W

ffiffi@Bucharest

textMARIANA PASCARU

English translationALISTAIR IAN BLYTH

photographsFLORIN ANDREESCU

MARIANA PASCARU (pas: 6, 7, 22, 24, 82, 84, 90,96 tilht, 97, 1 09, 1 1 6, 12O, 1 21, 1 27, 1 28)

Bucharest,/ trad.eng.: AJistair lan Blyth; versiune originald: Mariana Pascaruj

foto: Florin Andreescu

BucureSti; Ad Libri, 20'15

tsBN 978-606-8050-63-8

9l 3(498 Brc.)

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KEYTO SYMBOLS

S)address

fltelephone number

@opening times

@admission charge

pl nearest bus/tram route

l indicates the page where you will find a fuller description

Co nte nts

! Bucharest,whoareyou? slntroduction 6

Historical Landmarks B

Bucharest's ten most beautiful tourist attractions 10

Bucharest's ten most interesting experiences 13

I ftre Historic Centre

Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue)

The Dimbovila embankment

Calea $erban Vodi

Piafa Universitelii and the West-East Axis

Piala Romani and the North-South Axis

Further Afield

Recommendations and Useful lnformation 155

lndex 173

17

41

61

85

tffitx

lil

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99

123

149

Bucha rest,who are you?

lrllroductionI li,,torical landmarks

llrr|harest's ten most beautiful tourist attractionsllrtr lrarest's ten most interesting experiences

Prevlous page: Show from lnternotional StreetTheotre Festival (B-FlT in the Street),

Iu,hl ht llniversitdtii Squore

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B

10

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Bucharest

Many people are madly in love with it(including myself), and just as many people

hate it (including myself, sometimes), but it is

in their blood and they cannot be parted fromit. A cocktail of contrasts sets your head reelingas soon as you set foot in the street, whetheryou are a stranger arriving at the airport or therailway station or whether you live here andare just popping out on everyday business.0n the one side, a bad-tempered functionary,a throwback to the communist period, slamsthe door in your face, and on the other side youstop in amazement at the sight of a homelessman singing angelically to a leaf. A little furtheron, you are enchanted by the sweet scent oflindens and honeysuckle that envelops a laneshaded by ancient trees, but turning the corneryou can find yourselfatthe base ofa crushinglymassive office block, next to which you feel nobigger than an ant. A little farther still and you

come across a gentle old woman with a basketofdaisies, but barely do you have time to digestthis anachronistic sight than you stumble ona street full of fancy restaurants packed withsuited corporatists. ln 0bor, a department storefrom the communist period (1972) continuesto lure nostalgic shoppers with its incrediblehodgepodge of wares, while nearby has

sprouted an insipid mall. A stone's throw fromthe city centre an antiquated, forgotten cinema(formerly called the Miorila, now renamed,ironically enough, the Europa) stubbornly goes

on projecting films for audiences of two (or

even one, ifyou pay for two tickets, and it is wellworth it given how little it costs). ln the middleofTitan, a typical dormitory district, one ofthecity's largest and most beautiful parks can befound hidden away. Gripped by road rage, a

driver showers you in curses because you don'tcross the road quickly enough, but two metrostations away you plunge into the deafeningsilence and wilderness ofan urban delta, whichhas accidentally formed on the bed of anabandoned reservoir (Vdcdregti).

ln the last few years, the youngergeneration, the much-mocked hipsters, havefound a way to avoid the pitfalls of nostalgichankering after the Little Paris of the Bel/eEpoque and the dead end of fatalisticpost-communist victimhood, reinventingBucharest as a place of experimentation andunconventional events. lt is a kind of LittleBerlin, say some, a place whose nightlife isjust as exciting, that has once more gaineda reputation as a European clubbingdestination.

lf you pause to think about whatllurharest looked like before 2007, the year

whrn Romania joined the EU, and what ithxrkr llke nory then you will be surprisedIo rlhcover that it is in fact a completelyrllllt,rt,nt city in many respects. And ther lratqc can best be seen in the old centre,whk h used to be deserted and desolate, butlr rrow busy and bursting with life at everyIrurir of the day and night.The bars designedlry ( rl\tian Corvin (Papiota, Laboratorul de( il( ktillluri, Lacrimi;i Sfin,ti, La Divan) vie withpnr h other in originality, the caf6s and pubs

' Uhnllul, Origo, Energiea) have at last begunkr l,rkt'their function as urban living roomsrnrlrrrnly, while still leaving enough space forlFil r(x)trs lLa Metoc, Green Tea, Serendipity,

I u Vluku, Bohemio Tea House, Caffd D'arthd,t !illndtht Cinci), which aim to create oaseslI rr,l,rxation in the midst of the urbanllnutll. Collea Square had been renovatednrrrl nuw plays host to concerts of classical

rnrtrk r,very weekend. The statues area ofIln[a tJnlversitdlii has been freed up by then;renlrrr; of an underground car park and isrruw ,r llublic space once more. The Nationalllrr.,rtrc has been reshaped. A Children'sWrtlrl l',rrk has been laid out, and Children'sL rwrr h,rs come to life again in a new format.A wnlr,r park has been created (Divertiland),

wh| h h,rr lts own train station. Examples ofslr$,1 ,rl lrave muhiplied and it is already a

lrnrllllon to close the Kiseleff Boulevard tolrnfltr ,rl weekends in summer as a way oferrrorrr,rr;lng the inhabitants of Bucharesthr Lrkr, p,rrt in sports. There has been aner1rlrrliorr of lndependent theatre, thanks tolnr tFnllll(l numbers of small companies andtlr,rrF,, lo host experiment (Godot, Mignon,ht t rtltv, Iaotrttl de Artd,Teotrul de Sufragerie,lhl1ttltu), and the idea of convertingIrrrIr',lrl,tl \p,lces into cultural centres (/R(Attcnt MNA(', WASP, Atelierul de Produc,tie,

lhrlek' trttol, Turnul de Apd Pantelimon,ltnlnllnlltl has begun to make inroads inlt rr111111,1, Numerous alternative spaces haver1 rr r r rr1 r r1r (/lcrrore la, Corol 53, Dianei 4, HomeMrllrlrtrri, (nsa de pe Chei, Stirbey Palacerrl ( ah,,l Vle torlel), which serve as culturalrrrllet, urb,rrr floes, whereby the city has

lrea11 r r r1111111,1'94 6nd tamed by young artists.Irr early ullnror, when the all-nighters comellrlr I arrrl [,rst (Museums Nioht. Cuhural

lnstitutes Night, Galleries Night, EuropeanLiteroture Night, Short Films Night, RomanianFilns Night), Bucharest experiences a culturalfervour that is then maintained by a longseries of urban festivals: Sfreef Delivery, Train

Delivery, Women on Mdtasari, RomanianDesign WeeN Bucharest Biennale, B-FIT in theStreet, Bucharest Music Film Festival, Bucharest

Jazz Festival, Strada Armeneascd Festival.Theold feast of St John's Eve, on 24 June, is an

opportunity to showcase the traditionalRomanian le (embroidered woman's blouse),which has come back into fashion and whichwas modelled by young women to markWorldwide Day of the /e.

Bucharest is habitable at last. And itis becoming an increasingly attractivedestination for foreign tourists. The cityseems to have gradually recreated itsidentity, which it accepts with pride, as

proudly as its young inhabitants, whocan be seen in steadily greater numberspedalling through the cityon their bicycles,serenely braving the chaotic traffic aroundthem. lt is a lesson in enthusiasm andcourage for the cavillers, pragmatists andeternal malcontents around them. Yes,

we cannot deny it, the city's heritage is

still placed in peril by conupt officials andtoo many of its architectural treasuresare being destroyed, almost as manyas during the hated time of communisturban planning. But in the present guidewe shall leave aside such complaints andset out to discover a different Buchares!a Bucharest unaffected by dilemmas andconflicts, and focus on its brighter side.

Pholo: l\AascoTheatre poradeon the Ald City street|

during theBtcuresl,i .JiCahgiate t e\tivol

Next page:srdnd Up Paddling gUP) onDimbovita, in front ofthe National Librarv

Bucharest, who are you?

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1400-1418Mircea the Old builds the PrincelyCourt in Bucharest (D 20).

20 September 1459Bucharest is mentioned for the firsttime, in a document issued by Vladthe lmpaler.

1558-1559Mircea Ciobanu founds the PrincelyChurch ()21) of the PrincelyCourt.

1659Prince Gheorghe Ghika establishesthe permanent capital of Wallachiain Bucharest.

1688-1714ln the reign of ConstantineBrincoveanu, the Old Court is rebuiltand the New Church of St George(> 31 ) is constructed. At the 'gatesof Bucharest" the Mogogoaia Palace(D 152) is built.

1694The first institute of higher learningin Wallachia is founded: the St SavaPrincely Academy (on the site of thepresent-day University).

1704At the behest of Mihai Cantacuzinothe Spatharius, the Collea Hospital is

built () 103), the oldest of its kind inBucharest.

1711-1821The reign of the Phanariots (princesfrom Greek families of the phanarquarter of Constantinople) inWallachia and Moldavia. Althoughin theory the two principalitiesare autonomous, in practice theyare under the direct control of theOttoman Porte.

1798Bucharest is divided into five districts:lTrgul, Podul Mogo;oaiei, Tirgul deAfa16, Brottenii, and Gorganul.

I 806The citys five districts are renamedRed, Yellow, Black, Blue and Green.These are later reduced to four, withthe absorption of the Red district.

1 808Manuc's lnn is built (> 22). ln 1812, theBucharest Treaty between Russia andthe Ottoman Empire is signed here.

1847On 23 March, Easter Day, a

devastating fire reduces the centreof Bucharest to ashes. PreviouslyBalkan and Ottoman in layout, thecity is rebuilt according to planningprinciples imported from France andthe West, which is to earn the city itsnickname of the Little Paris.

1852The first performance at the NationalI heatre.

1854Cigmigiu Gardens open.

1857Bucharest becomes the first capitalin the world to use paraffin streetlighting.

1859Bucharest becomes the capital of theUnited Principalities of Wallachia andMoldavia. The act of unification is

signed by Alexander John Cuza.

1866On 10 May, Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen enters Bucharest andbecomes Romania's first crowned

j

Historical landmarks

lr, .r,l ,,1 .,t,rto. ln 1881 he is namedl' Irr,I,,1 liorttania.

I ll.}')ttrr, lr.rr,.,,t\ first railway station is

rrrrrr'trrr,rtr'(l in Filaret (L94), along,,'rrlr rlrl Iirchar€st-Giurgiu railwayline.I I r,. rr r.rr rrlLtration of the University ofllr, lr.Ir'\1.

uv)r rl,r.rrr(l of the Gara de Nord.tlr,. lrr,,r lrorse-dfawn tramcar route,rrrrrrrrxl lrom Gara de Nord to Piala

',lrrrlrr (,ltcorghe, via Calea Grivitei,,tr r,l,r luterani, and the Nationalllr,.,rlrc

I llll?Ii,r, lr,lr',,t becomesthecapital ofthel, r1r, 1r I rrrr of Romania.

IlutSI I r, /\1111'p6sgr is completed.

nta4ttrl,ryor Nicolae Filipescu inauguratestlr, lil5t electric tramway, runningtr, ,rrr ( )ltor to Cotroceni Hill.

t I)r.cembrie 19181\lr('r tllo union ofTransylvania, thel1,ilr,rt, Critana and Maramures withli,,rr,rria (created in 1859 throughrlr, , IJ11i6n of the Principalities ofivl,rIl,rvia and Wallachia), Bucharestlr.rollcs the capital of Greaterl1( )il t, ll)ia.

rel8 1939ll rllo inter-war period, Bucharestrrr,,rl'rnises and prospers,, r I tr iencing its final period of glory.

te47-1989/\ll0r coming to power, the,,rnrnunist regime takes brutalil r,',rsures to repress the oldrrrlr,llectual elite, nationalise

t,Iv,rlo property, and encouragetlrr' populace to migrate from the, orrillryside to the towns.

1965-1989Nicolae Ceaugescu becomesSecretary General of the CommunistParty and the leader of the country.

4March1977An earthquake, 7.2 on the Richterscale, damages numerous buildings"

197glnauguration of the first metro line,between the Sem;ndtoarea andTimpuri Noi factories.

1 984-1 989A large swathe of old Bucharestvanishes under Nicolae Ceau;escu'sbulldozers. The dictator earnsa reputation as a demolisher ofchurches. The urban master plan

involves demolition of VdcirestiMonastery (1722), CotroceniMonastery (1679), dozens ofchurches, the Central Markets, theBrincoveanu Hospital, the RepublicaStadium, and entire districts of oldhouses, Churches on boulevards andmajor streets are moved, sometimesdozens of metres, behind high-riseblocks, often overnight.

1989On 21 December, following theuprising of 1 7 December inTimisoara,a mass demonstration in front of theCentral Committee of the RomanianCommunist Party (now the Ministryof the lnterior > 50) turns into ananti-communist revolt that topplesdictator Nicolae Ceaugescu.

1 990-1 991

the Mineriads: aided by the forces oflaw and order, the miners of the Jiu

Valley wreaked violent havoc againstprotesters who had gathered in Piala

Revoluliei to voice their discontent atthe postRevolution political situation.

2014The 555th anniversary of the first

documented mention of the citv.

Bucharest

The Palace of Parliament (House ofthe People) ) 72A gigantic structure with a surface areaof 330,000m', the second largest in theworld after the Pentagon, the Palace ofParliament was built between 1 984 and1989 on Spirii Hill and was intended tohouse the offices ofthe Presidency, theCentral Committee of the noriniunCommunist Party, and a number ofministries. lts exaggerated sizq theopulence ofits interior decorations, andits lack of any unitary style have drawnmuch criticism. The irony is that thissymbol of the Ceausescu dictatorshipis today one of the capitalt mostvisited tourists attractions. Besides

the sections included in the guidedtours, you can also visit the west wingofthe building, which now houses theNational Museum of ContemporaryAtt (>74). The roof of the museumprovides a panoramic view of the area

surrounding the gargantuan edifice, tomake way for which an entire quarterof Bucharest was razed to the ground.

Metropolia Hill > 64The spiritual centre of a city dottedwith churches, this hill shadedby old chestnut trees is home tothe Cathedral of the Patriarchate(1668), around which thousands ofBucharest's inhabitants gather tolisten to mass on high feast days. ThePalace of the Patriarchate (190B) is

also located on the hill. lt was builtin the eclectic style by DimitrieMaimarolu on the site of the PrincelyDivan, where the act of unionbetween Wallachia and Moldaviawas signed in 1859, makingAlexander John Cuza the domnitor(ruler) of the United Principalities.

The Romanian National MuseumofArt ) 51

The former Royal Palace, a neoclassical

edifice that dominates Piata Revolutiei,is now home to the most valuable artcollections in Romania: the Gallery ofRomanian Mediaeval Art, the Galleiy ofRomanian Modern Art, and the Galtery

Photo: Porade in the large canstitutiei Square, overlooked by the colossal palace of parliament I'l vli: \l tvtapole.s lt4onaslety ( I 724)

Bucharest's ten most beautiful tourist attractions

,rl I rrrolroan Art. Since 2014 guidedt,rur,, l),rve also included the historic.,t',', ,'., o[the Royal Palace's main wing{tlrr' lloy,rl Dining Room, the Throneri' x ,r r, ,rnd theVoievodes'Stair), whererlr''r,',rrc exhibitions dedicated to thel,t,,t, ,ry ol lhe royalfamily.

( (,lroceni PalaceDTTI lrr', wonderful palace was builtl,,,twr't'n 1893 and 1895 by Paulr,,iilr.r('au, the architect to thel{('y,rl House. lt stands on top of,r lrrll, within the precincts of an,'l,l nronastery dating from 1679,rr'11r rv,1[si in the neo-Romanian'.rvl,. in the early twentieth centuryl,v architect Grigore Cerchez,l,rrt demolished at the orders of{ ,.rulescu in 1984. Today, it is thel'r,'.,irlential Palace and is home to a

rrt\r,um that reconstructs elegantrrt',riors from the time when it wastlr,' residence of Prince Ferdinand,rrrrl his wife Maria.

Stavropoleos Monastery ) 26I I rr. old inns of Bucharest, built in the,'rrthteenth and nineteenth centuries,r', miniature fortresses, usually had a

, lrtrrch, some of which have survived

to the present day. Such is the case

of the small Stavropoleos Church(1724), a genuine architectural jeweland wonderful example of the lateBrincoveanu style. lt is remarkable forits portico, with four stone columnsand a balustrade carved with motifsrepresenting flowers and tendrils, as

well as the biblical scene of Samsonwrestling the lion, and also for itstranquil inner courtyard, wherefragments of frescos and masonryare preserved from the old churchesthat were demolished in the centreof Bucharest during the communistperiod.

The Museum of the RomanianPeasant > 1 35

ln this original museum, which goes

beyond the surface of its exhibits,managing to bring to light theirdeeper meaningi each object takeson life and tells its story as part of aninitiatory journey replete with signs.

Having explored the spiritual universeof rural Romania, you can relax inthe lively Peasant's Club and admirethe beautiful items for sale at thecraftsment market that is held everyweekend in the museum3 courtyard.