Bucharest the capital of Romania
Dr. Adina Ionescu
The Romanian Foundation for Quality Promotion
General information about Romania
Area: 237 687 sq. km
Capital: Bucharest
President: Traian Basescu
Population: 22.305.552
Bucharest
Bucharest
Nickname: Little Paris, Paris
of the East
County: Municipality of
Bucharest
Founded: 1459 (first official
record)
Area: 228 sq. km
Bucharest
Etymology - The name of Bucharest (Bucuresti) resembles the
Romanian word “bucurie” (happiness);
Location:
- situated on the banks of the Dambovita river which flows into
the Arges river, a tributary of the Danube;
- situated in the south east corner of the Romanian plain;
Climate: continental climate, characterized by hot dry summers
and cold winters.
Bucharest
Bucharest is traditional considered to have seven hills: Mihai
Voda, Patriarchy Hill, Radu Voda, Cotroceni, Spirei,
Vacaresti and Sf. Gheorghe;
The city government – headed by the General Mayor (Sorin
Oprescu);
The city is divided in six administrative sectors, each of
which has their own sectorial council, town hall and mayor.
The Bucharest City Hall
The Palace of Parliament at night
The Palace of the Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament was built in the 1980s during the
reign of Communist president Nicolae Ceausescu.
The Palace of the Parliament is the largest building in Europe
and the second largest administrative building in the world after
the Pentagon;
The Palace of the Parliament includes the Chamber of Deputies
and Senate as well as the National Museum of Contemporary
Art.
The National Museum of Contemporary Art is located in a new
glass wing of the Palace.
The National Museum of Contemporary Art
Inside the Palace of the Parliament
Inside the Palace of the Parliament
View from the building towards the Union Boulevard
Triumphal Arch
Triumphal Arch
The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built in 1878, after
Romania gained its independence, so that the victorious troops
could march under it;
Another temporary arch was built on the same site, in 1922,
after World War I, which was demolished in 1935 to make way
for the current triumphal arch, which was inaugurated in
September 1936.
The current arch has a height of 27 meters and was modelled
after the Arc de Triomphe from Paris.
The Memorial of Rebirth
The Memorial of Rebirth is a memorial that
commemorates the struggles and victims of the
Romanian Revolution of 1989, which overthrew
Communism;
The memorial complex was inaugurated in August 2005
in Revolution Square;
The monument is a stylised marble pillar of 25 meter
high surrounded by a 600 m² plaza covered by marble
and granite.
Memorial of Rebirth pillar
The names of the people who were killed during the
revolution are inscribed on the plaques
A sculpture lies near the pillar
Wreaths at the base of the Memorial
The National Museum of Art of Romania
The National Museum of Art of Romania
The National Museum of Art of Romania is located in the
former royal palace in Revolution Square completed in 1937.
It features notable collections of medieval and modern
Romanian art, as well as the international collection assembled
by the Romanian royal family.
The museum was damaged during the 1989 Romanian
Revolution. The museum was restored and opened to the public
in the year 2000.
Romanian Athenaeum
Romanian Athenaeum
The Romanian Athenaeum is a concert hall in the center of
Bucharest;
Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's
main concert hall and the home of the "George Enescu"
Philharmonic;
It is the home of an annual international music festival also
named after George Enescu.
The building was designed by the French architect Albert
Galleron. The overall style is neoclassical, with some more
romantic touches.
In front, there is a statue of Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.
Cotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace is a palace of Bucharest, which is the residence
of the President of Romania;
On Cotroceni hill, in 1679 Serban Cantacuzino built a monastery
and this was the place where a palace was built by French
architect Paul Gottereau for King Carol I of Romania in 1888.
In 1977, Nicolae Ceausescu made the palace a guest house. The
old church of Cantacuzino was demolished in 1985.
Since 1991, it has been the residence of the Romanian President;
also the National Cotroceni Museum is open to the public.
Inside the Cotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace
The Old Princely Court
The Old Princely Court was a residence of the Wallachian prince
Vlad III the Impaler;
First mentioned “the Citadel of Bucharest” in 1459, Bucharest
was established as the summer residence of the court competing
with Targoviste for the status of capital;
In the 15-th century, Wallachian capital has been moved to
Bucharest.
The remain of the royal court in Bucharest during
the Middle Ages
I.L. Caragiale National Theater
The theater was
inaugurated in 1852;
The building was built in
the baroque style, with
338 stalls on the main
floor, three levels of
loges, a luxurious foyer
with staircases of Carrara
marble and a large gallery
in which students could
attend free of charge.
The Village Museum
It was created in 1936
It is an open-air ethnographic
museum located in the
Herastrau Park
The museum extends to over
100,000 sq. meters, and
contains 272 old authentic
peasant farms and houses
from all over Romania.
Herastrau Park
It is a large park on the
northern side of Bucharest
around the Herastrau lake.
The park has an area of
about 1.1 km², of which 0.7
km² is the lake.
The park is divided into
two zones: a rustic or
natural zone (the Village
Museum), which is left
more or less undisturbed,
and a public/'active'
domain with open areas for
recreation activities.
Creţulescu Palace
It has been built at the
beginning of the 20th century,
by Romanian arhitect Petre
Antonescu.
Since 1972, it houses the
headquarters of UNESCO’s
European Centre for Higher
Education.
The University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest
was created in 1864 by
Prince Alexander John
Cuza.
The area around the old
University building was the
scene of many riots,
protests and clashes with
the security forces during
the Romanian Revolution
of 1989.
The Opera House
The Opera House opened
in 1954 with a capacity of
1200 seats.
A classic repertoire
including Mozart, Wagner,
Verdi, Rossini, Puccini,
Enescu is maintained at the
Opera House.
Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki.Bucharest
http://www.googleglobe.com/index.php?Roma
nia
http://www.romaniatourism.com/bucharest.ht
ml
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