(Redirected from Bucarest)
'Bucharest' (
Romanian: ''Bucureşti'' ) is the
capital city and industrial and commercial centre of
Romania. It is located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the
Dâmboviţa River. It was originally known as Dâmboviţa citadel.
By European standards, Bucharest is not an old city, its existence first being referred to by scholars as late as 1459.
[1] Since then it has gone through a variety of changes, becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and steadily consolidating its position as the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and arts. Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical, interbellum, Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of the "Paris of the East" or "Little Paris" (''Micul Paris'').
[2] Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes and
Nicolae Ceauşescu's program of
systematization, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom.
[3]
According to January 2006 official estimates, Bucharest proper has a population of 1,930,390.
[4] The
urban area extends beyond the limits of Bucharest proper and has a population of 2.1 million people.
[5] Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the
metropolitan area of Bucharest has a population of 2.6 million people.
[5]. Bucharest is the 6th largest city in the
European Union by population within city limits.
[7]
Economically, the city is by far the most prosperous in Romania
[8] and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of
Eastern Europe. As the most important city in Romania, Bucharest also has a broad range of educational facilities.
The city proper is administratively known as the Municipality of Bucharest (''Municipiul Bucureşti''), and has the same administrative level as a
county, being further subdivided into six
sectors.
Etymology
The tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was either a princely person, an outlaw, a fisher or a shepherd according to different legends. The name of Bucur (from "bucurie" common word) is of a Thracian-Geto-Dacian origin.
[1] The name of Bucharest (Bucuresti) resembles the Romanian word "bucurie" (happiness).
The official city name in full is 'The Municipality of Bucharest' (). Bucharest has been known in
Latin as ''Bucaresta'', in
Hungarian and
German as ''Bukarest'' and in
French,
Italian and
Spanish as ''Bucarest''.
A native or resident of Bucharest is called ''Bucharester'' ().
History
Main articles: History of Bucharest
 Bucharest in 1837 |
|
 St George's Place in Bucharest at the beginning of the 20th century |
 The remains of Curtea Veche, the royal court in Bucharest during the Middle Ages |
Bucharest's history alternated periods of development and decline from the early settlements of the
Antiquity and until its consolidation as capital of Romania late in the 19th century. According to the most popular of legends in circulation, the city was founded by a shepherd named
Bucur.
First mentioned as "the
Citadel of Bucureşti" in 1459, it became a residence of the
Wallachian
prince Vlad III the Impaler. The Old Princely Court (''
Curtea Veche'') was built by
Mircea Ciobanul, and during following rules, Bucharest was established as the summer residence of the court, competing with
Târgovişte for the status of capital after an increase in the importance of southern
Muntenia brought about by the demands of the
suzerain power, the
Ottoman Empire.
Burned down by the Ottomans and briefly discarded by princes at the start of the 17th century, Bucharest was restored and continued to grow in size and prosperity. Its centre was around the street "Uliţa Mare", which starting 1589 was known as
Lipscani. Before the 1700s, it became the most important trade centre of Wallachia and became a permanent location for the Wallachian court after 1698 (starting with the reign of
Constantin Brâncoveanu).
Partly destroyed by natural disasters and rebuilt several times during the following 200 years, hit by ''
Caragea's plague'' in 1813-1814, the city was wrested from Ottoman control and occupied at several intervals by the
Habsburg Monarchy (1716, 1737, 1789) and
Imperial Russia (three times between 1768 and 1806). It was placed under
Russian administration between 1828 and the
Crimean War, with an interlude during the Bucharest-centered
1848 Wallachian revolution, and an
Austrian garrison took possession after the Russian departure (remaining in the city until March 1857). Additionally, on
March 23,
1847, a fire consumed about 2,000 buildings of Bucharest, destroying a third of the city. The social divide between rich and poor was described at the time by
Ferdinand Lassalle as making the city "a savage hotchpotch".
In 1861, when Wallachia and
Moldavia were united to form the
Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation's capital; in 1881, it became the political center of the newly-proclaimed
Kingdom of Romania. During the second half of the 19th century, due to its new status, the city's population increased dramatically, and a new period of urban development began. The extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture of this period won Bucharest the nickname of "The Paris of the East" (or "Little Paris", ''Micul Paris''), with
Calea Victoriei as its
Champs-Élysées or
Fifth Avenue.
Between
December 6,
1916 and November 1918, it was occupied by
German forces, the legitimate capital being moved to
Iaşi. After
World War I, Bucharest became the capital of
Greater Romania. As the capital of an
Axis country, Bucharest suffered heavy losses during
World War II, due to
Allied bombings, and, on
August 23,
1944, saw the
the royal coup which brought Romania into the anti-
German camp, suffering a short but destructive period of
Luftwaffe bombings in reprisal. On
November 8,
1945, the king's birthday, the
Soviet-backed
Petru Groza government suppressed pro-
monarchist rallies.
During
Nicolae Ceauşescu's leadership (1965-1989), most of the historic part of the city was destroyed and replaced with Communist-style buildings, particularly high-rise apartment blocks. The best example of this is the development called
Centrul Civic (the Civic Centre), including the
Palace of the Parliament, where an entire historic quarter was razed to make way for Ceauşescu's megalomaniac constructions. In 1977, a strong
7.4 on the Richter-scale earthquake claimed 1,500 lives and destroyed many old buildings. Nevertheless, some historic neighbourhoods did survive to this day.
The
Romanian Revolution of 1989 began with mass anti-Ceauşescu protests in
Timişoara in December 1989 and continued in Bucharest, leading to the overthrow of the
Communist regime. Dissatisfied with the post-revolutionary leadership of the
National Salvation Front, students' leagues and opposition groups organized large-scale protests continued in 1990 (the
Golaniad), which were violently stopped by the miners of
Valea Jiului (the
Mineriad). Several other Mineriads followed, the results of which included a government change.
After the year 2000, due to the advent of Romania's economic boom, the city has modernised and is currently undergoing a period of urban renewal. Various residential and commercial developments are underway, particularly in the northern districts, while Bucharest's historic centre is currently undergoing significant restoration.
| 'Treaties signed in Bucharest' |
| Treaty of May 28, 1812, at the end of the Russo-Turkish War | |||||||||||||
| Treaty of March 3, 1886, at the end of the Serbo-Bulgarian War | |||||||||||||
| Treaty of August 10, 1913, at the end of the Second Balkan War | |||||||||||||
| Treaty of August 4, 1916, the treaty of alliance between Romania and the Entente | |||||||||||||
| Treaty of May 6, 1918, the treaty between Romania and the Central Powers | |||||||||||||
Geography
Bucharest on a cloudy day
Kilometre Zero Monument
Bucharest is situated on the banks of the
Dâmboviţa River, which flows into the
Argeş River, a tributary of the
Danube. Several lakes – the most important of which are
Lake Floreasca,
Lake Tei and
Lake Colentina – stretch across the city, along the
Colentina River, a tributary of the Dâmboviţa. In addition, in the centre of the capital there is a small artificial lake – Lake Cişmigiu – surrounded by the
Cişmigiu Gardens. The Cişmigiu Gardens have a rich history, being frequented by famous poets and writers. Opened in 1847 and based on the plans of German architect
Carl F.W. Meyer, the gardens are currently the main recreational facility in the city centre.
Besides Cişmigiu, Bucharest contains several other large parks and gardens, including
Herăstrău Park and the
Botanical Garden. Herăstrău is a large public park located in the north of the city, and the site of the
Village Museum, while the Bucharest's botanical garden is the largest in Romania and contains over 10,000 species of plants, many of them exotic; it was once a pleasure park for the royal family.
[9]
Bucharest is situated in the south eastern corner of the
Romanian Plain, in an area once covered by the
Vlăsiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile flatland. As with
many cities, Bucharest is traditionally considered to have seven hills, in the tradition of the seven hills of
Rome. Bucharest's seven hills are:
Mihai Vodă,
Patriarchy Hill,
Radu Vodă,
Cotroceni,
Spirei,
Văcăreşti and
Sf. Gheorghe Nou.
The city has a total area of 226
km². The altitude varies from 55.8 metres at the Dâmboviţa bridge in
Căţelu, south-eastern Bucharest and 91.5 m at the
Militari church. The city has a relatively round shape, with the centre situated approximately in the cross-way of the main north-south/east-west axes at the
University Square. The milestone for Romanian's
kilometre zero is placed just south of University Square in front of the New St. George Church (Sfântul Gheorghe Nou) at St. George Square (Piaţa Sfântul Gheorghe). Bucharest's radius, from University Square to the city limits in all directions, varies from about 10 to 12 km.
Until recently, the regions surrounding Bucharest were largely rural, but after 1989, new suburbs started to be built around Bucharest, in the surrounding
Ilfov county. Further urban consolidation is expected to take place when the Bucharest metropolitan area is formed in 2006, which will incorporate various communes and cities of Ilfov and surrounding counties.
Climate
Bucharest has a
continental climate, characterised by hot dry summers and cold winters. Due to its position on the
Romanian Plain, the city's winters could get windy, even though some of the winds are mitigated due to
urbanisation. Winter temperatures are often below 0°C, even though they rarely drop below -10°C. In summer, the average temperature is approximately 23°C (the average for July and August), despite the fact that temperatures sometimes reach 35-40°C in mid-summer in the city centre. Although average
precipitation and
humidity during summer is low, there are infrequent yet heavy and often violent storms. During spring and autumn, temperatures vary between 18-22°C, and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Average high temperature °C (°F) | 2 (36) | 3 (39) | 10 (50) | 16 (62) | 22 (72) | 26 (79) | 27 (82) | 27 (82) | 23 (75) | 17 (63) | 8 (47) | 3 (38) | 16 (61) |
|---|
| Average low temperature °C (°F) | -5 (23) | -3 (25) | 0 (33) | 5 (42) | 10 (51) | 14 (58) | 15 (60) | 15 (59) | 11 (52) | 6 (43) | 0 (33) | -2 (27) | 5 (42) |
|---|
| Average temperature °C (°F) | -1 (30) | 0 (32) | 5 (42) | 11 (52) | 16 (62) | 20 (68) | 22 (72) | 21 (71) | 17 (64) | 11 (53) | 4 (40) | 0 (33) | 11 (52) |
|---|
| Mean Total Precipitation (mm) | 40 | 36 | 38 | 46 | 70 | 77 | 64 | 58 | 42 | 32 | 49 | 43 | 595 |
|---|
| Mean Number of Precipitation Days | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 72 |
|---|
| ''Source: Weatherbase'' |
Law and government
Administration
The Bucharest City Hall
Bucharest has a unique status in Romanian administration, since it is the only municipality that is not part of a
county. Its population, however, is larger than that of any Romanian county, and hence the power of the Bucharest General City Hall (''Primăria Generală''), which is the city's local government body, is about the same as, if not greater than, that of Romanian county councils.
The city government is headed by a
General Mayor (''Primar General''), currently (as of 2007)
Adriean Videanu. Decisions are approved and discussed by the
General Council (''Consiliu General'') made up of 55 elected councillors. Furthermore, the city is divided into six administrative
sectors (''sectoare''), each of which has their own 27-seat sectorial council, town hall and mayor. The powers of local government over a certain area are therefore shared by the Bucharest City Hall and the local sectorial councils with little or no overlapping of authority. The general rule is that the main City Hall is responsible for citywide utilities such as the water system, the transport system and the main boulevards, while sectorial town halls manage the contact between individuals and the local government, secondary streets, parks, schools and cleaning services.
The six sectors are numbered from one to six and are disposed radially so that each one has under its administration an area of the city center. They are numbered clockwise and are further divided into districts without any form of administration (''cartiere''):
★ '
Sector 1':
Aviatorilor,
Aviaţiei,
Băneasa,
Bucureştii Noi,
Dămăroaia,
Domenii,
Dorobanţi,
Gara de Nord,
Griviţa,
Victoriei,
Pajura,
Pipera,
Primăverii,
Romană
★ '
Sector 2':
Colentina,
Floreasca,
Iancului,
Moşilor,
Obor,
Pantelimon,
Ştefan cel Mare,
Tei,
Vatra Luminoasă
★ '
Sector 3':
Balta Albă,
Centrul Civic,
Dristor,
Dudeşti,
Lipscani,
Muncii,
Titan,
Unirii,
Vitan
★ '
Sector 4':
Berceni,
Olteniţei,
Tineretului,
Văcăreşti
★ '
Sector 5':
13 Septembrie,
Cotroceni,
Dealul Spirii,
Ferentari,
Rahova,
Ghencea
★ '
Sector 6':
Crângaşi,
Giuleşti,
Drumul Taberei,
Militari,
Regie-Grozäveşti
Like all other local councils in Romania, the Bucharest sectorial councils, the city's
General Council and the mayors are elected every four years by the population. Additionally, Bucharest has a prefect, who is appointed by Romania's central government. The prefect is not allowed to be a member of a political party. The prefect's role is to represent the national government at local level, acting as a liaison and facilitating the implementation of National Development Plans and governing programmes at local level. The current prefect of Bucharest (as of 2007) is
Călin Deaconescu.
The Municipality of Bucharest, along with the surrounding
Ilfov county, forms the
Bucharest development region, which is equivalent to
NUTS-II regions in the
European Union and is used by the European Union and the Romanian Government for statistical analysis and regional development. The Bucharest development region is not, however, an administrative entity.
Justice system
Bucharest's judicial system is similar to that of the Romanian counties. Each of the six sectors has their own local tribunal, while appeals from these tribunals' verdicts, and more serious cases, are directed to the Bucharest Court of Appeals, the city's municipal court. Bucharest is also home to Romania's supreme court, the
High Court of Cassation and Justice, as well as other national courts such as the Constitutional Court of Romania and the National Military Tribunal.
Bucharest has its own municipal police force, the Bucharest Police (''Poliţia Bucureşti''), which is responsible for policing of crime within the whole city, and operates a number of special divisions. The Bucharest Police are headquartered on Ştefan cel Mare Blvd in the city centre, and has a number of precincts throughout the city. From 2004 onwards, each sector City Hall also has under its administration a Community Police force (''
Poliţia Comunitară''), dealing with local community issues. Bucharest also houses the General Inspectorates of the
Gendarmerie and the
National Police.
Crime
Main articles: Crime in Bucharest
Bucharest's crime rate is rather low in comparison to other East-European capital cities, with the number of total offences declining by 51% between 2000 and 2004.
[10] In particular, levels of
violent crime remain very low, with 24 murders and 1069 other violent offences taking place in 2004.
10 Although there have been a number of recent police crackdowns on
organised crime gangs, such as the Cămătaru clan, organised crime generally has a reduced impact on public life. Petty crime, however, is more common, particularly in the form of
pickpocketing, which occurs mainly on the city's public transport network. Additionally,
confidence tricks are sometimes common, especially in regards to tourists, even though the frequency of these tricks has declined in recent years. Levels of crime are higher in the southern districts of the city, particularly in
Ferentari, a socially-disadvantaged area mainly inhabited by people of
Roma ethnicity.
Although the presence of
street children was a problem in Bucharest in the 1990s, their numbers have declined significantly in recent years, currently lying at or below the average of major European capital cities
[11]. The same is true for
beggars and
homeless people, many of them from the
Roma minority. However, there are still an estimated 1,000 street children in the city,
[11] many of whom engage in petty crime and begging. There has also been speculation that the street children are recruited by professional underground networks for criminal purposes. From 2000 onwards, Bucharest has seen an increase in illegal road races which occur mainly at night in the city's outskirts or on industrial sites.
A significant problem in the city remains
institutional corruption, which is seen as the most important justice-and-law related problem in the city.
Demographics
| 'Historical population of Bucharest' |
| Year | Population | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 30,030 | ||||||||||||
| 1831 | 60,587 | ||||||||||||
| 1859 | 122,000 | ||||||||||||
| 1900 | 282,000 | ||||||||||||
| 1918 | 383,000 | ||||||||||||
| 1930 | 639,000 | ||||||||||||
| Jan. 25, 1948 census | 1,041,807[13] | ||||||||||||
| February 21, 1956 census | 1,177,661[13] | ||||||||||||
| Mar. 15, 1966 census | 1,366,684[13] | ||||||||||||
| Jan. 5, 1977 census | 1,807,239[13] | ||||||||||||
| July 1, 1990 estimate | 2,127,194[17] | ||||||||||||
| Jan. 7, 1992 census | 2,067,545[13] | ||||||||||||
| Mar. 18, 2002 census | 1,926,334[13] | ||||||||||||
| July 1, 2005 estimate | 1,924,959[17] | ||||||||||||
| Jan. 1, 2006 estimate | 1,930,390[4] | ||||||||||||
| July 11, 2007 estimate | 1,940,500 [2] | ||||||||||||
The city's population, according to the 2002 census, is 1,926,334 inhabitants,
[13] or 8.9% of the total population of Romania. Additionally, there are about 50,000 people who commute to the city every day, mainly from the surrounding
Ilfov county.
Bucharest's population experienced two phases of rapid growth, the first in the late 19th century, when the city grew in importance and size, and the second during the
Communist period, when a massive urbanisation campaign was launched and many people
migrated from rural areas to the capital. At this time, due to Ceauşescu's ban on abortion and contraception,
natural increase was also significant.
Approximately 97% of the population of Bucharest are
ethnic Romanians, with the second largest ethnic group being the
Roma, which make up 1.4% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are
Hungarians (0.3%),
Jews (0.1%),
Turks (0,1%) and
Germans (0,1%). Some other inhabitants of Bucharest are of
Greek,
Armenian,
Lipovan and
Italian descent. The Greeks and the Armenians used to play significant roles in the life of the city at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. One the predominantly Greek neighbourhoods
Vitan - where a
Jewish population also lived; the latter was more present in
Văcăreşti and areas around
Unirii Square.
In terms of religion, 96.1% of the population are
Romanian Orthodox, 1.2% are
Roman Catholic, 0.5% are
Muslim and 0.4% are
Eastern Rite-Catholic. Despite this, only 24% of the population, of any religion, attend a place of worship once a week or more.
[23] The life expectancy of residents of Bucharest in 2003-2005 was 74.14 years, around 2 years higher than the Romanian average. Female life expectancy was 77.41 years, in comparison to 70.57 years for males.
[24]
Economy
The newly constructed Bucharest Tower Center, first building in Bucharest to become taller than the House of Free Press, at 120 m, September 2007
BRD-Tower
Bucharest Chamber of Commerce
Bucharest is the most economically-developed and
industrialised city in Romania, producing around 21% of the country's
GDP and about one-quarter of its industrial production, while only accounting for 9% of the country's population.
[25] Almost one third of national taxes is paid by Bucharest's citizens and companies. Based on local purchasing power, Bucharest has a per-capita GDP of 64.5% that of the
European Union average (2004), and more than twice the
Romanian average.
[26] Based on the fact that Bucharest produces around 21% of Romanian GDP for a population of around 2 million, the GDP (
PPP) per capita of the city would be US$20,057. The city's strong economic growth has revitalised infrastructure and led to the development of many shopping malls and modern residential towers and high-rise office buildings. In September 2005, Bucharest had an unemployment rate of 2.6%, significantly lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.7%.
[27]
Bucharest's economy is mainly centred on
industry and
services, with services particularly growing in importance in the last ten years. The city serves as the headquarters of 186,000 firms, including nearly all large Romanian companies.
[28] An important source for growth since 2000 has been the city's property and construction boom, which has resulted in a significant growth in the construction sector. Bucharest is also Romania's largest centre for
information technology and communications and is home to several software companies, including
Softwin, which operates internationally. Bucharest contains Romania's largest stock exchange, the
Bucharest Stock Exchange, which was merged in December 2005 with the Bucharest-based electronic stock exchange,
Rasdaq.
The city has a number of international
supermarket chains such as
Carrefour,
Cora and
METRO. At the moment, the city is undergoing a retail boom, with a large number of supermarkets, and hypermarkets, constructed every year. For more information, see
supermarkets in Romania. The biggest modern shopping centres in Bucharest are
Bucharest Mall,
Plaza Romania, City Mall,
Jolie Ville Galleria and
Unirea Shopping Center. However, there are also a large number of traditional markets; the one at
Obor covers about a dozen city blocks, and numerous large stores that are not officially part of the market effectively add up to a market district almost twice that size.
Transport
Main articles: Transport in Bucharest
Bucharest's extensive public transport system is the largest in Romania and the third largest in Europe. It is made up of the
Bucharest Metro, as well as a surface transport system run by
RATB (Regia Autonomă de Transport Bucureşti), which consists of buses, trams,
trolleybuses and
light rail. In addition, there is a private taxi and minibus system. The metro and the surface transport system — currently run by two separate state-owned corporations — will be merged in early 2007 to form the Bucharest Metropolitan Transport Board.
The city is served by two airports:
Henri Coandă International Airport (formerly Otopeni) and
Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (formerly Băneasa). Henri Coandă is the largest airport in
Romania and the main hub for the national operator
TAROM. It is also connected to several international airports by a wide range of international airlines. The smaller Aurel Vlaicu Airport is used for charter flights and low-cost carriers.
Bucharest is the hub of Romania's national railway network, run by
Căile Ferate Române. The main railway station is
Gara de Nord, or North Station, which provides connections to all major cities in Romania as well as international destinations such as
Budapest,
Sofia,
Vienna and
Prague. The city also has five other railway stations run by CFR, which are in the process of being integrated in a commuter railway serving Bucharest and the surrounding
Ilfov county.
The city's municipal road network is centred around a series of high-capacity boulevards, which generally radiate out from the city centre to the outskirts. The main axes, which run north-south, east-west and northwest-southeast, as well as one internal and one external ring road, support the bulk of the traffic. The city's roads are usually very crowded during rush hours, due to an increase in car ownership in recent years. Every day, there are more than one million vehicles travelling within the city.
[29] This has resulted in wear and
potholes appearing on many Bucharest roads, particularly secondary roads, this being identified as one of Bucharest's main infrastructural problems. In recent years, there has been a comprehensive effort on behalf of the City Hall to boost road infrastructure and according to the general development plan, nearly 2000 roads are expected to be repaired by 2008.
[30]
Bucharest is also a major intersection of
Romania's national road network. It is the origin of most of the country's national roads and expressways, which link the city to all of Romania's major cities as well as to neighbouring countries such as
Hungary,
Bulgaria and
Ukraine. Romania's two expressways currently in operation, the
A1 and the
A2, both start from Bucharest. The planned A3 and A4 freeways will also radiate from the Voluntari region in the city's northern outskirts.
Although it is situated on the banks of a river, Bucharest has never functioned as a port city, with other Romanian cities such as
Constanţa and
Brăila acting as the country's main ports. However, the
Danube-Bucharest Canal, which is 73 km long, is currently in construction and is around 60% completed. When finished, the canal will link Bucharest to the
Danube River and, via the
Danube-Black Sea Canal, to the
Black Sea. This corridor is expected to be a significant component of the city's transport infrastructure and increase sea traffic by a large margin.
Culture
Bucharest has a diverse and growing cultural scene, with cultural life exhibited in a number of various fields, including the
visual arts,
performing arts and
nightlife. Unlike other parts of Romania, such as the
Black Sea coast or
Transylvania, Bucharest's cultural scene is much more eclectic, without a defined style, and instead incorporates various elements of Romanian and international culture. Bucharest has an eclectic mixture of elements from traditionally Romanian buildings to buildings that are influenced by French architects. It is because of this French influence that Bucharest was once called "the Paris of the East" or "Little Paris."
Landmarks
Bucharest has a number of landmarks that are identified with it throughout the world. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the
Palace of the Parliament, which was built in the 1980s during the reign of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. Currently the largest building in Europe and the second-largest in the world, the Palace houses the Romanian Parliament (the
Chamber of Deputies and
Senate), as well as the
National Museum of Contemporary Art. It is also often used as a convention centre.
Another well-known landmark of Bucharest is the
Arcul de Triumf (Triumphal Arch), which was built in 1935 and was modelled after the
Arc de Triomphe in
Paris. A newer landmark of the city is the
Memorial of Rebirth, a stylised marble pillar unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the victims of the
Romanian Revolution of 1989, which overthrew Communism. The abstract monument sparked a great deal of controversy when it was unveiled, being dubbed with names such as "the toothpick and the olive", (''"măslina-n scobitoare"''), as many believed that it didn't symbolise the revolution well enough.
[31]
Aside from these landmarks, Bucharest also has a number of cultural venues, mentioned below, that are often considered icons of the city, such as the
Romanian Athaeneum.
Visual arts
In terms of
visual arts, the city contains a number of museums featuring both classical and contemporary Romanian art, as well as selected international works. The
National Museum of Art of Romania is perhaps the best-known of Bucharest museums. It is located in the former royal palace and features extensive collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, including works by renowned sculptor
Constantin Brâncuşi, as well as a prominent international collection assembled by the former Romanian royal family.
Other, smaller museums, contain more specialised collections of works. The
Zambaccian Museum, which is situated in the former home of Armenian-Romanian art collector Krikor H. Zambaccian contains works by many well-known Romanian artists as well as international artists such as
Paul Cézanne,
Eugène Delacroix,
Henri Matisse,
Camille Pissarro and
Pablo Picasso.
The
Gheorghe Tattarescu Museum contains portraits of Romanian revolutionaries in exile such as
Gheorghe Magheru,
Ştefan Golescu,
Nicolae Bălcescu and allegorical compositions with revolutionary (''Romania's rebirth'', 1849) and patriotic (''The
Principalities' Unification'', 1857) themes.
The
Theodor Pallady Museum is situated in one of the oldest surviving merchant houses in Bucharest and includes many works by Romanian painter
Theodor Pallady as well as a number of European and Oriental furniture pieces.
The
Museum of Art Collections contains the collections of a number of well-known Romanian art aficionados, including Krikor Zambaccian and Theodor Pallady.
Despite the extensive classical art galleries and museums in the city, there is also a contemporary arts scene that has become increasingly prominent in recent times. The
National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), situated in a wing of the
Palace of the Parliament, was opened in 2004 and contains a widespread collection of Romanian and international contemporary art, in a number of expressive forms. The MNAC also manages the Kalinderu MediaLab, which caters specifically to multimedia and experimental art. There is also a range of smaller, private art galleries throughout the city centre.
Performing arts
Performing arts are one of the strongest cultural elements of Bucharest, and the city has a number of world-renowned facilities and institutions. The most prominent is the neoclassical
Romanian Athenaeum, which was founded in 1852, hosts classical music concerts, the
George Enescu Festival, and is home to the "
George Enescu" Philharmonic. Bucharest is also home to the
Romanian National Opera, as well as the
I.L. Caragiale National Theatre. Another well-known theatre in Bucharest is the
State Jewish Theatre, which has gained increasing prominence in recent years due partly to the fact that it features plays starring world-renowned Romanian-Jewish actress
Maia Morgenstern. There is also a large number of smaller theatres throughout the city that cater to specific genres, such as the Comedy Theatre, the Nottara Theatre, the Bulandra Theatre, the Odeon Theatre, and the
Constantin Tănase Revue Theatre.
Music and nightlife
Space Club
Bucharest is home to Romania's largest recording labels, and is often the residence of Romanian musicians. The city's music scene is quite
eclectic. Many Romanian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s, such as
Iris and
Holograf, continue to be popular, particularly with the middle-aged, while since the 1990s there has been growth in the
boy band and
hip hop genres. The eclectic pop-rock band
Taxi have been gaining international respect, as has
Spitalul de Urgenţă's raucous updating of traditional Romanian music. While many
discos play
manele, a Turkish-influenced type of music that is particularly popular in Bucharest's working class districts, the city has an increasing
jazz and
blues scene, and, to an extent,
eurodance/
trance and
heavy metal/
punk. The city's nightlife, particularly its
club scene grew significantly in the 1990s, and continues to increase. The city does not have a central nightlife strip, with many entertainment venues dispersed throughout the city centre. One of the city's best known clubs is the
Lăptăria Enache and the La Motoare, located above (on the rooftop of) the National Theatre, as well as Fire Club and Club A. Most clubs and bars are located around the center of the city, from the
Piaţa Unirii to
Piaţa Romană. Also, a large concentration of rock clubs can be found in the
Lipscani area, the old part of the city, in the vicinity of Piata Unirii.
Another popular venue, especially among students from the Politehnica University campus, is Club Maxx, located on Splaiul Independentei No. 290.
The city also hosts some of the best electronic/house music clubs in Europe such as Bamboo and Krystal Club. During the summer, Cuba Club is an outdoor club on the shore of a lake and has two separate dance floors. The Office is one of the most exclusive clubs in Bucharest and has a long tradition in clubbing. One of the best cocktail clubs is Deja Vu situated on Balcescu Boulevard Near the Italian church. Other clubs are: Glamour, Tipsy, Cotton Club, Pat, Studio Martin and Embryo.
Traditional culture
Bucharest's culture has, especially in the last 15 years, become more modern and wordly in comparison to other Romanian cities. Traditional Romanian culture, however, continues to have an influence in domains such as theatre and music. Additionally, Bucharest has two internationally-renowned
ethnographic museums, the
Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the open-air
Village Museum. The Village Museum, in
Herăstrău Park, contains 272 authentic buildings and peasant farms from all over Romania. The Museum of the Romanian Peasant was declared the European Museum of the Year in 1996, and displays a rich collection of textiles (especially costumes), icons, ceramics, and other artifacts of Romanian peasant life.
The
Museum of Romanian History is another important museum in Bucharest, containing a collection of artefacts detailing Romanian history and culture from the prehistoric times,
Dacian era, medieval times and the modern era.
Cultural events and festivals
There are a number of cultural festivals in Bucharest throughout the year, in various domains, even though most festivals take place in the summer months of June, July and August. The National Opera organises the International Opera Festival every year in May and June, which includes ensembles and orchestras from all over the world. The Romanian Athaeneum Society hosts the
George Enescu Classical Music Festival at various locations throughout the city in September every year. Additionally, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the Village Museum organise a number of events throughout the year showcasing Romanian folk arts and crafts.
|}
In recent years, due to the growing prominence of the Chinese community in Bucharest, several Chinese cultural events have taken place. The first officially-organised Chinese festival was the
Chinese New Year's Eve Festival of February 2005 which took place in Nichita Stănescu Park and was organised by the Bucharest City Hall.
[32]
In 2005, Bucharest was the first city in
Southeastern Europe to host the international
CowParade, which resulted in dozens of decorated cow sculptures being placed at various points across the city.
Since 2005 Bucharest has its own contemporary art
biennale, the
Bucharest Biennale. The current (2006) issue (curated by Zsolt Pétranyi) will go on until the end of June, the next edition will be in 2008.
The 2000s also saw an increasing visibility of Bucharest
gay culture, with the opening of the Queen's Club, the first
LGBT club in the city, in 2001, and the launch of the annual
Bucharest GayFest in 2004. The city's first
gay pride parade was held as part of the 2005 GayFest.
Architecture
Bucharest's architecture is highly
eclectic due to the many influences on the city throughout its history. The city centre is a mixture of medieval, neoclassical and
art nouveau buildings, as well as 'neo-Romanian' buildings dating from the beginning of the 20th century and a remarkable collection of modern buildings from the 30s and 40s. Very present as well the mostly-utilitarian Communist-era architecture. The city is lately invaded by contemporary structures such as skyscrapers and office buildings, mainly constructed after 2000.
Historical architecture
Union Hotel
Cercul Militar Naţional
Of the city's
medieval architecture, most of what survived into modern times was destroyed by the Communists and replaced by high-rise apartment blocks. Still, some historical precincts remain, the most notable of which is the
Lipscani area. This precinct contains buildings such as
Manuc's Inn and the ruins of the
Curtea Veche (the Old Court of the King), and during the
Middle Ages was the heart of Bucharest's commercial world. From the 1970s onwards, the area went through urban decline, and many historical buildings fell into disrepair. In 2005, the Lipscani area was entirely pedestrianised and is currently undergoing restoration.
The city centre has also retained architecture from the late 19th century and early 20th century, particularly the
interwar period, which is often seen as the "golden age" of Bucharest architecture. During this time, the city grew significantly in size and sought to emulate other large European capitals such as
Paris. Much of the architecture of the time belongs to a remarkably strong Modern (rationalist) Architecture current, led by Horia Creanga and
Marcel Iancu, which managed to literally change the face of the city. Two notable buildings from this time are the
Creţulescu Palace, currently housing cultural institutions including
UNESCO's European Centre for Higher Education, and the
Cotroceni Palace, the current residence of the
Romanian President. Many large-scale constructions such as
Gara de Nord, the main railway station, and the
National Bank of Romania's headquarters, date from these times. In the 2000s, a wide variety of historic buildings in the city centre underwent restoration. In some residential areas of the city, particularly the high-income northern suburbs, there are many
turn-of-the-century villas, most of which were restored after 2000.
Communist architecture
View from Grant Bridge
A major part of Bucharest's architecture is made up of buildings constructed during the
Communist era replacing the historical architecture with "more efficient" high density apartment blocks -
one-fifth of the the city was demolished only for constructing the third largest building in the world:
Casa Poporului -
Palace of the Parliament. In Nicolae Ceauşescu's project of
systematization many new buildings were built in previously-historical areas,
which were razed and then built upon from scratch. One of the best examples of this type of architecture is
Centrul Civic, a development that replaced a major part of Bucharest's historic city centre with giant utilitarian buildings, mainly with
marble or
travertine façades, inspired by
North Korean architecture. Communist-era architecture can also be found in Bucharest's residential districts, mainly in ''blocuri'', which are high-density apartment blocks that house the majority of the city's population.
Since
the fall of Communism in 1989, several Communist-era buildings have been refurbished, modernised and used for other purposes. Perhaps the best example of this is the conversion of several agro-alimentary complexes into shopping malls and commercial centres. These giant circular halls, which were most often known as
hunger circuses due to the food shortages experienced in the 1980s, were constructed during the Ceauşescu era to act as produce markets and
refectories, although most were left unfinished at the time of the Revolution. Modern shopping malls like
Bucharest Mall,
Plaza Romania and
City Mall emerged on pre-existent structures of former hunger circuses. Another example is the modernisation and conversion of a large utilitarian construction in
Centrul Civic into a
Marriott Hotel. This process was accelerated after 2000, when the city underwent a property boom, and many Communist-era buildings in the city centre became prime real estate due to their location. In recent years, many Communist-era apartment blocks have also been refurbished to improve the city's urban appearance.
Contemporary architecture
The headquarters of the Romanian Architects Association, built on the ruins of the Direcţia V
Securitate
Bucharest Financial Plaza
The newest contribution to Bucharest's architecture took place after the fall of Communism, and particularly after 2000, when the city went through a period of urban renewal – and architectural revitalization – on the back of Romania's economic boom. Buildings from this time are mostly made out of glass and
steel, and often have more than fifteen storeys. Examples include shopping malls (particularly the
Bucharest Mall, a conversion and extension of an abandoned building), office buildings, bank headquarters, the
Bucharest World Trade Center and the
Chamber of Commerce, which lies on the banks of the
Dâmboviţa.
As of 2005, there is a significant number of office buildings in construction, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the city. Additionally, there has been a trend in recent years to add modern wings and
façades to historic buildings, the most prominent example of which is the Bucharest Architects' Association Building, which is a modern glass-and-steel construction built inside a historic stone façade. Aside from buildings used for business and institutions, various new residential developments are currently underway, many of which consist of modern high-rise buildings with a glass exterior, surrounded by American-style residential communities. These developments are increasingly prominent in the northern suburbs of the city, which are less densely-populated and are home to middle- and upper-class Bucharesters due to the process of
gentrification.
Gallery
Media
Bucharest is the most important centre for Romanian mass media, since it is the headquarters of all the national television networks as well as national newspapers and radio stations. The largest daily newspapers in Bucharest include ''
Evenimentul Zilei'', ''
Jurnalul Naţional'', ''
Cotidianul'', ''
România Liberă'', ''
Adevărul'', ''
Gardianul'' and ''
Gândul''. During the rush hours,
tabloid newspapers ''
Libertatea'' and ''
Ziarul'' are very popular for commuters.
A significant number of newspapers and media publications are based in
Casa Presei Libere (The House of the Free Press) a landmark of northern Bucharest, originally named Casa Scânteii after the Communist-era official newspaper ''
Scînteia''. Casa Presei Libere is not the only Bucharest landmark that grew out of the media and communications industry.
Palatul Telefoanelor ("the telephone palace") was the first major modernist building on Calea Victoriei in the city's center, and the massive, unfinished communist-era
Casa Radio looms over a park a block away from the Opera.
English-language media became available in Bucharest in the 1990s, and has become increasingly prominent since 2000. There are two daily English-language newspapers, ''
Bucharest Daily News'' and ''
Nine O' Clock'', as well as numerous other magazines. A number of publications in other languages are also available, such as the Hungarian-language daily ''
Új Magyar Szó''.
''
Observator Cultural'' covers the city's arts, and the free weekly ''
Şapte Seri'' ("Seven Evenings") and ''B24FUN'' lists entertainments of all sorts. The city is also home to the intellectual journal ''
Dilema'' and the satire magazine ''
Academia Caţavencu'', as well as the usual array of commercial magazines one would find in any European capital.
Bucharest is the host city of the fourth edition of the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006.
Sports
Football (soccer) is the most widely-followed sport in Bucharest, with the city having various club teams that are known throughout Europe. Five football teams of Bucharest participate in
Liga 1 (League 1), old named Divizia A, the top division in the Romanian football league:
The
Lia Manoliu Stadium is the largest stadium in Romania (capacity: 60,120). Also there are sport centers, like Dinamo Sports Park and the National Sports Center.
There are also a number of sport clubs for
ice hockey,
rugby union,
basketball,
handball,
water polo and
volleyball. The majority of Romanian track and field athletes, boxers, and a great number of gymnasts are affiliated with clubs in Bucharest. The Athletics and many Gymnastics National Championships are held in Bucharest, one main reason being the city's extensive sporting infrastructure.
Every autumn, Bucharest hosts
BCR Open Romania international tennis tournament, which is included in the
ATP Tour. Also, the Romanian
Davis Cup Team usually plays its matches in Bucharest, either outdoors at the
BNR Arena or indoor at the
Sala Polivalentă. Ice hockey games are held at the Mihai Flamaropol hall, which holds 8,000 spectators.
For the
2007 season, Bucharest will host a round of the
FIA GT Championship at the new
Bucharest Ring, on
May 20.
[3]
Portrayal in film and fiction
★ The American novel ''
The Historian'' by Elizabeth Kostova focuses on Romanian history and the story of Dracula, following one of the main characters who travels to Bucharest and Romania during the 1930s.
★ The American-produced Romanian-language documentary ''
Children Underground'' (2001)
[4] portrays the lives of homeless children in Bucharest.
★ The Romanian-language film ''
Filantropica'' ("Philanthropy", 2002)
[5] gives a satiric portrayal of the city and of many strata of its life.
★ The English-language film ''The Wild Dogs'' (2002)
[6] gives a more uniformly bleak portrait of the city.
★ The English-dubbed film ''Entre chiens et loups'' (2002)
[7] features various parts of the city, suburbs & nite-spots as a backdrop to a French action movie.
★
Wesley Snipes starred in ''7 Seconds'' (2005), an action flick filmed entirely on location in Bucharest.
[8] The film features the city's varied architecture.
★ Historic Communist Bucharest was depicted in
Jack Chick's first comic book, "Operation Bucharest", first published in 1974. It is loosely based on a Baptist Ministry called "Couriers For Christ" based there.
★ The film adaptation of the novel
Blood and Chocolate was set in Bucharest.
★ The French film 'Ils' (2006) was set in Bucharest, based on real events.
[9]
Sister cities
Bucharest's
sister cities are:
★
Athens,
Greece (since 1993)
★
Atlanta, Georgia,
United States (since 1994)
★
Amman,
Jordan (since 1999)
★
Ankara,
Turkey
★
Beijing,
China (since 2005)
★
Chişinău,
Republic of Moldova
★
Montreal,
Canada
★
Nicosia,
Cyprus (since 2004)
See also
★
List of Bucharesters (important personalities born in Bucharest)
★
List of buildings in Bucharest (important buildings in Bucharest)
★
Coat of arms of Bucharest
Notes
1. Bucharest Travel Guide, Fodors
2. Bucharest, the small Paris of the East, on the Museums from Romania web site.
3. Bucica, 2000, p.6.
4. "Populatia Romaniei scade de la an la an"
5. "Bucharest: Few expectations for urban development", page 29 XIX Meeting of METREX Network, Nürnberg, 15-18 June 2005
6. "Bucharest: Few expectations for urban development", page 29 XIX Meeting of METREX Network, Nürnberg, 15-18 June 2005
7. "Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits"]]
8. PriceWaterhouseCoopers Global Regional Attractiveness Report Romania
9. Botanical Garden, onlinegallery.ro. Accessed 13 October 2006.
10. Bucharest Crime Statistics 2000-2004, Bucharest Directorate-General of Police
11. , Hilton Foundation/Council of Europe
12. , Hilton Foundation/Council of Europe
13. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
14. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
15. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
16. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
17. "Populaţia, pe sexe şi medii, la 1 iulie"
18. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
19. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
20. "Populaţia, pe sexe şi medii, la 1 iulie"
21. "Populatia Romaniei scade de la an la an"
22. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns"
23. Open Society Institute's Survey into Religiosity in Romania (Microsoft Word document)
24. Populaţia şi fenomene demografice pe sectoare administrative ale Municipiului Bucureşti (''Population and demographic phenomena by administrative sectors of the Municipality of Bucharest'')
25. Joint Inclusion Memorandum of Romania
26. Danuta Hübner pays a visit to Romania (European Commission Press Release, 14 July 2005)
27. Major economic indicators of Romania in the period 1 January 2005-30 October 2005, National Institute of Statistics of Romania, 9 December 2005
28. Toti bucurestenii vor avea dosar fiscal din 2006, ''Averea'', 15 December 2005
29. Governing programme of Adriean Videanu, General Mayor of Bucharest
30. Rehabilitation of Urban Roads, Phase II, from the site of the General Mayor of Bucharest, Adriean Videanu
31. „Memorialul Renasterii“, ce oribilitate! ("The Monument of Rebirth - how horrible!"), ''Săptămâna Financiară'', August 2005
32. Chinese New Year's Eve celebrated in Bucharest, ''Bucharest Daily News'', 7 February 2005
References
★
Webcam Live in Bucharest
★
Modern history of Bucharest, City Hall of Bucharest
★
Public transport in Bucharest, InYourPocket Bucharest, 2005
★ Şerban Cantacuzino, ''Două Oraşe Distincte''. Revista Secolul XX 4/6 (1997): 11–40
★ Ernie Schoffham, Luminiţa MacHedon, Şerban Cantacuzino, ''Romanian Modernism: The Architecture of Bucharest, 1920-1940''
★
Romania: Arts & Architecture, Romanian Tourist Office
★ Tatiana Murzin,
Romanian Education, 2005
★
Romanian Education Portal, Site for the Ministry of Education containing lists of all educational establishments.
★
Overview of Bucharest, Fodor's Travel Guide
★
Bucharest, the small Paris of the East, on the Museums from Romania web site.
★ Bucica, Cristina. , 2000.
External links
Official sites
★
Bucharest: Official administration site
★
The Bucharest Prefecture
★
RATB (Public Transport Company) official website
★
Metrorex (Underground Transport Company) official website
City guides
★
★
Bucharest Interactive map
★ Another
Bucharest Interactive map
★
Restaurants, Clubs, Pubs, Museums etc. in Bucharest from ''
Şapte Seri''.
★
Bucharest Map Any location of interest on the map - bus stations, public institutions, bars, clubs, etc
Other
★
Bucharest between the World Wars: A modernity with fringes, exhibition by the Centre of Excellence in Image Studies (CESI), of the University of Bucharest.
★
Bucureştii - un oraş fară istorie ... ??!! / Bucurestiul - inainte de ... ("Bucharest - a city without history ... ??!! / Bucharest - before ..."). Extensive collection of historical photos and drawings.
★
Article on Building in Bucharest: The city where anything goes, From 'The Diplomat - Bucharest' magazine
★
Candid photos of Bucharest in late 1991, complete with satellite map references
★
360° Bucharest panoramas by Panoramax
★
A red's white elephant 2005 National Review article by Anthony Daniels
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