1.
Bucharest
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Bucharest is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25′57″N 26°06′14″E, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than 60 km north of the Danube River, Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became the capital of Romania in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture and its architecture is a mix of historical, interbellum, communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the citys elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of Little Paris. Although buildings and districts in the city centre were heavily damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic, in 2016, the historical city centre was listed as endangered by the World Monuments Watch. According to the 2011 census,1,883,425 inhabitants live within the city limits, the urban area extends beyond the limits of Bucharest proper and has a population of about 1.9 million people. Adding the satellite towns around the area, the proposed metropolitan area of Bucharest would have a population of 2.27 million people. According to Eurostat, Bucharest has an urban zone of 2,183,091 residents. According to unofficial data, the population is more than 3 million, Bucharest is the sixth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania and is one of the industrial centres. The city has big convention facilities, educational institutes, cultural venues, traditional shopping arcades, the Romanian name București has an uncertain origin. Tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur, who was a prince, an outlaw, a fisherman, in Romanian, the word stem bucurie means joy, and it is believed to be of Dacian origin. Other etymologies are given by scholars, including the one of an Ottoman traveler, Evliya Çelebi. A native or resident of Bucharest is called a Bucharester, Bucharests history alternated periods of development and decline from the early settlements in antiquity until its consolidation as the national capital of Romania late in the 19th century. First mentioned as the Citadel of București in 1459, it became the residence of the famous Wallachian prince Vlad III the Impaler, the Ottomans appointed Greek administrators to run the town from the 18th century. A short-lived revolt initiated by Tudor Vladimirescu in 1821 led to the end of the rule of Constantinople Greeks in Bucharest, the Old Princely Court was erected by Mircea Ciobanul in the mid-16th century. Under subsequent rulers, Bucharest was established as the residence of the royal court
2.
Drumul Taberei
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It is one of the few examples of successful urban planning during Communist Romania, despite it being built in the Eastern European tradition of dormitory neighborhoods. This success is due to the unique approach of the architects and planners to the concept of high-density urban living. The neighbourhood was built in the mid-to-late 1960s, on agricultural fields and marshland. It was called Road of the Camp because Tudor Vladimirescu set there his Pandur camp before entering Bucharest in 1821, the central concept of the area was providing for a comfortable living environment in a high density urban area. The heart of the quarter is Drumul Taberei Park, a park, complete with an artificial lake. The main avenue of the circles the park forming a U shape, extending outwards to the east. Immediately east of the park, a large north-south street cuts across the U-shaped avenues in order to provide access to Militari. Next to the park, a large market was built. Public transport was constructed to be a part of the neighbourhood. As such, even today, the neighbourhood is well connected to all parts of the city, around each trolleybus stop, commercial areas were planned and built, to include stores, restaurants and cinemas, to serve for each small community served by that stop. The design of the neighbourhood was influenced by the then-fashionable brutalism, in all,63,000 apartments were built. The design of the placed a great importance on mass transit. The network also features a number of bus lines, serving additional routes inside the neighborhood, an extension of the metro to Drumul Taberei, Metro Line M5, is under construction, with an estimated completion date of 2017
3.
Bucharest Metro
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The Bucharest Metro is an underground rapid transit system that serves the capital of Romania, Bucharest. It first opened for service on 16 November 1979, the network is run by Metrorex. In total, the Metrorex system is 71.35 kilometres long and has 53 stations, the first proposals for a metro system in Bucharest were made in the early part of the 20th century, by the Romanian engineers Dimitrie Leonida and Elie Radu. The earliest plans for a Bucharest Metro were drafted in the late 1930s, the outbreak of World War II, followed by periods of political tensions culminating with the installation of communism, put an end to the plans. By 1970, the transport system was no longer adequate due to the fast pace of urban development. A commission was set up, and its conclusion pointed to the necessity of a transit system that would become the Bucharest Metro. The construction on the new system started on 20 September 1975. The network was not built in the style as other Eastern European systems. Firstly, the design of the stations on the lines was simple, clean-cut modern, without excessive additions such as mosaics. The main function of the stations was speed of transit and practicality, secondly, the trainsets themselves were all constructed in Romania and did not follow the Eastern European style of construction. Each station usually followed a theme, and an open plan. No station was made to look exactly like any other, despite this, many stations are rather dark, due to the policies of energy economy in the late 1980s, with later modernisations doing little to fix this problem. Bucharest being one of the largest cities in the region, the network is larger than those of Prague or Budapest, when the planned new line-extensions are finished, they will increase the system length to more than 100 km, with about 80 stations. The first line, M1, opened on 16 November 1979 and it was 8. 1-kilometre long with 6 stations. Large stations which connect with other lines have two terminals, and each terminal goes by a different name. On the official map, they are shown as two stations with a connection in between, even though, in practice, they are really only one station with platforms at different levels. There is one exception, Gara de Nord 1 and Gara de Nord 2 are separate stations, generally, the underground stations feature large interiors. The largest one, Piata Unirii, is cathedral-like, with vast interior spaces, hosting retail outlets and fast-food restaurants and has an network of underground corridors
4.
Gara de Nord
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Bucharest North railway station is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. The vast majority of trains to and from Bucharest originate from Gara de Nord. The station was built between 1868-1872, the stone was set on September 10,1868 in the presence of Carol I of Romania. The building is designed as a U-shaped structure, the first railways between Roman - Galați - Bucharest - Pitești were put in service on September 13,1872. Between 1895-1896 a new wing of the station was built, which included a Royal hall due to the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary and it was initially named Gara Târgoviștei, after the road nearby, Calea Târgoviștei and took its current name in 1888. There are currently 14 tracks and 8 platforms, the station is served by several bus lines as well as the Gara de Nord metro station. Also, the station is connected by CFR train to Henri Coandă International Airport, Bucharest Metro Media related to Gara de Nord at Wikimedia Commons Trains timetable Station North Bucharest Trains timetable
5.
A1 motorway (Romania)
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The A1 motorway is a partially built motorway in Romania, planned to connect Bucharest with the Banat and Crișana regions in the western part of the country. When completed it will be 580 kilometers long and it will span the country on the approximative south-east to north west direction. The motorway starts in the part of Bucharest and connects the following major cities, Pitești, Sibiu, Deva, Timișoara, Arad. As the motorway is built along the Trans-European Transport Networks Rhine-Danube Corridor the construction receives 85% funding from the European Union, as of March 2017, the combined length of the opened sections totals 400.4 kilometers. Other 56.7 kilometers are under construction, the parts of the motorway currently in service include the Bucharest – Pitești section, the Sibiu – Deva section, and the Margina – Nădlac section. Construction works are carried out between Deva and Margina, specifically on three segments having a length of 56.7 kilometers. This section of the motorway is fully operational and is composed of two segments, Bucharest – Pitești and Pitești bypass and it was constructed between 1967 and 1972 during the communist regime. As of November 2015 this is the segment of the motorway where in rest areas operate motels. The Pitești bypass segment was awarded in April 2004 to a joint venture composed of Italian companies Astaldi, the segment was opened to traffic during November 2007, having a major role in diverting traffic from the Pitești city centre. An underpass in the Bascov area was built to resolve traffic congestion at the nearby junction of the DN7. The underpass was completed during October 2008. This section of the motorway is planned and is split into five segments, Pitești – Curtea de Argeș. This is the most difficult section of the motorway from construction works perspective, considering that it has to cross the Carpathian mountains. The tender for the update was launched in April 2012 aiming to have the section finalized by 2020, eight months later the Romanian Government reconsidered and cancelled the tender. Dependent on the issues that might be identified and their environmental impact, following these consultations, it is expected that on 15 December 2015 the company preparing the feasibility study will hand over to CNADNR the final study for lots 1 and 5. According to the version of the Master Plan, the section is expected to be completed until 2020 using a mix between European funds, Romanian budget and low interest loans. This section of the motorway is fully operational and this plan suffered multiple delays and eventually in September 2006 CNADNR decided to terminate the contract. Following this, the section was split into two segments, the first segment was awarded in May 2008 to a joint venture composed of Geiger, Max Bögl and Comtram
6.
Romanian Revolution of 1989
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The Romanian Revolution was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania in December 1989 and part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries. It was also the last removal of a Communist government in a Warsaw Pact country during the events of 1989, in response, Romanians sought revolution and a change in government in light of similar recent events in neighboring nations. Social and economic malaise had been present in socialist Romania for quite some time, the austerity measures were designed in part by Ceaușescu to repay foreign debts. Evading capture by hastily departing via helicopter effectively portrayed the couple as both fugitives and also acutely guilty of accused crimes. They were convicted on all charges, sentenced to death, and immediately executed on Christmas Day 1989, becoming the last persons condemned to death, present-day Romania has unfolded in the shadow of the Ceaușescus along with its communist past, and the tumultuous departure from it. The National Salvation Front quickly took power after Ceaușescu was toppled, promising free, since that point Romania has become far more integrated with the West than its former, albeit tepid, relations with Moscow. Romania became a member of NATO and the European Union in 2004 and 2007, democratic reforms have proven to be moderately successful, though issues with corruption remain. Economic reforms continue, with Romania still possessing, for example, in 1981 Ceaușescu began an austerity program designed to enable Romania to liquidate its entire national debt. To achieve this, many basic goods—including gas, heat and food—were rationed, the infant mortality rate also grew to be the highest in Europe. The secret police had become so omnipresent that it made Romania essentially a police state, free speech was limited and opinions that did not favor the Communist Party were forbidden. The large numbers of Securitate informers made organized dissent nearly impossible, the regime deliberately played on this sense that everyone was being watched to make it easier to bend the people to the Partys will. Even by Soviet-bloc standards, the Securitate was exceptionally brutal, Ceaușescu created a cult of personality, with weekly shows in stadiums or on streets in different cities dedicated to him, his wife and the Communist Party. These and similar projects drained the finances and aggravated the already dire economic situation. Thousands of Bucharest residents were evicted from their homes, which were demolished to make room for the huge structures. Conversely, while Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev spoke of reform, Ceaușescu maintained a political line. The austerity program started in 1981 and the widespread poverty it introduced made the Communist regime very unpopular, however, in months following the announcement austerity and a shortage of goods remained the same as before. It initially appeared that Ceaușescu would weather the wave of revolution sweeping across Eastern Europe and he was formally re-elected for another five-year term as General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party on 24 November at the partys XIV Congress. On the same day, Ceaușescus counterpart in Czechoslovakia, Miloš Jakeš, resigned along with the entire Communist leadership and they were released on 22 December 1989 at 14,00
7.
Hypermarket
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In commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is a retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines. In theory, hypermarkets allow customers to satisfy all their shopping needs in one trip. The term hypermarket was coined in 1968 by French trade expert Jacques Pictet, hypermarkets, like other big-box stores, typically have business models focusing on high-volume, low-margin sales. Typically covering an area of 5,000 to 15,000 square metres, because of their large footprints, many hypermarkets choose suburban or out-of-town locations that are easily accessible by automobile. The stores innovations included a store alongside a drugstore plus off-street parking. In 1933, mens and womens wear was added, and automotive department, housewares, by the 1950s, Fred Meyer began opening stores that were 45,000 sq ft to 70,000 sq ft, and the 1960s saw the first modern-sized Fred Meyer hypermarkets. The substantially larger store opened a week later in Auderghem near Brussels. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the three major US discount store chains – Walmart, Kmart and Target – started developing hypermarkets. Most Greatland stores have since converted to SuperTarget stores, while some have been converted into regular Target stores with the exception of 2 entrances. In the early 1990s, US hypermarkets also began selling fuel, the idea was first introduced in the 1960s, when a number of supermarket chains and retailers like Sears tried to sell fuel, but it didnt generate sufficient consumer interest at the time. Today there are approximately 4,500 hypermarket stores in the US selling fuel, the average Walmart Supercenter covers around 179,000 square feet, with the largest ones covering 260,000 sq ft. A typical Carrefour hypermarket still covers 10,000 m2, while the European trend in the 2000s has rather turned towards smaller hypermarkets of 3,000 to 5,000 m2. In France, INSEE defines hypermarkets as non-specialized markets with a size of 2,500 m2. In France, hypermarkets are generally situated in shopping centers outside of cities and they are surrounded by extensive car parking facilities, and generally by other specialized superstores that sell clothing, sports gear, automotive items, etc. In Japan, hypermarkets may be found in areas as well as less populated areas. The Japanese government encourages hypermarket installations, as investment by financial stocks are a common way to run hypermarkets. A recent trend has been to combine the dollar store concept with the hypermarket blueprint, sanyal has also argued that some developing countries such as India may even skip the hypermarket stage and directly go online
8.
Cora (hypermarket)
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Cora is a retail group of hypermarkets located in France and elsewhere in Europe. Cora was founded in 1974 by the supermarket holding Louis Delhaize Group after taking over three Carrefour hypermarkets located in Belgium and these three were originally established around 1969 as a joint venture franchise between two other companies, the Carrefour Group and the Delhaize Group. The Louis Delhaize Group owns several supermarket and hypermarket chains internationally, including Cora, Louis Delhaize, Match, Profi, Truffaut, Ecomax, Animalis, Sovena, the name Cora is borrowed from the Greek goddess Persephone who is also known as Cora. As of 3 October 2013, Cora has eleven hypermarkets in Romania, four of which are in Bucharest, Cora France Cora Belgium Cora Romania Cora Luxembourg Cora Antilles
9.
Carrefour
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Carrefour S. A. is a French multinational retailer headquartered in Boulogne Billancourt, France, in the Hauts-de-Seine Department near Paris. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world, Carrefour operates in more than 30 countries, in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Carrefour means crossroads and public square in French, the company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index. The first Carrefour store opened on in 1960, within suburban Annecy near a crossroads, the Carrefour group was the first in Europe to open a hypermarket, a large supermarket and a department store under the same roof. They opened their first hypermarket on 15 June 1963 in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, in April 1976, Carrefour launched a private label Produits libres line of fifty foodstuffs, including oil, biscuits, milk, and pasta, sold in unbranded white packages at substantially lower prices. In 1999 it merged with Promodès, known as Continent, one of its competitors in the French market. In September 2009, Carrefour updated its logo, in April 2015, Brazilian businessman Abílio Diniz revealed he was in talks to raise his 5.07 percent stake in Carrefour and has the support of shareholders to take a board seat. The head office of the Groupe Carrefour is in Boulogne Billancourt in the Paris metropolitan area, Carrefour leased space in the 9,257 square metres Gecina building at 36 avenue Émile Zola effective 1 December 2010. The complex has 208 parking spaces and has an aluminium facade, E. Naud and L. Poulx designed the building. The chains Carrefour Hypermarket division has its office in Courcouronnes, Essonne, France. Armenia Carrefour opened its first hypermarket in Armenia at Yerevan Mall on 11 March 2015, Bahrain Carrefour has also opened a franchise owned branch in the Bahrain City Centre in 2008. It was the leading retailer in terms of sales figures. A selection of Carrefour products are sold in Hong Kong via Wellcome, Kazakhstan Carrefour opened its first hypermarket in Almaty on February 11,2016. So far it is the one in Kazakhstan. India Carrefour operates cash and carry stores in India under the name Carrefour Wholesale Cash&Carry, the first store opened on 30 December 2010 in Shahdara, Delhi. This was followed by a store in Jaipur in late 2011 and one in Meerut in October 2012, prior to September 2012, Indias foreign direct investment policy did not allow foreign companies to open multi-brand retail stores in the country. However, 100% FDI in cash-and-carry has been permitted since 1997, as a result, most global retailers, including Carrefour, opted for the cash-and-carry route in India. A new FDI policy, allowing up to 51% FDI in multi-brand retail, on 8 July 2014, Carrefour announced that it will shut down its Indian operations and close its five wholesale stores by the end of September
10.
Plaza Romania
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Plaza Romania is a shopping mall in Bucharest, Romania. The centre has two functional sections - a mall and a hypermarket, which can be operated according to operation conditions. The site also includes an open-air carpark and an indoor carpark, on August 29,2009, a tribute to Michael Jackson was given at Plaza Romania with many dancers. This would have been his 51st birthday, bucurești Mall Malldova Plaza Romania, Official site
11.
Lujerului metro station
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Lujerului metro station, previously known as Armata Poporului is a metro station in the Militari neighborhood of Bucharest. The metro station also services the Plaza Romania mall and it was opened in August 1983 and currently serves M3. The station is also of the platform design, slightly narrower than Politehnica, also built in marble and featuring a color scheme based on white, crimson. The previous name of the station comes from the name of the easternmost portion of the Iuliu Maniu Avenue. The name of the avenue was changed in 1997 to honor Iuliu Maniu, however, the name of the metro station stuck, in part because of the reluctance of Metrorex to change station names. In 2009, the name of the station was changed to Lujerului. The light rail line 41, which goes from Ghencea to Piaţa Presei Libere also passes near this metro station
12.
Romania
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Romania is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and it has an area of 238,391 square kilometres and a temperate-continental climate. With over 19 million inhabitants, the country is the member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth-largest city in the EU, the River Danube, Europes second-longest river, rises in Germany and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km, coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romanias Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains, which cross Romania from the north to the southwest are marked by one of their tallest peaks, Moldoveanu, modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, at the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. Romania lost several territories, of which Northern Transylvania was regained after the war, following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition towards democracy and it has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. A strong majority of the population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians and are speakers of Romanian. The cultural history of Romania is often referred to when dealing with artists, musicians, inventors. For similar reasons, Romania has been the subject of notable tourist attractions, Romania derives from the Latin romanus, meaning citizen of Rome. The first known use of the appellation was attested in the 16th century by Italian humanists travelling in Transylvania, Moldavia, after the abolition of serfdom in 1746, the word rumân gradually fell out of use and the spelling stabilised to the form român. Tudor Vladimirescu, a leader of the early 19th century. The use of the name Romania to refer to the homeland of all Romanians—its modern-day meaning—was first documented in the early 19th century. The name has been officially in use since 11 December 1861, in English, the name of the country was formerly spelt Rumania or Roumania. Romania became the predominant spelling around 1975, Romania is also the official English-language spelling used by the Romanian government. The Neolithic-Age Cucuteni area in northeastern Romania was the region of the earliest European civilization. Evidence from this and other sites indicates that the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture extracted salt from salt-laden spring water through the process of briquetage
13.
Sectors of Bucharest
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In 1798, there were five of these, Târgul, Podul Mogoșoaiei, Târgul de afară, Broștenii and Gorganul. During the Russo-Turkish War, these were given the names of colors, after World War I, each of the four culori, also called sectoare by this time, was given its own mayor and council. At the beginning of Ion Antonescus regime, the culori were briefly abolished but restored several months later. I, in 1968, the raions became sectors, their names replaced by cardinal numbers. In 1979, Sector VIII was merged into Sector I and Sector II into Sector 3, statistics and Demographics relating to Bucharest Sectors
14.
Sector 1 (Bucharest)
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Sector 1 is an administrative unit of Bucharest located in the northern part of the city. It contains also the districts of Băneasa and Pipera. Sector 1 is thought to be the wealthiest sector in Bucharest, blue Air, JeTran Air, Petrom and Medallion Air have their head offices in Sector 1. He was elected in 2016 for a four year term, the Local Council of Sector 1 has 27 seats, with the following party composition, Sector 1
15.
Sector 2 (Bucharest)
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Sector 2 is an administrative unit of Bucharest. Sector 2 is the citys most multicultural sector, in particular, it contains Romanias largest community of Chinese people, who mainly live in the districts of Colentina and Obor. Air Bucharest has its office in Sector 2. Colentina Iancului Moșilor Obor Pantelimon Ştefan cel Mare Tei Vatra Luminoasă The mayor of the sector is Mihai Toader and he was elected in 2016 for a four year term. The Local Council of Sector 2 has 27 seats, with the party composition
16.
Sector 3 (Bucharest)
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Sector 3 is an administrative unit of Bucharest. It is the most populous, most densely populated and also the third-largest division of the city, actually, at its total population of over 460 thousand, it is the second-most populated administrative area of Romania, only after the capital city. It is also the most important of all six sectors of Bucharest, as it includes the Downtown Bucharest, the Kilometre Zero and other significant landmarks. It is bordered by Sector 2 to the North, Ilfov County to the East, Sector 4 to the South, Sector 5 to the Southwest, the largest and most populous district of Sector 3 is Titan. Lipscani, colloquially known as oldtown is the center of the nightlife in Bucharest, also notable, the Bucharest Mall is located inside the Vitan district of the Sector 3. Two of the districts have been described as the most pleasant by Bucharest citizens. Downtown Old City Dristor Dudeşti Văcărești Titan Vitan Sector 3, being the largest division of Bucharest is served by the largest part of its public transport company, the sector is served by over 50 bus lines and 14 trolleybus lines. The sector is served by a wide light rail system. Trolleybus routes 70 and 92 as well as tram routes 40 and 56 are the routes operating exclusively inside the sector. The sector is served by the Bucharest Metro. A total of 13 stations are placed within its districts, the oldest and busiest station of the system is Union Square, while the newest one is Policolor. Other major underground hubs located in Sector 3 include Dristor, Titan, the Sun Motorway which links the city to Constanța also starts from this sector. There is also a CFR train station located in the sector, the sector is home to more than fifty kindergartens, school and public high schools as well as the Hyperion Private University. The most prestigious schools in the sector are Matei Basarab National College, situated in Downtown Bucharest and Alexandru Ioan Cuza Theoretic Lyceum. Robert Negoiță, a member of the Social Democratic Party has been the mayor since 2012. He is currently serving his term, having been re-elected in 2016. The Local Council of Sector 3 has 31 seats, with the party composition, With a population of 393,226 people based on a July 2005 estimate. According to the 2002 census,97. 29% of the population is ethnic Romanian
17.
Berceni, Bucharest
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Berceni is a district of southern Bucharest. Berceni is also known as the place through where the wind comes in Bucharest. Geographically, it has a shape, bordered by Oltenitei Road and Turnu Magurele Street in the north and south. Built during the 1960s, it is a typical Communist-era working class district and it has a population of roughly 110,000. It is believed that the name comes from the hussars of Miklós Bercsényi and they settled in the neighborhood of Bucharest. Another theory claims that the name comes from an archaic Romanian word for tax collector, there is also a village of Berceni, which is situated to the south and is outside Bucharest city limits
18.
Centrul Civic
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Centrul Civic is a district in central Bucharest, Romania, which was completely rebuilt in the 1980s as part of the scheme of systematization under the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. Bucharest suffered significant damage due to Allied bombing during World War II, the construction of Centrul Civic and the demolitions necessary for it, however, were quite extreme even compared to other reconstruction communist programmes. The vast empty fields which emerged in the town during the demolitions of the 1980s were sarcastically called Ceaușima. Concrete hulks of half-completed buildings long stood where historic buildings once stood, a remainder of the former Ceaușima is the never-completed eastern large area between the Mircea Vodǎ and Nerva Traian streets. Centrul Civic is surrounded all-around by old buildings and neighborhoods. Many churches, such as the Sf, nicolai-Mihai Vodă Church, were moved rather than demolished, and the nearby Antim Monastery remains largely intact, although lacking its original eastern wing. Immediately next to the Centrul Civic, just off Unirii Square, is Dealul Mitropoliei, with the Patriarchal Cathedral and Palace, Centrul Civic is a complex of modern concrete buildings with marble façades, centered on a boulevard originally meant to be the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism. A large balcony in the Palace surveys the entire length of the boulevard, Centrul Civic includes numerous government offices and apartments, the latter roughly equalling the housing units destroyed for its construction. On this location the Centrul Civic bisects the Dâmboviţa River, which is channelled at this point underground the Square, Centrul Civic stands out as a Socialist-Realism style monument with its architectural uniformity, but also because of its lack of commercial spaces. Most of the shops and restaurants that form the heart of Bucharest are to be found in the areas immediately to the north of Centrul Civic
19.
Colentina, Bucharest
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Colentina is a neighborhood in Bucharests 2nd district located on the north-east of the city, named after the nearby Colentina River. A local folk etymology says that the name is derived from colea-n-tină, this being the answer given by a spătar to Matei Basarab and this etymology is false and its real origin is Slavic, like in the case of other rivers in Bucharest and Ilfov County. Until the second half of the 18th century, the area of todays Colentina was forested, the village of Colentina located near the Plumbuita Monastery was first mentioned on the map of H. C. Schütz of 1780 and on I. F. Schmidts 1788 map, an Austrian map of 1791 shows the village as being located at the crossroad of the routes leading to Fundeni, Afumați, Ștefănești, Pipera with the high road bound for Bucharest. The earliest houses were built at the crossroad and around the Cârstienești Bridge across the Colentina river, soon after, the Plumbuita Monastery, which owned the land in Colentina built and rented grocers shops, pubs, inns, as well as agricultural land. In early 19th century, among the renters was the Paharnic Andronache Teohari, whose name was given to the Andronache estate in Northern Colentina, the houses were built especially along the road towards Bucharest, while the houses on the island of the monastery were still spread out. Due to this, in 1837, the ocârmuitor of the Ilfov County asked the hegumen of the monastery to plots for the peasants on the domains to build their houses according to a plan. The people who settled in Colentina were a mix, some were Romanians from across Wallachia, others were Greeks. During the 1821 revolts that preceded the Greek War of Independence, Alexander Ypsilantis, the same place was used for the consecration of the flags of the first national militia in 1830 and the place where the first soldiers of the National Army took their oath of allegiance in 1834. After this, for a time, the same field was used for military exercises. It was around this time that a school was built in the city. In the 1890s, the village of Colentina had a population of 254, the village of Plumbuita 288, in 1939, Colentina, together with Pipera, Tei, Plumbuita, Andronache and Fundeni were made part of Bucharest. Nicolae Ghinea, Așezări sătești din sec, xV-XIX pe teritoriul orașului București, in București - Materiale de istorie și muzeografie, VII,1969. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre, Bucharest,1966
20.
Cotroceni
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Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest, Romania located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharests Sector 5. The nearest Metro stations are Eroilor and Politehnica, the Hill of Cotroceni was once covered by the forest of Vlăsia, which covered most of todays Bucharest. Here, in 1679 a monastery was built by Şerban Cantacuzino, houses were built in the area near the palace by the royal servants and by high-ranking military personnel. Carol I also build a train station named Gara Cotroceni near the palace. The train station was relocated by the communist regime and was used for transporting materials for the construction of Casa Poporului. Important Romanian figures lived in this neighborhood, Ion Minulescu, Marin Preda, Ion Barbu and Liviu Rebreanu
21.
Dealul Spirii
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Dealul Spirii is a hill in Bucharest, Romania, upon which the Palace of the Parliament is now located. Also on the hill were found the ruins of Curtea Nouă and it was built together with a large wine cellar, still in use during the 1900s. Curtea Nouă was the residence of the Phanariotes until 1812, when it burnt down — it was since known as Curtea Arsă. In July 1818, Dealul Spirii saw the rising of a hot air balloon, the hill was also the site of the Arsenal, which gave Dealul Spirii its alternate name, Dealul Arsenalului. Also located on this hill was Stadionul Republicii, an Art deco stadium inaugurated in 1928 as the ANEF Stadium and used by the Progresul football team, the stadium was covered up during the construction of the House of the People. As of 2006, the remnants of the stadium are being converted into a parking lot. Around the hill was located the Uranus quarter, named after the thoroughfare, which ran up the hill from Calea Rahovei to the Stadium. This was one of the historic districts completely destroyed by Nicolae Ceauşescus communist regime and it had been the site of many historic buildings, including a number of churches and synagogues. Also, when the hill was razed for the building, under it was found a mass grave, further research showed that the skeletons belonged to people who died of the Black Death. Șerban Cantacuzino, Două Orașe Distincte, Revista Secolul XX, 4/6, din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre, Ed
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Ferentari
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Ferentari is a neighbourhood located in the 5th Sector of Bucharest, Romania. The word Ferentari comes from the Latin word Ferentarius meaning soldier in the old pedestrian army and it is located in the South-South-West of Bucharest at a distance of 2.5 to 5 km from the city center. Connections to the city center are relatively poor, because of the public transport available. It is bordered by the Rahova, Pieptănări and Giurgiului boroughs and these boundaries, being totally unofficial, are subject to individual interpretation. The population of the neighbourhood is around 90,000 and it has been assigned the lowest quota on local taxes. It has a bad reputation - as being the worst borough in Bucharest as the base of drug dealers, prostitution and this is confirmed by the arrests of the Cămătaru mob clan, and police raids done in the Zabrăuți section of the borough after some drug-related incidents. As such, it is the center of drug dealing in Bucharest and has been the stage of a riot, however, Ferentari has a lower crime rate in terms of burglaries in relation to much of the city - possibly because of the poverty in the area. Areas such as Vadul Nou, Zăbrăuți, Prelungirea Ferentari, La Maici are notorious for squatting, as such, the areas developed informal networks stealing power, water and even cable tv signal directly from the mains. An incident linked with disconnecting illegally connected electricity users sparked the revolt of 2006, however, the bad situation is not limited to the areas above. Other areas, such as the Ferentari Avenue, Salaj Road, are comparable in terms of development and safety ratings with the rest of the city. The socially disadvantaged Roma, its reputation, and proximity with the areas, however. The area is served by the public transport, calea Ferentarilor prolonged by Prelungirea Ferentarilor is designed to be the connection of Bucharest to the Bucharest-Giurgiu highway. Very little public transport serves the area, only one of the bus lines in the borough connects it with the city center, namely line 117. Contributing for this are very low prices and taxes in the area, map of the Ferentari area Photos from Ferentari Ferentari – viata la puls de alerta part 1 and part 2 Ferentari in October 2011
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Floreasca
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Floreasca is a district in Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 1. Its name comes from Lake Floreasca, which is situated in the north of the neighborhood, the Floreasca Hospital is also situated in the neighbourhood, in its southern part. Floreasca is considered an upper class area, the neighborhood was built on a former landfill site. It is mainly composed of apartment blocks of 3-4 floors. Like other areas of Sector 1, its density is lower than other parts of Bucharest, in 2008, work at the Floreasca City Center started in the area, which was completed in 2013. In recent years, the desire of developers to build in the neighbourhood has led to conflicts with the residents. Here is a list of the tallest office buildings, Floreasca City Center - Sky Tower, nusco Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Bucharest UpGround Tower Oracle Tower Floreasca District on the map Floreasca Hospital Website
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Fundeni, Bucharest
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On its west and north-west are located the Colentina and Andronache neighbourhoods, on its north the town of Voluntari and on its east the commune of Dobroești. Its name is derived from the Romanian word fund and the toponym refers to the people who came from or lived on the bottom of a valley, the village of Fundeni was built in a place isolated from Bucharest by the Colentina River and its lakes. Without a direct road towards Bucharest, the way to reach the city was through the road that led to Afumați. Another crossing was found in the place where now the bridge between Obor railway station and the Bucharest-Constanța railway. From these documents, it is clear that the village was much older, starting with the end of the 16th and 17th centuries, the land ownership is concentrated into just a few landlords. In Fundeni, on 25 October/4 November 1632, Matei Basarab defeated the army Radu Ilieș, cantacuzino built new houses in the village and created the Fundeni lake on Colentina River. Nevertheless, the village remained with an agrarian economy and dominated by feudal forms of organization. In 1864, the village, together with Colentina formed the Colentina-Fundeni rural commune, the 1864 land reform did distribute property to some peasants, without disbanding large properties. Total population of the village was 279, in 1939, Fundeni was included in Bucharest, together with other villages in the area. After World War II, Colentina was rebuilt as an urban neighbourhood, institutul Clinic Fundeni, one of the largest hospitals in Romania, is located in Fundeni, being built in 1959. Nicolae Ghinea, Așezări sătești din sec, xV-XIX pe teritoriul orașului București, in București - Materiale de istorie și muzeografie, VII,1969
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Ghencea
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Ghencea is a district of the Romanian capital city Bucharest, which is home to the famous football team FC Steaua Bucureşti. It is also home to the rugby team Steaua Bucureşti Rugby, nearby districts are Drumul Taberei and Rahova. Construction of apartment blocks started in the area in 1950, the textile factory Tricodava and the plastic factory Munplast were built by the communist regime in the neighborhood. Tricodava was demolished in 2007 and an apartment complex was built on the former location, the infrastructure of the neighborhood is not very good. There are no stations in the area and the only way to get around fast is by using lightrail line 41. Getting around by car, bus or trolleybus can be time consuming especially during rush hours. There are no markets in the area but in the people come from the nearby village of Domnești and sell fruits. There is a Billa supermarket that serves the area, the district hosts the famous football team FC Steaua Bucureşti. When the team plays at home ground the neighborhood tends to become crowded as supporters come from all over Bucharest. Stadionul Steaua, home stadium of Steaua București Ghencea cemetery
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Giurgiului
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Giurgiului is a neighborhood in the southern part of the Romanian capital Bucharest, near Berceni and Ferentari. Like Berceni, Giurgiului has plenty of 10-storey blocks of flats that were built under Communist rule in the early 1970s, the estimated population is between 30,000 and 40,000. Before the Communists started their massive building programme, Giurgiului was a farming village, after 1948 the village was added to the city area. A few years later in the south of the neighborhood a pipe factory was built along with a power plant, the neighborhood has a good transport network, although it is not on the Bucharest Metro. RATB tram routes 7 and 25 link Giurgiului with the city centre, RATB bus routes 102,116 and 323 link the neighborhood with other parts of Bucharest. Giurgiului has a CFR railway station on the line linking Bucharest with the Danube port of Giurgiu, the Giurgiului Road that passes through the middle of the neighbourhood is an important route to Giurgiu and Bulgaria
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Lipscani
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Lipscani is a street and a district of Bucharest, Romania, which from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century was the most important commercial area of the city and Wallachia. It is located near the ruins of the old Princely Court built by Vlad III the Impaler and it was named after Leipzig, as that was the origin of many of the wares that could be found on the main street. The word lipscan meant trader who brought his wares from Western Europe, during the Communist period, the whole area was scheduled to be demolished, but this never came to fruition. The district became neglected, but nowadays is the most attractive area for tourists of all Bucharest, as of 2013, many of the buildings were restored. In the early 21st century, much of the district has transformed into a pedestrian zone
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Obor
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The strategy underlines Chinas push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need for priority capacity cooperation in areas such as steel manufacturing. It was unveiled in September and October 2013 in announcements revealing the SREB and MSR and it was also promoted by Premier Li Keqiang during the State visit in Asia and Europe. It was the most frequently mentioned concept on Peoples Daily in 2016, the coverage area of the initiative is primarily Asia and Europe, encompassing around 60 countries. Oceania and East Africa are also included, anticipated cumulative investment over an indefinite timescale is variously put at US$4 trillion or US$8 trillion. One Belt, One Road has been contrasted with the two US-centric trading arrangements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, essentially, the belt includes countries situated on the original Silk Road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The initiative calls for the integration of the region into an economic area through building infrastructure, increasing cultural exchanges. Apart from this zone, which is analogous to the historical Silk Road, another area that is said to be included in the extension of this belt is South Asia. Many of the countries that are part of this belt are members of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. North, central and south belts are proposed, the North belt goes through Central Asia, Russia to Europe. The Central belt goes through Central Asia, West Asia to the Persian Gulf, the South belt starts from China to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Indian Ocean. The Central belt has been neglected due to complex religion problems. The Chinese One Belt strategy will integrate with Central Asia through Kazakhstans Nurly Zhol infrastructure program, the Maritime Silk Road initiative was first proposed by Xi Jinping during a speech to the Indonesian Parliament in October 2013. Like its sister initiative the Silk Road Economic Belt, most countries in this area have joined the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, in May 2014, Premier Li Keqiang visited Kenya to sign a cooperation agreement with the Kenyan government. Under this agreement, a line will be constructed connecting Mombasa to Nairobi. When completed, the railroad will stretch approximately 2,700 kilometers costing around 250 million USD, in September 2015, Chinas Sinomach signed a strategic, cooperative memorandum of understanding with General Electric. The memorandum of understanding set goals to build wind turbines, to clean energy programs. A university alliance centered at Xian Jiaotong University aims to support the One Belt, One Road initiative with research and engineering, the network extends beyond the economic zone, and includes law school alliance to serve the Belt and Road development with legal spirit and legal culture. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor are officially classified as related to the Belt
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Pantelimon, Bucharest
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Pantelimon is a working-class neighbourhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately, the Pantelimon district is named after Saint Pantaleon, and hosts Stadionul Naţional, the largest football stadium in Romania. Pantelimon Avenue is the backbone of the district, a Cora hypermarket is situated in this neighbourhood. Several car showrooms have been built in the east side of the district, a famous area of the district is Capătu lu 14, which is situated in the east side of the neighbourhood. This area is the setting of a legend among locals. Pantelimon is also famous in Romania because of the hip-hop group B. U. G, as children, the members of the band lived on Pantelimon Alley and Socului, near Capătu lu 14. Mafia stated in interviews that both he and Uzzi and Daddy Caddy still live in the neighbourhood. The east side of the neighbourhood was built on the domains of the Mărcuța Monastery, the old Mărcuţa church built in 1587 still exists today on the banks of Pantelimon lake. Pantelimon is served by the Pantelimon and Republica subway stations, as well as tram lines 14,36,46,55, currently, there are 5 primary and 2 secondary schools in the neighbourhood
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Pipera
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Pipera is a district of Voluntari city, situated in the north part of Bucharest, Romania. Until 1995, it was an ordinary village, after that, an el dorado of land transactions began. Plots of land that were 1 USD/m² reached in 2005 the amount of 250 USD/m², in this time, more than 1400 houses were built here, transforming Pipera in one of the most expensive residential areas. Pipera could easily organize itself as a city, due to the important number of population, the station, the church, shopping places. The only one missing would be the City Hall, unfortunately its massive increase had a great impact on road transportation in the area. It seems that there is a number of cars which exceeds the limit of comfort in traveling from Pipera to the city, for this, the City Hall of Voluntari has started building a bridge on one of the two roads connecting it to the city. The works started in the first part of 2007 and ended in 2012 and improved the traffic flow, the district is served by Pipera metro station, the northern terminus of Bucharest Metro Line 2. The Pipera industrial center is on the site of an airport from the interwar period. The tallest office building in the area is the Pipera Business Tower
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Rahova
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Rahova is a neighbourhood of southwest Bucharest, Romania, situated in Sector 5, west of Dâmboviţa River. It is named after the Bulgarian town Rahovo, site of a battle in the Romanian War of Independence, roughly, the neighbourhood is organized alongside two important arterial streets. It neighbors Drumul Taberei, Centrul Civic, and Ferentari, roughly, Rahova is situated on the Uranus and Viilor hills. The inhabitants of the split it further in zones, partially based on the naming and numbering of the block of flats. As such, there are seven zones, Drumul Sǎrii, Petre Ispirescu, Mārgeanului, Panduri,13 Septembrie/Sebastian, Rahova, according to the Local Tax Direction of The 5th District, the population of this area is around 180,000. One of the roads crossing the neighborhood, and bearing today its name was previously known as Podul Calicilor. The term bridge came from the used to pave it, long wooden bridge beams. Living near this road were beggars and poor people, gathered together like those from La Cour des Miracles in Paris, later, the authorities scattered them away, and the road was renamed Calea Craiovei to remove the association with poverty. The modern name dates from the end of the Independence War, in the early 1970s the area was also the headquarters of the infamous Barbugiu clan, the first organized crime gang to be recognized by the authorities. Calea Rahovei was also known as The Florists Way, because it was the location of Bucharests flower markets, starting in 1997, various efforts were made to renew the area. Rahova is now linked to city center by a metro line, upgraded from the existing tram line. This was done with the support of both the Bucharest City Hall and Sector 5 Mayor and has resulted in the gentrification of the district, Rahova is serviced by a number of public transport lines, especially tramways and to a lesser extent buses. Line 32 is the line, with tramways running every minute from Rahovei Market to Unirii Square. Currently a number of lines are upgraded and/or converted to Light Rail. There is no subway in the area, nor are there plans to build or extend the network to the area and this causes severe traffic jams that can last for up to five hours daily. The only solution found was to two factories and make way for a new road, but the proposal was deemed too expensive. Offices of the Sector 5 mayoralty exist in The Flower Market and in Rahova Market
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Regie, Bucharest
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Regie is a small district situated in western Bucharest, Romania on the banks of the Dâmboviţa river, in Sector 6. It is located in the vicinity of the Politehnica University of Bucharest and comprises mainly student dormitories and student facilities like restaurants, bars and it is delimited by the Crângași and Militari districts. Interest in the began in 1848 when the Moara de apă Ciurel water mill was built in the area. On the site of the mill, the Spicul bread factory was built in 1948. In 2008, the factory was demolished and the construction of a residential complex began, in 1864, the Manufactura de Tutun de la Belvedere tobacco factory was built in the area. The factory was owned by Effingham Grant, a secretary for the British Consulate in Bucharest, Grant also built a mansion and established Regia Monopolurilor Statului in the area, hence the name Regie of the neighborhood. Construction of the student dormitories started in 1961, the district is served by the Grozăveşti and Petrache Poenaru metro stations. The east side of the neighborhood is traversed using the newly built Basarab Overpass. RATB student bus line 601 serves the area near the Splaiul Independenței street, the area is mostly inhabited by students so it has many restaurants, fast-food joints, pubs and clubs. Night life is active and many people come here for entertainment. There are also many dedicated to sport activities like billiards. The Regie stadium, the ground of the football club Sportul Studenţesc, is situated in the area. There are also tennis courts and a rugby stadium nearby. Shopping in the area can be either at the nearby Carrefour Orhideea
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Tei, Bucharest
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Tei is a neighborhood in Bucharest, Romania - Sector 2. The name comes from the name of the lake in this area, the name of the lake comes from the linden woods that existed around him in the past. At the beginning of the 19th century, the area belonged to the Ghica family, around 1900, the area south of the Calea Lacul Teiului have been sold to Bulgarian gardenders. After the First World War, on the grounds located north, during the Nicolae Ceauşescu era, many apartment buildings, as well as the Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest and the State Circus have been built. Still today, in the neighbourhoods there are many trees. Tei has developed in the last few years from a middle-class neighbourhood into a one with many mansions being built recently
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Tineretului
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Tineretului is a small neighborhood in south Bucharest, Romania in Sector 4, close to the city center, named after the nearby Tineretului Park. It is one the most preferred neighborhoods by people seeking to buy an apartment and this is due to the well established public transportation, two nearby parks, along with banks, commercial spaces and schools. In 2015 there were a number of 17.981 people registered living in this area, interest in the area begun in the 1960s when a new road that linked North Bucharest to the South was constructed under the name Magistrala Nord-Sud. The road was later renamed Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard, construction of Tineretului Park was finished in 1965. This led to a fast urbanization of the area, because the park was arranged and cleaned by young volunteers from schools and factories it was named Parcul Tineretului literally meaning park of the youths. The area is served by Tineretului, Piata Sudului and Constantin Brâncoveanu metro stations, busses that go through the area include 381,313,312,116,634
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Titan, Bucharest
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Titan is a neighborhood of Eastern Bucharest, part of Sector 3. It surrounds the Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park, formerly known as Titan, I. O. R. the name of Titan comes from a cement factory located here in the 20th century. Starting with the 1950s, the development stage began, in the context of an acute housing crisis, the Titan was chosen for further city development as there were few constructions on it. Large industrial units were built in the vicinity, construction lasted until the 1970s, when Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park was also built around the Titan lake. Titan consists mostly of housing facilities, Alexandru Ioan Cuza park is located in the center of the neighborhood. It is one of the biggest parks in Bucharest, with a surface measuring over 85 hectares. The park is built around the Titan lake, which is divided in half by a road bridge, transportation is well-developed, the region being linked to other parts of Bucharest by subway, tram-lines, trolleys, buses and taxis. The subway stations located in Titan are Nicolae Grigorescu, Titan, Costin Georgian,1 Decembrie 1918, Nicolae Teclu, the most important boulevards are named after Nicolae Grigorescu, Camil Ressu and Theodor Pallady. The latter is a continuation of the Bucharest - Constanţa freeway inside the city, there are several large shopping centres, the biggest ones being Auchan and Cora hypermarkets. The Gloria cinema is sited on the intersection of Baba Novac, nearby neighborhoods include Dristor, Vitan, Dudeşti, Pantelimon. At the northwestern end of the neighborhood there is the Basarabiei Blvd. parkLake Shopping Center, Bucharest’s newest mall, opened its gates for visitors on 1st September 2016. The 70,000 square meters mall is set to be one of Bucharest’s top 5 shopping destinations, alongside Baneasa Shopping City, AFI Palace Cotroceni, Sun Plaza, parkLake is located next to the Alexandru Ioan Cuza park. The mall has more than 200 stores, restaurants and service vendors, a cinema operated by Cinema City
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Charles de Gaulle Square
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Charles de Gaulle Square is a square in northern Bucharest, Romania. It lies at the intersection of Aviatorilor, Constantin Prezan and Primăverii Boulevards, in the centre of the square stands Paul Neagus Crucea Mileniului, built in the 1990s. In September 2006, on the occasion of the Francophonie Summit held in Bucharest, sculpted by Mircea Spătaru, it is 4.6 m high and was financed by the government. The state-owned Romanian Television is located about 100 metres to the southeast, the Primăverii neighbourhood, which included the houses of the communist nomenklatura, is located to the northeast. The square was originally Piața Jianu, from Iancu Jianu, a haiduc, in 1940 it was renamed Piața Adolf Hitler, but its original name was restored shortly after 23 August 1944, when Romania joined the Allies and turned against the Axis Powers. A statue of Stalin stood on the square between 1951 until a night in 1962, when four tanks and twelve bulldozers removed it in several hours. The square was renamed Piața Aviatorilor, Aviators Square and its final name change happened in the late 1990s, the square being renamed after Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Forces and first president of the French Fifth Republic. Charles de Gaulle Square, aerial view from the north Arhitextdesign - Cladire birouri Piața Charles de Gaulle București, and an image of it
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Quito Square
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Quito Square is located in the center of Bucharest, near Victory Square, right in the middle of Paris street. At its centre is a sculpture representing air created by F. L
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Revolution Square, Bucharest
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Revolution Square is a square in central Bucharest, on Calea Victoriei. Known as Piața Palatului until 1989, it was renamed after the 1989 Romanian Revolution. The former Royal Palace, the Athenaeum, the Athénée Palace Hotel, the University of Bucharest Library, the square also houses the building of the former Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. In 1990, the became the seat of the Senate and since 2006 it houses the Ministry of Interior. Prior to 1948, a statue of Carol I of Romania stood there. Created in 1930 by the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, the statue was destroyed in 1948 by the Communists, in 2005, the Romanian Minister of Culture decided to recreate the destroyed statue from a model that was kept by Meštrovićs family. In 2007, the Bucharest City Hall assigned the project to the sculptor Florin Codre, in August 1968 and December 1989, the square was the site of a two mass meetings which represented the apogee and the nadir of Ceaușescus regime
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University Square, Bucharest
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University Square is located in downtown Bucharest, near the University of Bucharest. It is served by Universitate metro station, four statues can be found in the University Square, in front of the University, they depict Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Michael the Brave, Gheorghe Lazăr and Spiru Haret. The square was the site of the 1990 Golaniad, a student protest against the ex-communists in the Romanian government. The demonstrations ended violently when miners from the Jiu Valley were called in by president Ion Iliescu to restore order in Bucharest, the Ion Luca Caragiale Bucharest National Theatre and the Intercontinental Hotel are also located near University Square. University Square marks the boundary of the Old Center of Bucharest. In the 15th century, here was the limit of the city. Around 1700, the limit was already around what is today Piața Romană and this intersection has never evolved as a monumental square, but emerged as most important road junction of the capital at the geometric center of the city. The Bucharest boulevards of those times hosted tram lines, and in the center of the intersection was placed the monument dedicated to Ion I. C, brătianu, the square then bearing his name. Today this place is called 21 December 1989 Square, in honor of those who died during the Romanian Revolution. This square was part of an east–west axis full of important monuments, starting in the east with Piața Rosetti and culminating with the statue of Mihail Kogălniceanu in the eponymous square. In 1679 the Princely School was built here, which in the 18th century was to become the Princely Academy and in 1818 St. Sava National School, the University was built in several stages, following neoclassical aesthetic principles. The facade existing today was constructed between 1921–1943, pedestrians can cross the streets only by University Passage, constructed in the socialist period during the development of M2 metro thoroughfare and leading, as well, to a metro station. The space that now extends from the InterContinental hotel and National Theatre once was home to a circus, around which existed shops with mititei and beer. All this disappeared after urban planning in the 1960s proposed the idea of developing the area through tourism, damaged during the 1977 earthquake, the theater was rebuilt 1982–1984, under the aegis of Cezar Lăzărescu, in a heavy form and lacking spectacular elements. Since the end of 2014, after a project costing up to 65 million euros, the National Theatre has a new face, dominated by futuristic elements
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Bulevardul Unirii
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Bulevardul Unirii is a major thoroughfare in central Bucharest, Romania. It connects Alba Iulia Square with Constitution Square, and also runs through Unification Square, the Constitution Square end features the Palace of the Parliament. Following the 1977 Vrancea earthquake, Bucharests city center suffered significant damage, as part of the project, Bulevardul Unirii was to be Communist Romanias answer to Pariss Avenue des Champs-Élysées, with a length of 3,500 m. Construction began on June 25,1984, initially called Bulevardul Victoria Socialismului, the road is lined with socialist-realist apartment blocks of North Korean inspiration. The boulevard is served by Piaţa Unirii metro station at Union Square
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Calea Victoriei
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Calea Victoriei is a major avenue in central Bucharest. It leads from Splaiul Independenței to the north and then northwest up to Piața Victoriei, initially, the road was known as Ulița Mare, also known as Drumul Brașovului, being part of the trade route between Bucharest and the city of Brașov, in Transylvania. Since 1692 it was known as Podul Mogoșoaiei because it also was connecting the Bucharests center with Brâncoveanus Mogoșoaia Palace some km outside the city, most roads in the Balkans at that time became muddy in the spring and autumn, and the wood prevented this. Consequently, the road was one of the most important construction works of the area, the area surrounding the road became the most fashionable part of Bucharest,35 boyar houses were located on the road itself in 1775. Podul Mogoșoaiei was the first street in Bucharest to be illuminated with candles during the night, the wood was not a very sturdy material and often it was in a bad state, despite being repaired several times. In 1842 the road was paved with cobblestone and it was later upgraded to asphalt. The road was renamed Calea Victoriei on October 12,1878, today, the avenue is lined with new fashion shops, art boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants, making it an upmarket shopping strip in Bucharest. The Romanian Athenaeum is set back slightly from the street, with a park in between. Calea Victoriei was Bucharests showpiece street in the Interwar years, tudor Octavian wrote, this is how the whole of Bucharest would look if we had been allowed…, if its builders had been clever enough…. After roughly half a century of decline, it has recently been returning to this role, —, Bucureștiul Interbelic/Calea Victoriei/Interbellum Bucharest, NOI Media Print, ISBN 973-99493-7-1 Ștefan Ionescu, Bucureștii în vremea fanarioților, Editura Dacia, Cluj,1974. Istoria Orașului București, Muzeul de Istorie a Orașului București,1965 Calea Victoriei on Flickr. com
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