Romania – Bucharest

A little history on Bucharest

As always, I like to give you a little history on the cities I explore. Hopefully this will help explain why the city grew here, its historical importance and its past growth. It may also explain why the city is the way it is today and provide some insight into what you may find here.

So, a little history, as the title says.

Bucharest today is the largest and most important city in Romania with some 1.7 million people calling it home. It has seen a consistent decline in population since 1990 and now has the same population as it did in 1976. However, that doesn’t detract from the fact that it is still the economic, financial, political, cultural and media hub of the country.

So, when did Bucharest first appear?

Well, the city name has several origins, depending on who you want to believe. It is generally thought that that it was named after a person called Bucur. This person was either a Prince, shepherd or outlaw, again according to which legend you wish to believe.  Others say it comes from the family name of an Ottoman trader Kureist.

Just to add confusion it was put about in 1781 that the name derives from the old Romanian word Bucurie, meaning joy and thus “City of Joy”. Then in the 19th Century a group promoted the rumour that the city’s name came from the word Bukovie, meaning beech forest.

All have merit, so I will leave you to decide which you prefer!

The city gets its first recorded reference in 1459 when Vlad the Impaler (quaint name!) had a citadel built here and lived here to rule over his kingdom of the area. Why was he called “the Impaler”, well he impaled all his captive enemies on spikes in the wars he fought to expand his territory. Despite this, he has become something of a Romanian national hero today.

The Old Princely Court (Palace) was founded by him (the remains of it are still in the town centre). The Palace residence was further used and expanded by his decedents in the 16th Century and thus became the focal point of the expanding city.

Bucharest finally became the capital of the Wallachian Kingdom in 1698 when the Prince moved his Court here permanently.

The next 200 years pretty much copies what happened to the rest of the region and many of the present-day countries of Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Albania etc. In that I mean that it was fought over, conquered, lost, retaken in so many periods of war that true stability was hard to come by. Ottomans, Habsburgs, Russians, and Austrians all engaged in territorial wars in which Bucharest was taken and lost.

In between the wars, plague and natural disasters destabilised the city even more. Peace and continuity did not arrive until 1862 when the Principality of Romania was formed (it included present day Moldova), later to be called a Kingdom 19 years later. King Carol I was the reigning Monarch from that time till his death in 1914 and provided a much needed period of stability, expansion and grandeur.

He was a huge modernising influence and indeed, urban planning, majestic buildings, trams and electrification made the city a gleaming example of the future.

He continued with extensive flood defences against the often overflowing city river and built huge city fortifications. The cultural and social expansion along with the population growth saw the city nicknamed “Little Paris” from its opulent architecture.

Two years of occupation by German forces in WW1 was the only hiatus of the time. The rapid growth was swiftly restored after their withdrawal after losing the war in 1918. Much of the city plan we see today comes from this period. The Grand Arcul de Triumf ( Arc of Triumph), built in 1935 and the Palatul Telefoanelor  – a telecommunications, art-deco building, appeared at this time.

Yet again, war came to Bucharest in WW2. Romania was officially neutral at the start until France fell and it looked like the Nazis would win. To gain their favour the Romanian Govt took sides with Nazi Germany. An internal Fascist coup in 1940 allied Romania to Germany and helped in the war against Russia.

As Nazi Germany began to lose and Russia regained ground and invaded the country another internal coup was enacted. This time the King stepped in and deposed the Fascist dictator. However, Bucharest had already by now been heavily bombed in the fighting and much needed to be restored and rebuilt.

The Soviets took over after the war and Bucharest’s skyline was filled with plain and monotonous concrete blocks to house the population. Entire suburbs were built on the outskirts in this bland form. In 1965 Ceausescu became the dictator and he obliterated whole areas of the old city, along with its charm and old buildings to create monster soviet style redevelopments. The Palace of Parliament, as it’s called today, took out an entire sector of the Old Town, hence why so little of it remains today.

I now understand from this history why there is so little of an historic centre in Bucharest and why there is a dominance of concrete, bland buildings in many areas of the city.

Where I stayed in Bucharest

I performed my usual thorough research for a hotel using my trusty criteria that has been so successful in the past.

I needed a hotel centralish, near enough to the main sights but not in the centre. I know from experience that city centre hotels can have a lot of external noise (traffic, bars, early morning trash collection etc). I’m a very light sleeper and any noise would immediately wake me.

If no centralish hotel fits, then one out of the centre but on a direct Metro line in is my second choice.

A restaurant onsite is usually needed as I’m not a great foodie. When I get back to the hotel after a long day of walking and sightseeing, I simply want to shower, eat and head back to my room for an early night. Traipsing across town finding eateries then waiting and negotiating taxi rides would just be too exhausting and time-consuming.

If I can get all this in a 4 star hotel at a great rate then I book it.

My research eventually lead me to

NH Bucharest Hotel

This hotel was modern, walkable to the centre off a main road. There was a bar, restaurant and included breakfast. The rooms even boasted soundproofed windows that ensured a quiet night ….  just what I wanted.  The room rate was very good, cheaper than several 3 stars and the many reviews were very encouraging.

I booked it and it turned out to be a great choice. Click here for their website 

The hotel arranged my car from the airport as I was arriving around midnight and I could not risk public transport not still operating, or chancing a rip-off taxi. It was 26 Euros in a new, large, comfy saloon car – impressive.

On arrival the hotel was just as the pictures showed, large and modern with welcoming reception staff.

The lobby was stylish with the bar area at one end and lots of comfy seating with sofas and a tables and chairs area.

The room proved to be just as great. Modern, clean and with a view over the rooftops as I was placed on a higher floor as requested. The sound-proofing? Fabulous. I heard nothing from the outside at all or from any adjoining room.

If you want a good 4 star hotel at a good rate,15 mins walk to the Old Town area, with a lovely restaurant, at cheap prices, then this is the one to choose.

Breakfast is in the same area as the evening restaurant and it was outstanding for its variety and quality. The breakfast/restaurant is on a higher floor with views over the opposite street and buildings. I would recommend this hotel definitely.

I ate in the restaurant each evening and the food and service was very good – again the prices were much cheaper than I imagined for a 4 star hotel, but then I came to realise that Romania in general is quite cheap from a British perspective of prices.

Palace of Parliament

Where do I start with this building?

It’s a record-breaker in several fields – the biggest building in Europe (2nd biggest in the world, after the Pentagon in the USA), the heaviest building in the world and the most expensive administrative building in the world. Its power needs are the same as a medium sized city.

All this in what was, and roughly still is, one of the poorest countries in Europe.

It is a monster in size, completely dominating the horizon from all sides. Is it a stylish building though?

You will need to book to go inside and it gets very busy. Advanced booking is needed, often weeks in advance, I booked mine online through TripAdvisor for around £16. You pay online after choosing the date and time of entry, print off the ticket and present it on arrival at the entrance desk.

Entrance is at the right side of the building, through the gardens and car park area. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive at the desk well ahead of the scheduled departure time of the tour. The building is so massive that although you may arrive in front of it, it can take 10 mins to walk round it to the internal entrance foyer.

There are only guided tours, no solo walkabouts and you will need to show your passport for security and be issued with a visitors pass as in the pic.

As a building, it displays neo-classical features but with Stalinist Social Realism elements in its size and conformity of repetition. It is without much embellishments but the arches and sheer number of windows make up for that. Its mono-tone cream coloured stone, however can be a jar on the eye.

It sits on a raised area at the end of the 3.5 km long and massively wide Union Boulevard, constructed at the same time. The attempted overstatement of government authority hides some bitter memories for the people of Bucharest.

Over 700 architects took 13 years to build it, starting in 1984 on the Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s orders. Ceausescu died (executed) in 1989 and the building was not completed until 1997.

An entire sector of the Old Town area was cleared and 40,00 residents relocated (many forcibly), to make way for the 7km squared development. Favourites, party officials and cohorts of the dictator were given apartments in the then beautiful buildings along Union Boulevard.

Today it holds both chambers of Parliament – the Senate and Deputies, along with two museums and a huge conference centre – they are getting their money’s worth out of it now!

The tour groups depart (in the chosen language), and for an hour walk the long, long corridors of this sumptuous Palace – it is like a palace! The carpets are immaculate and thick, the walls white marble and the floors highly polished. Take into account that around 1 million cubic meters of marble was used in its construction.

You walk through so many sets of glass panelled oak and walnut doors, again polished and gleaming. We even saw the cleaners, in what must be a massive task here, polishing floors and buffing the walkways.

The ceilings were high to give a sense of space, as once you are in the bowels of the building there is no natural light. Taking pics was somewhat awkward when trying to avoid the constant glare of high intensity lighting.

Column upon column greeted us at every turn. Everything was marble and stone, apart from the doors. Balustrades, stairs, corniches, alcoves – all in white/cream stone.

There are, reputedly, over 1,000 rooms in the building but only around 450 are actually in use, such is the overdevelopment of the site. Our tour guide says she has been doing tours for 3 years and have so far only entered 150 rooms here!

We did get to go inside the actual parliament Chamber of Deputies. The view from the podium, that faces the seats of the politicians, reminded me of an elaborate Opera House in its design.

Funnily enough in 2010 there was a proposal to convert the building into a massive shopping and entertainment complex such is its size (the project was laughed off and failed).

We entered into several elaborate, carved stone, meeting rooms. These were slightly more colourful and more decorative in their designs than the offices. Clearly these were decorated to impress, as these were the public presentation, discussion and press rooms.

We were encouraged to look up in every room as chandeliers and overhead lighting displays were a large focal point of most rooms. 480 chandeliers are currently in the building made from 3,500 tons of crystal and they must not be missed!

Lighting was a feature due to its necessity, as there was no natural light in most rooms. They even installed false overhead ceilings of glass with dimmed illumination inside to give the impression you were looking at a skylight.

Several grand rooms for state functions were opened up via huge wood panelled doors and we walked through to sumptuous and over the top decorative columns, yet more glistening marble walls and high arches.

We were reminded that 200,000 square metres of woven carpets are installed in the buildings. They brought machines into the rooms to make them, such was the scale needed and the difficulty of transporting these mega-carpets.

The final part of the tour was possibly the most impressive and something I was not expecting.

We entered into a grand salon and ahead of us, for once, was natural lighting coming through a wall of arch top windows. The windows were doors and they were opened up for us to walk out onto the enormous terrace. It overlooks the square in front of the Palace and down the Boulevard that disappeared into the horizon.

Michael Jackson apparently stood here and waved at his thousands of adoring fans congregated below. Ceausescu never got to do the same as he was assassinated before the building was complete.

On that note our tour concluded and we began the long, long walk back to the entrance foyer to collect our passports and bags.

If you get the chance to book to go on this tour, definitely do it. The tour was a real eye-opener as the building inside is such a glowing marble temple of opulence and grandeur. I found the exterior massive but not as impressive as the interior.

Boulevard Unirii Bucharest

This was designed to be the showcase avenue of the huge development. Over 3.5 km long and tree lined, with a four lane highway traversing the city. New, almost identical terraced blocks of apartments were built around 7-9 storeys high, with commercial shops below. All in matching beige/white stone to the Palace building.

In their day they must have been splendid, today they look drab, in need of maintenance and covered in ugly billboards and advertising hoarding. A prime example of when funds are not there to look after a building and cheap but plentiful advertising sways the owners to deface the structures.

It was actually a depressing sight knowing how beautiful the avenue could have been.

The central fountains and lawns that line most of the Boulevard were dishevelled wrecks now. Years of neglect had taken their toll and the fountain wells were empty of water, tiles cracked and broken off. Lintels and decorations were smashed or broken and it was a sorry state.

This was part of the reason Bucharest was one of the few places, that at first, I felt no affinity to return to. I get it, that to have all of these maintained and running and showing the splendour must cost a fortune. I get that they were planned and built under a different economic system that probably would have maintained them

In today’s climate of unemployment and political mismanagement in Bucharest, this is the result. An ugly, indifferent mess that is a real eye sore. For the residents, having hoarding over their windows and the huge rooftop billboards, must be depressing.

I have seen recent photos of the area where the fountains looked restored so maybe in recent times, they have cleaned up the area.

What was heart-breaking was that some attempts had been made to beatify certain parts with new marbles benches, grassed and seating areas – only for them to have been extensively vandalised and graffiti sprayed. No attempt to repair or clean off the mess though, just portrayed a lack of civic pride in the city.

Unfortunately, this scene was repeated extensively throughout the city – more on that later.

All Saints’ Antim Monastery

The monastery was founded by Bishop Antim Ivireanu in 1713, at a different location to its present one. When the Dictator Ceausescu threatened to demolish it in his reconstruction plans for the city, people got together and amazingly managed to move it to its present site.

It’s situated just behind the 1980’s buildings on the Union Boulevard and across the road from the Palace of Parliament. It however, does look out of place next to the seven storey apartment blocks that surround it. However, the main fact is that it survived!

Antim Ivireanu was a Georgian priest who rose through the ranks and founded a library and printing press in the building for the then Prince of Wallachia (roughly today’s Romania)

It is still a Monastery today, although only a few Monks still live here. You can enter its grounds and wander the walkways. It does also contain a small Museum and display about the life of the founding Bishop, who later became a Saint.

The outer buildings are the Monastery’s private area and ecclesiastical buildings. Different styles have been merged as they were extended over the years.

Pay attention to the doorway frame into the main church. It was actually carved and installed by the founding Bishop himself.

The painted walls and ceiling of the tunnel through the entrance portico building have been restored and are resplendent in their colours and iconography.

Bucharest Patriarchal buildings

Near to the Palace is another of Bucharest most important iconic buildings. This group of buildings is set up the small Mitropoly Hill. They can easily be reached on foot or car (limited parking at the top however, so its mainly just drop-off). It Houses three important buildings.

As you reach the summit of the long slope the first building you see is the only remaining edifice from the original precinct walls of 1698.

Today it houses the bell Tower, which can be heard throughout the city, when it rings to summon worshippers on important religious days.

There is also a small museum inside.

The official home of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and his offices are here in a resplendent but small 1935 building.  The well-known Brancovan style portico entrance is actually the front entry point of the 1723 chapel that he uses.

The classically columned building with grey slate roof to one side is presently also part of the Patriarch’s offices but it used to hold the Old Chamber of Deputies before it moved to the Palace of Parliament.

Here Romania was effectively formed in 1859 when the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldova were unified under one King. Later it declared its independence here also, in 1878.

Patriarchal Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helena

It’s called the Metropolitan Church, The Patriarchal Cathedral or the longer name of the Cathedral of Constantine and Helena.

Begun in 1655, it took four years to build and its style is the popular Brancovenesc of the time. It just cannot be missed as you approach the central plaza. Its high three towers dominate the area but the frontage is on the other side of the hill square.

The carved arches and portico of the entrance area are surmounted by vividly painted frescoes in small plaques. In the centre one are three figures, two of which represent Constantine and Helena after whom the Cathedral is named.

Internally the walls are totally decorated with frescos, as is common in the Orthodox branch of Christianity. Most are replicas from 1923, of ones destroyed in the past. Photos inside are not permitted – again common in Orthodox churches so here is the portico fresco.

As this is the most popular place of worship in Bucharest, it can get very busy for visitors and worshippers alike.

It’s not unknown, that on the most important religious festival days, queues over a kilometre long form down the hill for entry into the Cathedral.

It is also, unfortunately known as the site where the Romanian Prime Minister of 1868 met his end. He was assassinated as his open-top horse carriage passed by the front portico of the Cathedral.

My day ended here and the hotel was a 30 min walk away through a shopping area that I intended to browse, to take the boredom off the long walk.

Day two in Bucharest

Today would entail a Metro ride to the suburbs to see the next site on my list. The walk would be just too long, although doable, and I needed to rest my legs for what was to be a long walk back.

I headed for Piata Unirii Metro station about 20 mins walk away to take me four stops along the line to Aviatorilor Metro station for my next site visit.

The day was still somewhat foggy, dull and grey but not cold. I was hoping the mist would not spoil the pics I wanted to take.

House of Ceausescu 

How the other half lives!

Entrance is strictly by advance ticket only. You can order by phone but I found the online booking system to be very easy and simple. Payment is by credit or debit card. Click here for the website to order.

There was also the facility to pre-book and pay by cash on arrival – not sure if that still exists now however. The tours last 45 mins and leaves every hour on the quarter past. They are limited to around 10-15 max per group.

The tours are in Romanian and English only, but French can be “requested” – unsure how you do that though.

You arrive ten mins before your scheduled slot and collect/pay for your tickets. Plastic shoe coverings are handed out to protect the delicate wooden and marble floors and you must stay in your group – no solo walkabouts are allowed.

Remember that the house is closed on Mondays!

I just had to take this pic of an old Trabant car on the street near the house. I joked to myself that Ceausescu parked it here but never got back to moving it as he was whisked away for execution. Strange how no-one has moved it – the bird poop all over it from the tree is was parked under will definitely destroy it eventually.

Ceausescu Mansion. Spring Palace, Palatul Primaverii are some of the names given to this building. I’m sticking with House of Ceausescu as this seems to be the most popular one.

I did find the group tour quite interesting, but I also got taking to a New Zealander who was travelling throughout Europe. We struck up quite a rapport and quietly chatted as we were guided by the somewhat monotonous and robotic guide. At times the groups met in the same room, from sheer numbers visiting. When this happened, it was difficult to hear your guide through the noise of the guide talking from the other group.

Rather than describe each room as we passed through them, I’ll give you a personal overview, scary as that may sound. The photos themselves show the rooms so I don’t need to describe styles but they were somewhat varied but traditional.

This was a villa style house built in a suburb of Bucharest in 1965 and in which the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu lived from that time until his execution in 1989.

The neighbourhood in which it was built (on Spring Street) was mainly inhabited by Communist Party officials from the 1950’s and several other villas adorn the area.

The Ceausescu House was luxurious by Romanian standards. Many people were dying from lack of basic necessities and often housed in cramped and badly constructed monotonous apartment blocks.

This House is adorned with rich fabrics, tapestries, marble floor, crystal chandeliers and furniture of a fake neo-classical/ renaissance design.

The entrance area contained a plush carpet but as a home it more resembled a hotel lobby area. I often felt in the rooms that the furniture did not reflect the style of the doors or carpet and after a while it did begin to feel a somewhat mish-mash of fake mediaeval, over-the-top French classical but then mixed with eg wall paintings and bathroom tiles colours that my mother would have chosen in the 1970’s.

True, much of the decoration reflected the style of the times – indoor plants and pink bathroom tiles were a thing at the time, even in the UK. However, the attempt to introduce carved wood chairs with heavy tapestry fabric seats and backs just felt like a fake imitation of a wealthy period from centuries before.

The guide talked about the luxuriousness of the rooms but to be honest some were the size I would be used to in just a large house today. Yes, some were huge and the gilt framed mirrors and the gold lampshades did scream of someone trying to impress with fake imitations.

Other rooms were quite homely and I did like the family photos and clear personal touches in the rooms by the residents, despite their history of brutal repression and murder of his own citizens.

The main bedroom was actually quite plain and simple. I guess this was an area were only Ceausescu and his wife went, so no-one had to be impressed by the style.

The personal steam baths and spa-like treatment rooms were unexpected however. This is what I would call self-indulgent.

The somewhat gaudily-coloured, mosaiced, large swimming pool was also a clear sign of someone using his power to have it all.

The rooms did begin to copy one another in style but differed in colours. It wasn’t until we got to the private cinema room that we seemed to get anything approaching a more modern style, away from the fake mediaeval or classic look.

The gardens were not that big, mostly a very large patio for entertaining and to show off the courtyard architectural design of the house. A peacock was strutting around the grounds, but I’m not sure if one would have been present in Ceausescu’s times!

I came away with the impression that, at the time, this was an over-the-top luxurious home. He was a monster, repressing and killing his own people to maintain power, living in extreme comfort while his citizens suffered poverty.

It still holds however that the house itself would have been more akin today to some minor celebrity’s house who loved kitsch, fake surrounding. A modern-day dictator or even President, would have a must bigger and more sumptuous residence, (and I’ve seen many round the world!).

I read also, that this House was kept secret from the people. It was said that residents nearby didn’t even know he frequented this house.

King Mihai I Park Bucharest

This big green oasis in the city, is situated to the north of the centre.

I took a Metro to get there as I was visiting the nearby House of Ceausescu and it was on a convenient route back.

The park area and its lake is centuries old, even past monarchs have built pavilions next to its lake. It was previously marshes but after clearing peasant dwellings and old factories off the area it opened in 1939 as a national park. It has had many different names in the past (including Stalin Park under the Soviet influence), butt was renamed King Mihai I park after the last Romanian monarch dynasty died in 2017.

It is a multi-use park as there is a Romanian Village Museum, featuring chalets and villages houses from all the architectural styles around Romania, in the park. The Royal family, who today have no political role, live in a small residence in the grounds.

The river that the park sits astride widens to form a huge lake in the park. Boats can be hired to ply the waters on good days.

The entrance area has a statue of French politician Charles De Gaulle and Greek statues supporting a raised plinth. The land is mainly set to grass and there are extensive walkways through the grounds, around the lake and across a small island. A few fountains appeared here and there but they seemed derelict and in need of maintenance.

While I was there, it was remarkably quite and peaceful. The foggy day made many of the horizon pics I took redundant because of the haze. One area has an arrangement of faces resting on the ground facing inwards, forming a circle – weird-like but fun.

The trails are long and I spent a couple of hours walking through them. I came a cross a small Japanese Garden with a peace pole like the one I saw in Hiroshima, Japan. There were hedges and sporting facilities with abundant plant beds.

They had even placed statues and artwork at various points and the black metal clock tower did stand out at the other end near the exit.

If you have the time and need peace and quiet then this is the place. However be aware that at one end of the park, near the lake, is the biggest beer hall in Europe, with a 3,000 person capacity. It’s next to the yacht station and boat hire section. That would be a fun day on a sunny day and a lot of beer would be needed for that day!

I decided to catch the Metro, one stop further down the line from where I first left Aviatorilor station. getting of at Piata Romana It was a short walk across the road to connect with the wide street that went to my next stop.

Romanian Athenaeum Concert Hall

My walk would now take me past the Romanian Athenaeum building – the most important concert Hall in Bucharest. It was built in 1888 and it’s a grand classical building with a dome roof.

The circular building with a high portico entrance seats 653 patrons. It sits in a large decorative, flowering garden and houses the Philharmonic Orchestra.

I had no plans to go inside, despite the reports of its glorious interior. It was closed anyhow, as it was daytime, but it is a building to admire from the outside.

Such is its importance in Bucharest that it is listed by the EU on its European buildings of importance list.

If you want to catch a concert, click here for their website and tickets info.

Carol I Central University Library 

This building is not included here because it is a must see historically important edifice in Bucharest. Yes, in many ways it is important and significant in its own unique, niche way but to the average tourist, it is not.

I’m putting it here because it runs contrary to much of what you do see in Bucharest – rather bland, concrete, functionalist buildings needing maintenance.
This is a beautifully elegant building, of wonderful proportions, set on an elegant square, facing a less opulent but important Museum. I loved its design and decorative features, the curved façade, the twin side turrets and the immaculately preserved tiled roof.

The square it sits on was recently paved in a square flat cobblestone design and the statue in front well maintained. There was no graffiti at all on the building

It just stood out as an example of what could be if civic pride, and no doubt the necessary funds, was there to preserve these classic examples of architectural beauty. Loved it

Having said that, its history is that it was opened in 1895 on land donated by King Carol I. No guessing why it is called the Carol I Library.

Bucharest University was opened in 1863 but didn’t have a library until a small one in 1867 within an area of the Uni building. This Library took over that role on its opening with 3,400 book and periodicals. Its contents grew every year until it reached its maximum of 2 million books in 1970.

A devastating fire in 1989 destroyed half a million books and it closed for repairs, reopening in 2001.

National Museum of Art of Romania

Despite its classical appearance, this building dates from 1936 and was the Royal Family’s official Palace residence until heavy bombing by the Nazis in 1940 partially destroyed it. The Royal Family thus moved out to the Elisabetta Palace, in what is now King Mihai I Park, that we previously visited.

The forced abdication and subsequent exile of the Romanian King in 1947, by the Communist who took over after WW2, meant it was left unused.

The ruling Communists then converted it into the National Museum of Art of Romania and it has stayed that way since.

The Museum principally contains works of Romanian art over the centuries from Mediaeval times to the relative present.

There is a separate wing of European art that opened in 2001, that mainly came from the Monarch’s private collection. Here works by Rembrandt, Bruegel, and El Greco are also displayed and a separate ticket is required to enter there.

The galleries are not that large, as far as a national collection of art goes, but it they were housed in some of the most glorious rooms I have seen for an art gallery.

Remember these rooms used to be halls and meeting rooms of Royalty, so wonderfully decorative ceiling and stairwells abound.

The visit was almost as much about the interior design and internal architecture as it was about the art works.

Again the entrance price was quite cheap for what I am used to paying for such an exhibition – but then again I found Romania, in general, to be quite inexpensive for most things.

As I walked to the exit of the Museum, the cheery attendants realised that I was not Romanian – probably by the fact that I spoke no Romanian!

A female attendant, speaking English, invited me to sign and leave a comment in the visitors’ book. She remarked that they did not get many non-Romanian visitors and they would love to have my comments and put where I was from.

I flipped through the previous pages to check who had left comments and she was right, I had to turn several pages back full of entries in Romanian to find comments from non-Romanians – only about one in twenty-five of the comments were from non-Romanians. I felt honoured, as it was a great Art Museum.

As I left the building, street lights started to come on and a general darkening was happening. I had not realised it but I had been in the Museum for a couple of hours, such that I enjoyed it.

I had to quickly get to my next destination, a few minutes down the road, before dusk, so I could get a few pics of what I wanted to see there.

Revolution Square

This place is called Revolution Square and is named after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 that overthrew the dictator Ceausescu.

The building you see is the former Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. It was from here that Ceausescu had to flee after addressing a mass gathering of around 100,000 people at what he expected to be a political rally in his favour. The date was 21 Dec 1989.

He was shocked, when addressing the crowds from a high terrace on the building, that they booed him. I remember seeing this on TV, as highlights of the day during the Revolution. He escaped from here by helicopter when the crowd turned on him and the police and security services brutally fired on and attacked the crowds, killing and injuring many.

However, the Revolution had begun and by the next day the security services, Police and armed forces had sided with the crowds.

This was his last speech as leader. The rest is history as he was captured after he fled and summarily executed on 25 dec 1989 – 4 days later.

There is nothing there to commemorate his speech and the building is today a govt admin building with a large carpark in front. I had to visualise the exact spot he stood on to address the crowd.

A memorial was placed here after the Square was renamed Revolution Square and it has met with a lot of derision by the city inhabitants.

It is mockingly called the olive on a pick or the potato on a stick. It is certainly one of the least inspiring memorials I have seen. It does indeed look like a dark oval object pierced by the white three-sided long pole, and I do get the references.

It is so disliked that it is vandalised, grafittied and not repaired. Someone fired a paint ball at the oval object on the column and it looks like the red paint is blood dripping down from the piercing – it actually adds to the monument in my view.

There is a monument consisting of a roll call of names of those who died in the square’s uprising on a plaque on a white marble wall, next to the spike. Sadly, this has been vandalised, grafittied and parts smashed. Heart-breaking to see this destruction of public property and memorials but all too often seen in Bucharest, I’m afraid.

Day three in Bucharest

Day three had arrived and as I had a late evening flight back to London, I left the last day to see just three sites that were near to the hotel. The receptionist had arranged for my pickup in the late afternoon to take me to the airport and had stowed my bag safely to pick up later after I had done my last day of exploring.

Bucharest Old Town

The Old Town is just that, in name only. Yes, it may be older than the more modern parts but many of the buildings in the area were built in the last century. Dictator Ceausescu ensured that much of this area was demolished and built over to build a new town – especially the Palace of Parliament.

The only part that dates back somewhat, is along Franceza Street and really comprises of a section of buildings, mainly foundations, to the side of the street. It has a viewing area to look down/into the section of semi-ruins.

I was surprised that this was really it. I had been warned that the area is small  – but this small?! The Curtea Veche or Old Princely Court (built 1459),as it’s called, is now a series of small arches, a column, a terrace and a half statue of King Vlad IIII of Dracula fame.

Some cafes sit directly in front, so many tourists have a drink here and use it as an opportune moment to view over the ruins.

At night it is illuminated, but even as far as ruins go, it is somewhat disappointing in its lack of substance.

Around this solitary ruined area are some buildings dating back maybe a few hundred years. They are now converted into huge restaurants, decorated in traditional styles and commercial units.

They heavy overhanging roofs did give that section of the street a more alpine, village feel. Luckily the area is also pedestrianised, although a few vans loading/unloading seemed to get round the regulations.

The traffic-free streets did give the zone a calming feel. There were lots of pedestrians and it was certainly needed as any traffic would be a serious danger. This was off-peak season and it felt busy so I imagine peak times will have these streets mega-busy. Judging by the number and size of the huge outdoor seating area of some the cafes. this must be true.

My next port of call was to the right of the Curtea Veche and almost facing it.

Biserica Sfantul Anton

Or the Annunciation Church of Saint Anthony. This church dates from 1559 and its creator is buried here as well. It was the church for the Palace but it has been extensively redesigned and refurbished since.

It is thus said to be the oldest church in Bucharest

As there was a service going on as I entered, I could only stay in the entrance area. The congregation was big and filled the inside so I did not want to go in further as a mark of respect.

My next place to see was 5 mins away. Walking along Francesza Street towards the main Calea Victioriei. After crossing the crossroads, I turned second right and headed up the small street. The place was at the end.

Stavropoleos Monastery Church Bucharest

The church was built in 1724 but given its surroundings – 19^th century block buildings and more modern edifices) – looks totally out of place. It is still in the pedestrianised area of the “Old Town”, which at least gave it a peaceful setting.

The exterior is the Brancovenesc style that I had come to see a lot of here. A mixture of mediaeval, alpine mountain carved wood/stone that seems fairly unique of this part of the world.

I could not argue that from the outside it looked its age, and the carved stonework was very fine and intricate. The doorways and wooden carved doors were exquisite but had weathered over the years.

The arches were slender and supported an oversized carved lintel that ran the length of the building. It was impressive in its design.

The interior was the usual full-on painted walls of iconostasis and colours and again its age was showing in the beautiful frescoes. This felt very Greek Orthodox (actually it was, so should not have been a surprise).

Many wooden panelled walls, inlaid with highlighted gold portraits, glistened, despite the interior gloom due to a lack of natural light. It was quite small inside despite its size from the outside. I wondered where the rest of the building was, then entered into what is a large patio area encircled with arches and columns.

This was nearly as large as the interior and accounted for the missing volume I couldn’t find.

The church is famous as having a archive of over 8,000 historical and ancient books encompassing music, art, theology and history. This is in addition to hundreds of manuscripts and Greek church books. They are available to view digitally.

The assembled choir here (didn’t get to hear it) is famous for its neo-byzantine style singing and Greek religious chants and have become well known abroad now.

Worn flagstoned floors, dimly lit intricate interiors and a calm and peaceful courtyard gave this a very solemn air. It was a small gem of a church, hidden among the modern buildings.

The Choral Temple Synagogue Bucharest

This little place was a gem of a find and was so impressive. I had not put much interest in it as it was clearly a smaller Synagogue than many I had seen around the world. Generally (apart from a few in eg Budapest and Israel), Synagogues are not usually huge buildings of creative and artistic appeal.

I had thus put it low on the list as I only read a few comments that it was worth a visit and actually my last thing to see, if I had time.

Was I glad I did make time to see this!

It was built in 1866 and was styled (many would say a copy of) the well-known large Synagogue of Leopoldstadter Temple in Vienna, Austria. That Temple influenced so many others in Europe with its Moorish Revival design.

I looked up that Temple and I have to say this one looks like an exact copy. However, the Vienna Temple was demolished by the Nazis just before WW2, so only pictures remain of it.

It has been renovated beautifully on the outside and inside. I was warned to take my passport and to show it as the entrance is guarded by security. You have to show ID to a guard who checks it and then calls another to escort you in.

I asked why this was and apparently there have been so many threats against the Temple and Jews in the city that Police have a watch on it. Sign of the times, I guess.

Entrance must be with the appointed guide who is extremely knowledgeable and informative and costs a mere 10 Lei at the time of my visit. I paid him in Euros as I had run out of Romanian currency. I was not far off leaving the country and did not want to take Romanian currency back with me.

As I said, it has been meticulously restored (re-opening in 2015) and the interior ceiling and arches are resplendent.

The geometric patchwork of design is everywhere and feels more akin to an arabesque style. The arches and gallery area are definitely though of a end of 19^th century design

The guide takes you through a little history of the Jews in Romania – yep, the Nazi’s invaded in WW2 and mass deportation happened. The Jews in Bucharest were severely depleted and kept a low profile after WW2 even.

There is another Synagogue in Bucharest that has a cemetery as this one doesn’t. We were taken around the building and into another room where the religious artefacts are kept and the sacred scrolls and clothes are displayed.

The tour is really worth it and you can ask anything, which will get a full answer. The guide was well travelled, having lived in the USA, Hungary, UK and many other European States. I found out lots I would never have known about the history of this Synagogue and its importance from this guide person.

Bucharest in a nutshell

Bucharest has some spectacular things to see – as does every city in the world I’ve visited. However it felt it lacked many inspiring buildings, maybe the dictator Ceausescu with his demolitions put paid to that.

The Palace of Parliament is stunning in its size but that mega-structure in self was not very “pretty” or engaging. The interiors are opulent but it felt tinged with the blood and repression of the country’s people to build it.

The Park was wonderful and is a green paradise of walk, lakes and greenery (again disused fountains however).

It was a city that has definitely seen better days – the maintenance of buildings was often not just lacking but non-existent. Huge public works lacked civic pride, the broken and smashed fountains on Unirii Boulevard, the vandalised and defaced memorials and the constant massive amounts graffiti at every turn on businesses, private buildings even doors and windows was  …. well, a turn-off.

The city was inexpensive for me, a Brit, and the people helpful but the general atmosphere spoke of lack of pride and over-commercialisation.

Maybe I just hit the city at the wrong time and things have improved since – I hope so

Nov 2017

Below are some related posts on nearby places to visit. Click on the pic to view.