly braked and the travelers uttered panicked cries!
When he got to the border with Bulgaria, he agreed to immobilize the train, got out, distributed generous tips to the staff and found his car. She had followed her chaotic journey! And it disappeared ... until next time!
Wars will make him forget his whims
Obviously, complaints piled up on the desk of the founder-director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, owner of the train, the Belgian Georges Nagelmackers. The matter was delicate: the monarch was informed, through diplomatic channels, that the Orient-Express was not a toy! Nothing works ! Ferdinand even has a personal lounge car hooked to the train on its territory. At the border, this enthusiast exclaims: "I'm at home!" And he takes over the locomotive!
This capricious child's play will become famous throughout Central Europe. To allay Georges Nagelmackers' concerns, Ferdinand will send him his compliments and a superb decoration! But His Majesty's railway entertainment will only have a time: from 1912, the Balkan wars and then the First World War will make Ferdinand of Bulgaria forget how fun it was to "play the train" ...
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"At the heart of history" is a Europe 1 Studio podcast
Author and presentation: Jean des Cars
Project manager: Adèle Ponticelli
Realization: Guillaume Vasseau
Diffusion and edition: Clémence Olivier
Graphics: Europe 1 Studio
Direction Europe 1 Studio: Claire Hazan