WHAT Architect WHERE Notes

Zone 1: Centrul Vechi

The Old Court Church (1554) was part of the adjacent Princely Court,
to which it was connected by a vaulted passage, and served for
coronation ceremonies as well as worship place for Wallachian Princes
for two hundred years. The church is among the few remaining
Curtea Veche
***** Strada Franceză 23 examples of the old Wallachian ecclesiastical architecture of Byzantine
Church
origin whose essential features, specific to the Balkan region, are small
dimensions, three-apsed plan, tall and slender towers, simple exterior
contrasting with the rich fresco decorations, stone carved window
frames.
The Old Princely Court Museum (Curtea Veche) houses the oldest
historical testimonies of Bucharest, dating from the 13th century. The
Old Princely Court is the oldest medieval monument found in
Bucharest. Between the years 1459 and 1660, Bucharest was where
Palatul Voievodal
***** Strada Franceză 25 Wallachian rulers dwelled, along with the country’s old capital city,
Curtea Veche
Târgovişte. After 1660 Bucharest became the sole capital city. After
1798 a large part of the Court’s terrain was auctioned off and gradually
populated with modern streets and neighborhoods. The museum was
arranged and polished between 1969 and 1974. Mon-Sun (10am-6pm)
Built in 1926 in the United Nations Square (formerly the Senate or the
Operetta) as the headquarters for two insurance companies, Adriatica
and Agricola Fonciera. This couple of buildings built by the prolific
architect (you've also seen the City Mayoral Chambers by him)
Blocul Adriatica-
** Petre Antonescu Calea Victoriei 2 astounds the viewer by their sheer size, by the intricacies of the facades
Trieste
(tributary to Parisian architecture still-column lined windows at the
double piano nobile) but also because they're built to follow the line of
the street. The building is quite damaged but it has something special
and majestic that makes it worth a visit.
The beautiful, monumental and simply superb Neo-Classical building
that houses Romania's National History Museum was constructed from
1894-1900 to the designs of local architect Alexandru Săvulescu. It
National Museum of originally served as the headquarters of Poşta Romană, the Romanian
***** Alexandru Săvulescu Calea Victoriei 12
Romanian History postal service. Collection includes a full-scale replica of Trajan's
Column and jewellery from the time of the Geto-Dacians, as well as
the current Romanian Crown Jewels. Admission 25 lei. Wed-Sun
(10am-5pm)
The C.E.C. Palace was built between 1897 and 1900, in order to
accommodate the operations carried out by the historical savings bank
of Romania. The work of Paul Gottereau was complemented by the
contribution of Ion Socolescu, a Romanian architect in charge with the
***** CEC Palace Paul Gottereau Calea Victoriei 13
execution of the works. The palace is, beyond all doubts, a jewel,
which complements the architectural patrimony on Calea
Victoriei. The interior of the palace is embellished with pictorial works
by Mihail Simonide.
The Caru' cu Bere (aka Carul cu Bere; "the beer wagon") is a bar and
restaurant opened in 1879 and moved to the current location, a gothic
revival building designed by Austrian architect Siegfrid Kofczinsky, in
1899. It is noted for its interior decoration, in art nouveau
style. Romanian writer Mateiu Caragiale's frame story, Sub pecetea
Strada Stavropoleos
***** Caru' cu Bere Siegfrid Kofczinsky tainei, is set in Caru' cu Bere. Following the changes in 1989, the
5
descendants of the founder Nicolae MIRCEA succeeded to retake the
possession and management of the Caru’ cu Bere building in 1999. In
2006, following restorations works to recreate the former
characteristics of the establishment, the Beerhouse was reopened in
collaboration with City Grill. Sun-Thu (8am-12am), Fri-Sat (8am-2am)
***** Stavropoleos Ion Mincu Strada Stavropoleos Built in 1724 as an Eastern Orthodox monastery for nuns. Its church is
Monastery built in Brâncovenesc style. The name Stavropoleos is a Romanian
rendition of a Greek word, Stauropolis, meaning "The city of the
 Cross". One of the monastery's constant interests is Byzantine music,
expressed through its choir and the largest collection of Byzantine
music books in Romania. The inn and the monastery's annexes were
demolished at the end of 19th century. Over time the church suffered
from earthquakes, which caused the dome to fall. All that remains from
the original monastery is the church, alongside a building from the
beginning of the 20th century that shelters a library, a conference room
and a collection of old (early 18th century) icons and ecclesiastical
objects. Mon-Sun (8am-6pm)
Lipscani is a street and a district, which from middle age to early 19th
century was the most important commercial area of the city and the
whole Wallachia. The word lipscan (singular of lipscani) meant trader
***** Lipscani Street Lipscani Street 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. Don't miss Hanul cu tea (in Lipscani), it's more like a
bar but they serve quite amazing mitten (spiced meat).
Cărtureşti Carusel, also called “The Carousel of Light”, is a
monumental XIX century edifice that was transformed into a
wonderful architectural jewel. The platforms have a railing composed
of equally spaced metal rods that follows the form and is both opaque
Cărtureşti Carusel and transparent, depending on the angle of view and the curvature of
***** Strada Lipscani 55
bookshop the shape. The bookstore has 6 floors, where you can find over 10,000
books, 5,000 albums and DVDs. There is a bistro on the top floor, a
multimedia space in the basement and a gallery dedicated to modern
art on the first floor. This space will also host numerous cultural events
and concerts. Mon-Thu (10am-10pm), Fri-Sun (10am-12am)
Russian Ambassador Mihail Nikolaevich de Giers built a Russian
church in Bucharest, merely for the use of the embassy staff and for the
Russians living in the city in 1905. The church was designed by
Architect Preobrazhenski and the Russian Imperial Court paid for the
** Biserica Rusă Preobrazhenski Strada Blănari 16 building. The church was built of compressed bricks and stone, the
Russian style being obvious especially in the 7 steeples initially
covered in gold. During WW1 it was closed, its valuables being
transferred to Iași and then to Sankt Petersburg, where they
disappeared during the Russian Revolution.
The head office of the National Bank of Romania with the view of
Lipscani Street is one of the most imposing and massive bank edifices
in Romania, nowadays a historic, art monument, and protected as such.
It was erected on the former site of the inn built by Șerban
Cantacuzino. The construction of the building in the eclectic style of
National Bank of Cassien Bernard and the late 19th century, with some neoclassical elements finished in
***** Strada Lipscani 25
Romania Albert Galleron 1890. The building is emblematic of the neo-classical style with
rationalist influences that prevailed in the interwar period. It impresses
by the monumental granite stairs, the huge Corinthian columns
forming the façade, and the large, white marble-coated halls inside the
building. Tours start daily at 10am, 1pm, 2pm and 4pm. Mon-Fri
(10am-6pm)
Richly decorated in Renaissance style, this building hosts a fine, quiet
inner garden. There is a fountain hosted in a niche of the building; in
the same spot there is a bronze statue depicting an antic deity. The
palace used to belong to Dacia Insurance Company and it was raised
Dacia Palace on the place of the former Filipescu Inn. During his time as an
*** Calea Victoriei 14
(Palatul Dacia) employee of “Timpul” newspaper, Poet Mihai Eminescu worked here
for 2 years (1877-1879). It is easy to pass by the entrance (through a
narrow passage) of this building and not notice it. As one comes from
Calea Victoriei along the Lipscani towards the East, it is the first
passage to your left after Cofetăria Tip Top.
Bucharest Financial Plaza was built in 1997 as one of the tallest office
buildings in Bucharest, standing at a height 83 meters. It was initially
Bucharest Financial
* Galmard Architectes Calea Victoriei the headquarters of Bancorex, which went bankrupt two years
Plaza
later. The previous building on this site was Hotel de France, later
called Hotel Victoria (1890-1977). Mon-Fri (7am-5.30pm)
Palatul Vama Poştei was built between 1914 and 1926 originally to
host the Post Office, the architect being Statie Ciortan (1876 - 1940),
who also built several houses in Bucharest. It is similar to the Capital
City Hall, located nearby, where the style was brought by the architect
*** Palatul Vama Poştei Statie Ciortan Lipscani nr.1
Petre Antonescu. The palace was declared a historical monument in
1913. In 2009, the Holocaust Memorial was erected in front of the
building. The building is currently the headquarters of the Romanian
General Police Inspectorate. The building has a non-Russian specific.
*** Casa Memoriala Strada Domnița The only surviving private residence in the shape of an inn, a building
Gheorghe Tatarascu Anastasia 7 that dates from the early 19th century. This was the home of painter
Gheorghe Tattarescu. It includes a rich patrimony formed by paintings,
graphics, decorative arts, documents, and furniture, which belonged to
the artist and his family: Georgeta Werthaimer, Micaela Eleutheriade,
Florance Wertheimer. Gheorghe Tattarescu was the founder of the
National School of Fine Arts (1864) and his works are featured in
numerous museums and collections in country and around the world.
Tattarescu was also a noted religious painter in Romania. He painted
58 churches, of which we note those in Bucharest: Colţea, Zlătari, St.
 Spiridon, Creţulescu, Enei.
Originally built in 1918 as the Ministry of Public Works. During the
WW1 German occupation of 1916-1918, it hosted the General
Headquarters of the German Army. Back in use by the Romanian
Government in the interwar period, the building was damaged by the
WW2 bombings and it was restored in 1948, hosting afterwards the
Bucharest City Hall Bulevardul Regina
*** Petre Antonescu City Hall, which still had no suitable headquarters. This is a fine
(Primaria Bucuresti) Elisabeta
sample of Neo-Romanian style, very frequent in Bucharest at the
beginning of the 20th century and that was to highly contrast with the
simple, lighter Art Deco projects of the interwar period. Observe the
interesting columns and window frame decorations, as well as the side
and back facades. 
Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse is a fork-shaped, yellow glass covered
arcaded street. Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse hosted the first Stock
Exchange House of Bucharest, before a larger and more appropriate
Pasajul Macca- structure was built. Between 1950 and 1990 the passage was called
*** Xavier Vilacrosse Pasajul Macca
Vilacrosse Pasajul Bijuteria ("Jewelry Store Passage"), but the initial name was
restored afterwards. Today it hosts several indoor/outdoor eating
establishments, including an Egyptian-themed bar/restaurant, the Blues
Cafe, a bistro, a Chinese restaurant and a wine bar.
Palatul Băncii Marmorosch Blank, built in the interwar period between
1915-1923 is constructed in a neo-Romanian style that consists of
Marmorosch Blank several styles: Byzantine, Gothic, Moldovan. Inside, the palace is
*** Petre Antonescu Strada Doamnei 4
Palace decorated in Art Nouveau and Art Deco style by Cecilia Cuţescu-
Storck. In 1993, after a design by architect Tiberiu Boitan, the building
was extended to the town center.
Suţu Palace is one of the oldest aristocratic residences in Bucharest, as
well as one of the very few buildings, which have remained unchanged
for over 150 years. It was built between 1833 and 1835 by Costache
Suţu, according to the designs of architects Conrad Schwink and
Johann Veit. The Palace was a private residence until the 20th century,
Muzeul
Conrad Schwink and Bulevardul Ion C. and in 1956, it became the Municipality Museum of Bucharest’s new
***** Municipiului
Johann Veit Brătianu 2 headquarters, opening to the general public later during the same year.
București
Ever since its inauguration, the museum has housed numerous
collections and exhibitions related to the history of Bucharest, as well
as to aspects of life in the city, displaying valuable heritage items from
archaeological sites, donations and acquisitions, thanks to the funds
ensured yearly by the City hall. Wed-Sun (10am-6pm)

Zone 2: Centru
The most central of the city's public gardens, Cismigiu is a haven of
lawns, trees, flowers and lakes. Often mistakenly referred to as a park,
Cismigiu is actually a large garden, first designed and laid out in 1845
by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, but not completed until
Bulevardul Regina 1860. Highlights of the 17-hectare garden include the Roman Garden,
***** Cișmigiu Gardens Carl Meyer
Elisabeta laid out in the style of ancient Rome, and including busts of Romania's
most famous writers, the lake, which can be explored by rowing boat
in summer or skated upon during the winter, and Ion Jalea's French
Memorial in Carrara marble, which commemorates those French
troops killed on Romanian territory during World War I.
Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue) is a major avenue. Initially, the road
was known as Ulița Mare (Large Street) being part of the trade route
between Bucharest and the city of Brașov, in Transylvania. In 1692,
ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu paved the road with wood and partly
regularized it as most roads in the Balkans at that time became muddy
***** Calea Victoriei Calea Victoriei
in the spring and autumn, and the wood prevented this. The road was
renamed "Calea Victoriei" on October 12, 1878, following the
Romanian victory in the Independence War of 1877-1878. Today, the
avenue is lined with new fashion shops, art boutiques, coffee shops and
restaurants, making it an upmarket shopping strip in Bucharest.
From its opening in 1923 until now, the Palace of the National Military
Circle has been the headquarters of the National Military Circle, which
is the most important cultural institution of the Romanian army. In fact,
Palace of the the palace was built to this purpose precisely. It is also home to the
Strada Constantin
*** National Military Dimitrie Maimarolu National Military Library. On the outside, the building materializes an
Mille 1-3
Circle eclectic style with glaring touches, which call forth the monumentality
of the French architecture, the facade being bordered by a raw of
columns. However, what is truly spectacular about the Palace of the
National Military Circle is the inside. 
***** Casa Capșa Calea Victoriei 36 Casa Capșa is a historic restaurant first established in 1852. Anton and
Vasile Capșa founded the first confectionery shop on Calea Victoriei,
somewhat north of the present Casa Capșa, which was founded by their
younger brother Grigore Capșa in 1868. In December 1916, during
World War I, following the Battle of Bucharest and the occupation of
the city by the Central Powers, the restaurant was requisitioned by
troops of the Kingdom of Bulgaria's army. Reportedly, these left the
place in a deplorable condition for an extended period of time. Casa
Capșa invented the all-chocolate Joffre cake in honor of a visit to
Romania by Joseph Joffre after the war, and they were the first to
 introduce ice cream to the country. When the Romanian Communist
Party took power in 1948, they closed Casa Capșa. The restaurant
operated during most of the communist era as the "Bucharest
Restaurant", regaining the Capșa name in 1984.
The Odeon Theatre (Teatrul Odeon), built in 1911, is one of the best-
known performing arts venues in Bucharest. As an institution, it
descends from the Teatrul Muncitoresc CFR Giuleşti, founded 1946; it
moved to its current location, the Sala Majestic, in 1974. In 1990, after
Cal. Victoriei, 40- the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the theatre changed its name from
**** Odeon Theatre Grigore Cerchez
42 Giuleşti to Odeon. In 1993, it won the Romanian Theatre of the Year
Award. The theatre previously housed the Comedy Theatre of the
Romanian National Theatre. It is part of a complex that includes a
building with apartments and stores (to its north) and the Majestic
Hotel (to its south). Tickets http://www.teatrul-odeon.ro/?lang=en
The Great Romanian General Exhibition held in Bucharest in 1906
consecrated the national style in architecture. From that moment on,
the Neo-Romanian style began to be used for public programs almost
exclusively. The new School of Architecture was meant to be a
manifesto of the newly emerged national architectural style. The
The Ion Mincu
Strada Biserica edifice was designed by the architect Grigore Cerchez in a monumental
***** University of Grigore Cerchez
Enei form, on a layout of classical symmetry. The loggia replicates that of
Architecture
the famous medieval Mogosoaia Palace, and the façade boasts a
lavishly sculpted decoration. Since 1953 The University of
Architecture and Urbanism bears the name of the Romanian architect
Ion Mincu, in recognition for his exceptional contribution to the
development of the national school of architecture.
Built in 1934 as an office building in an art deco style and until 1956,
was the tallest building in Bucharest at 52.5 meters. It accommodates
the headquarters of Romtelecom (one of the most important and oldest
communications company in Romania). With the advent of the
Bucharest Edmond Van Saanen
** Calea Victoriei 37 Communist era, the building passed into the hands of the Romanian
Telephone Palace Algi
government, along with SART itself, which was nationalized as a
division of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The 1989
Revolution resulted in the establishment of the independent ROM-
POST-TELECOM.
The Grand Theater, built in 1852 on the current site of the Novotel
Hotel (whose portico-shaped entrance evokes the now missing theater)
was an iconic institution, where performances and glamorous balls
were held. Until being destroyed in WWII, the area around the theater
Hotel
was the city hub for fashionable venues, entertaining halls, restaurants
***** Old Grand Theater A. Hefft Novotel, Calea
and cafés. Victory Avenue became a place of promenade and elegant
Victoriei 37B
outfit displays. The bohemian society, actors, writers and journalists,
met in the famous beer houses and terraces scattered around the area.
It was destroyed during the Luftwaffe bombardment of Bucharest on
August 24, 1944 and this is a replica.
Grand Hotel Continental is a 5-star boutique hotel in Bucharest built in
the late 19th century. The hotel's name is associated with key moments
in Romanian history: the arrest of Osman Pasha, the ruler of the
Grand Hotel Ottoman army, in apartment 104 in 1877, and King Michael's speech
*** Continental Calea Victoriei 56 from the balcony of apartment 105 in 1992. Grand Hotel Continental
Bucharest has unique pieces of furniture: the centerpiece is a desk purchased from
a noble residence of Bergamo and chandeliers, massive furniture,
mirrors are original pieces created in the nineteenth century brought
from auction houses from Vienna, Parma and Turin. 
The property was built in 1931 as a hotel, the Union, as it was
preceded by an inn of the same name. Note the ziggurat shape of the
building. The two wings have subsequent receding upper floors with
loggias, while the alternating of concave and convex shapes on the
Strada Ion facade create the illusion that the building is higher than it actually is: 9
** Union Building Arghir Culina
Câmpineanu 11 floors of which 2 are only for decoration purposes. Across the Ion
Câmpineanu from the Union there is the building of the former
Stănescu Hotel (built in 1928-1929 and following the plans of the same
architect), later renamed as the Negoiu. Both buildings were turned
into office buildings after 1990.
Adriatica Building (also known as Socomet Building) was built in
1937 as an office building for Adriatic (insurance company), Socomet
(metallurgical) which later moved to other locations. The building
Rudolf Fraenkel, features two wings springing from a corner tower bearing a big clock.
**** Socomet building Teller and Dem. Calea Victoriei 39 It hosted at the time the offices of the insurance company Adriatica and
Savulescu of the Socomet steel plant.  What makes the building remarkable is the
clock in the "tower" - built in the shape of L at the intersection of
Victory Avenue and Ion Campineanu Street. It has on a corner tower
with 2-3 floors higher than the last level of the building.
** Kretzulescu Church Calea Victoriei 45 Kretzulescu Church was built in 1722 as an Eastern Orthodox church.
The church was commissioned in 1720–1722 by the boyar Iordache
Crețulescu and his wife Safta, a daughter of prince Constantin
Brâncoveanu. Originally, the exterior was painted, but since the
restoration work done in 1935–1936 (under the supervision of architect
Ștefan Balș), the facade is made of brick. The frescoes on the porch
date from the original structure, while the interior frescoes were
 painted by Gheorghe Tattarescu in 1859–1860. The church, damaged
during the November, 1940 earthquake, was repaired in 1942–1943. In
the early days of the communist regime, Kretzulescu Church was
slated for demolition, but was saved due to efforts of architects such as
Henriette Delavrancea-Gibory. More renovations took place after the
Bucharest earthquake of 1977 and the Revolution of 1989. To the side
of the church now stands now a memorial bust of Corneliu Coposu.
Originally built as the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist
Party (from where Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife fled by helicopter
State Government on December 22, 1989). In 1990, the building became the seat of the
* Piața Revoluției 1A
Office Senate and since 2006 it houses the Ministry of Interior and
Administrative Reform. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania is
one of the sixteen ministries of the Government of Romania.
Known as Piața Palatului (Palace Square) until 1989, it was later
renamed after the 1989 Romanian Revolution. Prior to 1948, an
equestrian statue of King Carol I of Romania stood there. In August
1968 and December 1989, the square was the site of a two mass
meetings, which represented the apogee, and the nadir of Ceaușescu's
** Piata Revolutiei Piata Revolutiei
regime. Ceaușescu's final speech, 1989 was meant to emulate the 1968
assembly and presented by the official media as a "spontaneous
movement of support for Ceaușescu", erupting in the popular revolt
which led to the end of the regime. Don't miss Excalibur, good copious
dishes but not as good as Caru cu Bere.
The building of the Union of Romanian Architects, built in the French
Renaissance architectural style was destroyed in 1989 by fire and now
in a landmark of the city because of its difference and the controversial
Union of Romanian Zeno Bogdanescu Strada Demetru I. situation that created since it was built. This project designed by the
*****
Architects HQ and Dan Marin Dobrescu 5 architects Dan Marin and Zeno Bogdanescu in 2003. They follow the
modern style; in accordance with the general architecture manner of
the neighbourhood and they accused result neglects a historical
monument and the rules of reservation.
The Theodor Aman Museum is one of the most beautiful private
residences in Bucharest, built in the year 1868 following Theodor
Aman’s own designs. It is also one of the few buildings which has
remained unchanged during its existence, and is the first workshop-
residence in Romania. From the architectural plans of the house and
Muzeul Theodor Strada C. A. Rosetti exterior decorations (done in collaboration with sculptor Karl Storck)
***** Theodor Aman
Aman 8 to the interior design (mural paintings, stained glass, stucco ceilings,
wooden paneling in the workshop, and the house’s furniture), the
house reflects Theodor Aman’s vision. The Theodor Aman Museum
was opened in 1908 and is one of the oldest memorial museums in
Romania.  General admission 5 lei. Filming fee: 15 lei. Wed-Sun
(10am-6pm)
The present Central University Library was founded in 1895 as the
Carol I Library of the University Foundation. It was built on land
bought by King Carol I of Romania for the "Carol I University
Foundation". During the Romanian Revolution of 1989, a fire was
** National Library Paul Gottereau Strada Boteanu 1
started in the building and over 500,000 books, along with 3,700
manuscripts, were burnt. Starting in April 1990, the building was
repaired and modernized.
Mon-Fri (8.30am-8pm), Sat (8.30am-4pm)
Originally built in 1837 as a royal palace in Revolution Square. It
features 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 that led to the downfall of Nicolae Ceaușescu. In 2000, part
National Museum of Calea Victoriei 49-
***** of the museum reopened to the public, housing the modern Romanian
Art of Romania 53
collection and the international collection; the comprehensive
Medieval art collection, which now features works salvaged from
monasteries destroyed during the Ceaușescu era, reopened in spring
2002. There are also two halls that house temporary exhibits. General
admission 15 lei. Wed-Sun (11am-6pm)
Sala Palatului (Palace Hall) was built between 1959 and 1960, during
the communist era as a conference center. It has been the site of
conferences such as the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe, the World Congress on Population, the World Congress on
Strada Ion
*** Sala Palatului Energy, and the World Congress of the Red Cross. The main hall can
Câmpineanu 28
accommodate 4,060 spectators. It is now also used as a general
conference and convention center and as a concert venue for events
such as the George Enescu Festival. The main hall has a capacity of
above 4,000 people. Check events http://www.salapalatului.ro
**** Crețulescu Palace Strada Știrbei Vodă Coming from a family of rich boyars, Elena Crețulescu inherited a
couple of houses from her father and she turned them in the actual
palace in 1902. Perfectly adapted to the nature that surrounds it, the
palace is set in Romantic style with decorative elements belonging to
the French Renaissance style. The facade to the back, towards the park,
is remarkable through its tower and the monumental exterior stairs. A
great nature lover, Elena Crețulescu built a garden full of statues and
fountains around the palace, garden which was incorporated in the
 Cișmigiu later on. The owner also built a greenhouse in the right wing
of the palace. The palace was sold to the City Hall before 1930 and it
hosted the Museum of Religious Art until 1948. Nowadays it hosts the
UNESCO European Centre for Higher Studies. And the guards are not
so keen of people taking pictures of it.
The idea of a school of music and arts in Bucharest came from the
need to gather all the teachers and gifted children from the district and
from other areas in a single dedicated place in order to study and
communicate. The site that the town-hall chose for this school is
between a primary school, a small park and a small wooden church, in
National University
*** LTFB Studio Strada Știrbei Vodă a district full of monotonous block of flats built entirely during the
of Music Bucharest
33 communist era. The lack of identity of the dwellings district (very
common issue for the communist era) and the vicinity of the small
social places around the site made us conceive the school like an
identity element of the district that exceeds the basic technical needs of
the wanted disciplines.
Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel built
between 1912–1914 in the Art Nouveau style. It was arguably Europe's
most notorious den of spies in the years leading up to World War II,
and only slightly less so during the Cold War. It was the first building
in Bucharest to use reinforced concrete construction. It was completely
modernized 1935–1937 by Duiliu Marcu, with the exterior redesigned
Athenee Palace Duiliu Marcu and Strada Episcopiei in the Art Deco style. A new wing was built behind the original hotel
****
Hilton Théophile Bradeau 1-3 in 1965. The hotel's interiors were again remodeled in 1983. Again
damaged in the Romanian Revolution of 1989 (some of whose worst
violence occurred in the square immediately in front of the hotel), it
was remodeled again by Hilton International in 1995–1997. The hotel
was sold to Ana Hotels SA in 2005, but continues to be managed by
Hilton. The hotel is a primary setting in Olivia Manning's Balkan
Trilogy.
Built in 1888 as a concert hall with money collected publicly,
following a national lottery (500.000 tickets were issued, costing one
Leu each). The overall style is neoclassical, with some more romantic
touches. In front of the building there is a small park and a statue of
Romanian Strada Benjamin
***** Albert Galleron Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu. A temple of Romanian art and
Athenaeum Franklin 1-3
culture, at its 120th anniversary, the Romanian Atheneum remains not
just a building of universal value, architecturally representative for
Romania and the Balkans, but also a symbol of the spiritual tradition of
a whole nation. Check events http://fge.org.ro/ro/ateneul-roman.html
The palace was raised by Voyevode Barbu Știrbei and it has a façade
featuring many classical Greek elements. It was raised between 1833-
1835, following the plans designed by Architect Michel Sanjouand. It
*** Palatul Știrbei Michel Sanjouand Calea Victoriei 107 was restored and a new wind was added in 1881; a tower was also
added during the process. The building used to host the Museum of
Porcelain and Glass (until 1990). There is a project to restore it, but at
the price of adding a tall glass covered, concrete block to its back.
The Museum of Art Collections is hosted in the Romanit Palace and
was erected at the early 19th-century. After Romanit died in 1834, the
building was rented 1834-1842 by Prince (domnitor) Alexandru II
Ghica, who established a chancery there, where people could come to
The Museum of Art
*** Calea Victoriei 111 register complaints. In 1836, the building was purchased by the State,
Collections
used first as an administrative office for the Court but in the second
half of the 19th century as the seat of the Ministry of Finance. As the
Ministry came to need more space, the two wings were added, leading
to the 'U' shape of the building today. Sat-Wed (10am-6pm)
St Nicolaie-Tabacu was built in 1864 as a church. A simply humble
St Nicolaie-Tabacu white church free access and not so crowded at the time of my visit. It
** Calea Victoriei
Church is worth mentioning that, with a few exceptions, Bucharest’s churches
are the only surviving edifices older than 18th century.
The George Severeanu Museum was the residence of The Bucharest
Municiplaity Museum’s first Director, and represents an architectural
style typical of Bucharest during the second half of the 19th
century. Radiologist George Severeanu was a passionate antiques
collector who gathered valuable artifacts in the course of his lifetime.
The archaeological objects within the Maria and Dr. George Severeanu
Muzeul Doctor Strada Henri
***** Collection comprise ancient Greek pottery, clay statuettes, bronze and
George Severeanu Coandă 26
marble objects, Roman glassware, ancient gems and cameos, pottery
belonging to the Cucuteni, Vădastra, Wietenberg and Boian
cultures. The Maria and Dr. George Severeanu Collection was donated
to the Bucharest Municipality Museum in 1939 with the inauguration
of the residence as a museum taking place in 1956. general admission 5
lei, students 2 lei. Tue-Sun (10am-6pm)
** Constantin Bebe Ion Socolescu Visarion Street  Built as a family residence in 1896 and later owned by the Creditul
Brătianu Palace Urban, a local banking business. Together with his sister, Constantin
Bebe Brătianu bought the building in 1924. He was coming from a
family of local politicians, ministers and founders of the National
Liberal Party. The palace saw the typical saga of the early days of
Communist Romania: while two of the Brătianus died in the new
regime’s political prisons. It nowadays hosts Ion I. Brătianu
Foundation, with cultural events being held there and a permanent
 exhibition of the paintings.
Founded in 1910, the Admiral Vasile Urseanu Astronomical
Observatory is, chronologically speaking, the first public observatory
of Romania. The institution bears the name of Vasile Urseanu, a figure
Observatorul who made a lifetime carrier in the Romanian marine forces. After
Bulevardul Lascăr
* Astronomic "Amiral retiring, Vasile Urseanu cultivated his lifelong passion, astronomy, and
Catargiu 21
Vasile Urseanu” combined the coordinates of his carrier and of his interests into an
invaluable scientific and museological landmark in Bucharest: the
astronomical observatory set up in a ship-like Wed (10am-6pm), Thu-
Sat (10am-9.30pm), Sun (10am-6pm)
The house was built in two stages - the first stage in 1860, the body of
the Calea Victoriei, and then the second stage and was added body
Manu Street. After acquiring the property, lawyer Constantin G.
Calea Victoriei +
N. Cerchez Dissescu (1854 - 1932), professor, author of the first Romanian course
** Casa Dissescu Strada General
Alexandru Clavel in constitutional law and also - briefly - Minister of Justice , asked the
Gheorghe Manu
architects N. Cerchez Alexandru Clavel to turn the building without
altering its structure. The work was conducted in 1910 -
1912. Currently, it works as the Institute of History of Art.
The National Museum “George Enescu” was opened in the
Cantacuzino Palace, one of the most beautiful buildings in
Bucharest. The sumptuous entrance, in Art Nouveau style, announces
the luxury and the refinement of the époque, reunited in one of the
most imposing palaces in Bucharest. For the decoration of the building,
Muzeul Național the architect collaborated with several recognized artists of the
***** Ioan D. Berindei Calea Victoriei 141
George Enescu time. Since 2007, the Cantacuzino Palace is a European Heritage Label
monument. The permanent exhibition of the museum is organized in
three of the palace’s rooms and displays, chronologically, objects that
bear witness of an impressive biography: photographs, manuscripts,
musical instruments, documents and objects related to the life and
work of the musician. Tue-Sun (10am-5pm)
Cesianu House (1892) is an example of the reconditioning of an older
residence, from the period of 1846-1850 and is one of the few
aristocratic residences of inter-bellum Bucharest which remains
faithful to its original design. For a large period of time, after 1990,
Cesianu House was used to store the patrimony of the Bucharest
Casa Filipescu
*** Leonida Negrescu Calea Victoriei 151 Municipality Museum. Today, the building has been consolidated and
Cesianu
reconditioned, a process which included the restoration of the garden
and the addition of a Lapidarium. The Filipescu-Cesianu House is the
host of a modern museum whose exhibition project presents 300 years
of history, focusing on family, childhood and private life. General
admission 10 lei, students 5 lei. Wed-Sun (10am-6pm)

Zone 3: Dacia-Armeneasca
The house – an architectural monument – was built by the two artists
between 1911 and 1913, and preserves the creations of an entire family
of artists. Karl Storck (1826-1887), a sculptor, was the first sculpting
professor at the School of Fine Arts, founded by Theodor Aman. He is
the author of the first monumental sculpture of Bucharest, which still
exists today, and portrays Mihail Cantacuzino. Carol Storck (1854-
1926), sculptor, Karl Storck’s son, is the author of three of the
Muzeul de Artă Strada Vasile
***** allegories decorating the Bucharest Palace of Justice, and of the
Storck Alecsandri 16
monument “General Dr. Carol Davila”, located in front of the
Bucharest University of Medicine. The Frederic Storck and Cecilia
Cuțescu Storck collection encompasses sculptures, paintings, drawings
in ink and charcoal, pastels, watercolors, and gouache works.
Additionally there are a series of plates and bronze medals, as well as
other collectibles, such as ancient coins, and icons. Wed-Sun (10am-
6pm)
Metropolis Center Bucharest is a building complex, completed in 2010,
which combines an office building, an apartment hotel and retail space
in the ground floor. The plot is distinguished by print house complex,
including the owner’s residence, erected at the end of the 19th c. The
Bulevardul Iancu historical façade of the printing house and the owner's residence are
* Metropolis Centre Bureau XII + 100P
de Hunedoara 60 protected as monument, which fact forms certainly the design
approach.  The space between the boulevard and the building is
designed as a public space, a kind of piazza inviting the walker to
pause and break, offering opportunities for open-air events and
happenings.
The C.I. and C.C. Nottara Memorial Museum is relocating from its
original headquarters at No. 105 Dacia Boulevard. The measure is
necessary as the building no longer corresponds to the heritage
preservation norms, and the collection cannot remain open to the
Muzeul Memorial Bulevardul Dacia
* public in this location. The building was administered by the Bucharest
C.I. Şi C.C. Nottara 105
Municipality Museum in basis of a loan contract, without owning the
building, which remains in the possession of Ana Nottara’s
descendants. General admission 10 lei, 5 lei students. Tue-Sun (10am-
6pm)
**** Lahovari House Ion Mincu Lahovari house is a house Bucharest, Ion Mincu built in 1886, at the
(Casa Lahovari) request of General James Lahovary. The building is retained by the
history of architecture in Romania as the first significant building built
 in Neo-Romanian style with distinctive Art Nouveau elements. Also by
this construction, Ion Mincu formulate their style in architecture, style
that will be found in most of his subsequent projects. The house was
used as housing for a long time, and since 2003 belongs to the
Department of Maternity Hospital Cantacuzino. Construction is
classified as an architectural monument. Strada I Movilă 5-7
Housed in a restored heritage building, Point is a three-floor cultural
hub fostering contemporary arts through exhibitions, screenings, artist
residencies and theatre productions, with a lovely garden in use during
Tudor Ciocanescu
Strada General summer. Private parties and fairs are also held inside this multi-
** POINT Arhitect + Lama
Eremia Grigorescu disciplinary venue. There's a gourmet kitchen as well as a bar with
Arhitectura
10 mixologists. Additionally, the property holds a long and narrow yard
that develops along two sides of the building.
Wed (6-11pm), Thu-Sun (11am-11pm)
Presently known as “The Central School for Girls”, this building
completed between 1890-1892 was conceived at the time for the
“Princely Boarding School for Girls”, an elitist educational institution
for young girls belonging to upper class society. The building has a
shape of a rectangular body enclosing a courtyard, similar to a
Central School
* Ion Mincu Strada Icoanei 3-5 monastery cloister, conveying classical harmony and equilibrium in a
(Școala Centrală)
perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality. A most
remarkable component of the edifice is the glazed arched gallery
running around the courtyard. The glazed structure in fine metal frame
and the accolade-shaped arches are references to the Bucharest’s 18th
century architecture of Ottoman-Oriental influence.
Situated not far away from Romana Sq. and Magheru Blvd., Gradina
Icoanei (Icon’s Garden) is a green part of a Bucharest area left
untouched by Ceusecu’s urban planners. If you want to take a break,
** Icoanei Park area 1 Icoanei
from the chaotic center of Bucharest, Gradina Icoanei Park is the
perfect place for relax and travel trough time, discovering what it used
to be called the “Little Paris of the East”.
The building was raised in the 1860s for Cezar Librecht, Director of
the Post Company during the rule of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
When the prince stepped down in 1866, Librecht left the country and
the house was bought over by Marshal Gheorghe Filipescu’s Family.
Strada Dionisie
**** Casa Universitarilor Confiscated by the Communist government, it was granted to the
Lupu 46
professor guild in town, with a few reading rooms, conference halls, a
cinema and a restaurant being set in. For a visit one should get
permission from the University of Bucharest headquarters down the
Mihail Kogălniceanu Avenue. Mon-Sun (8am-6pm)
In a large house (an historic monument, built in 1883) set back from
the bustle of Bulevardul Magheru, Carturesti is Bucharest’s best
attempt at a bookshop (we have commented on the poverty that is the
Strada Pictor bookshop scene in Romania elsewhere). Books are arranged – by and
***** Cărturești Arthur Verona 13- large – in the correct way, and are everywhere: on the stairs, on the
15 floors, on the windowsills; like all good bookshops you get the feeling
that they simply do not have enough space (compare with branches of
the dreaded Diverta). Don't miss Café Verona inside. Mon-Sun (10am-
10pm)
Located in the center of Bucharest, the Patria Cinema is fronted by the
very tall ARO office building which was built in 1931. The Patria
Bulevardul General
Cinema was an addition, that was built and opened in 1934 in a
* Patria Cinema Gheorghe Magheru
modernist style. It has been described as one of the most beautiful
12-14
cinemas in the city with Western standards of luxury, with vast marble
halls and air conditioning, etc. Closed.
The museum is hosted in the Melik House. A traditional merchant
house, built in the second half of the 18th century, it is one of the
earliest surviving examples of vernacular Bucharest architecture and
the only one open to the public. The house is named after its most
Muzeul Theodor Strada Spătarului important owner, Iacob Melik, a strong supporter of the 1848
*
Pallady 22 revolutionary movement, author of L’Orient devant L’Occident. While
refurbishing the house, he keenly maintained traditional elements such
as the first-floor verandah, the staircase and the wide eaves. The
museum brings centre stage a core selection of paintings by T. Pallady.
Sun-Wed (10am-6pm)
Casa Maura is reminiscent of a Dutch house due to the Flemish
silhouette of the facade, and it is one of the most unstable places in
** Casa Maura Bucharest. Details about who and why or when exactly it was built are
Strada Corbeni 3
not known (unfortunately), but urban stories say that during a period it
housed a synagogue. Casa Maura houses corporate offices inside.
Located in an upcoming neighborhood of the city, the restaurant aims
to be a landmark for the regeneration of the old distressed urban tissue.
Kane World Food It’s approach is simple and clear, using natural materials and mixing
***** Bogdan Ciocodeică Strada Dianei 9
Studio them with the abundant greenery. Both architect and client agreed upon
using design as a tool for reaching a particular atmosphere rather than
aiming to enhance a certain type of image. Wed-Sun (6.30am-11pm)
Housed in a beautiful Art Deco building less than a block from the
* Burebista Restaurant Strada Batiștei 14 Intercontentinental Hotel, the Restaurant Burebista is the easiest way to
visit this building. Mon-Sun (10-12)
**** Intercontinental Intercontinental Hotel is the first skyscraper to be built in Bucharest
 (from 1968-71), and still the tallest hotel in the city (complete with a
swimming pool and – during the summer, sun terrace - on the top
floor). The InterContinental was the first major five-star hotel to open
in Romania, built at a time when the country was starting to look west:
Hotel the first guests - American tourists - were brought to the city on the
first PanAm flight to land in Bucharest. Fully renovated a number of
times since then, today it is one of the city's most recognisable
buildings, and something of a legend and icon. Don't miss Club
Lounge on the 21st floor offers great views of Bucharest. 
The original National Theatre was built between 1967 and 1970 to the
design of three Romanian architects, Horia Maicu, Romeo Belea and
Nicolae Cucu, and was rather abstractly styled to honour the
architecture of Moldova’s famous monasteries. Unfortunately, the
Horia Maicu, Romeo building was then ruined in 1984-5 when a grey, concrete, vaguely
National Theatre Bulevardul Nicolae
*** Belea and Nicolae neo-classical casing was placed over the earlier structure. That ugly
Bucharest Bălcescu 2
Cucu casing, however, was removed in 2011 when the theatre began to take
on its current shape. As such, the colourful red and white theatre once
again looks much like the construction the original architects
envisaged, although there are major differences inside the
building. Tickets http://www.tnb.ro/en
To the left (face on) of the Colţea hospital, the church of the same
name was built from 1701-2 on the site of an older, wooden
construction. Recent renovation has restored much of the rich
Colţea Church Bulevardul Ion C. ornamentation of the interior, most of which was painted in 1876 by
**
(Biserica Colţea) Brătianu 1 Gheorghe Tattarescu. Look out for the Cantacuzino family crest above
the vaguely Italian baroque portal. The church (like the hospital which
surrounds it) was founded by courtier Mihai Cantacuzino. A statue of
Cantacuzino stands just inside the entrance to the hospital courtyard. 
The oldest hospital in Bucharest, dating from 1704, the Coltea was
built on land belonging to the Vacaresti family, who at the time owned
great swathes of the capital. The original building was destroyed by an
Conrad Schwink and Bulevardul Ion C.
* Colțea Hospital earthquake in 1802, and the neo-classical building we see today in fact
Faiser Brătianu 1
dates from 1888. Recently renovated (the facade, at least), it has
seldom looked better. The hospital remains a functioning municipal
health centre, and you may enter only if you have official business.
It marks the centre of the city and all distances to other cities and
towns in the country are measured from here. It is a sphere-like forged
iron monument; it was made by Constantin Baraski in 1938 and it
bears the zodiac symbols, as well as the Romanian (at the time)
provinces, including Basarabia (nowadays Republic of Moldova) and
Kilometer Zero Bulevardul Ion C.
* Constantin Baraski Northern Bukovina (nowadays in Ukraine), with cities like Cernăuți
Monument Brătianu
(Chernivcy) and Chișinău being marked there. As a slice of Romania
was given (or rather taken by) the U.S.S.R. in 1940, the Communist
authorities decided to cut off the monument and hide it away; it was
reinstalled after 1990, but it had to be taken off for restoration works a
few times, because it was damaged. 
In 1705-1706 on the site where a smaller church had existed. Near the
church there used to be the oldest and largest inn in Bucharest: Sfântul
Gheorghe Inn. The actual church, raised by King Constantin
Brâncoveanu, was surrounded by palaces which were meant for
Sfântul Gheorghe
** Strada Lipscani patriarchs and priests, as well as by the buildings of the former inn.
Nou Church
Both the inn and the church burnt during the 1847 fire. The inn
perished, while the church could be restored. The best part of the
church is the veranda with 12 columns bearing the typical decorations
for Brâncoveanu style.

Zone 4: Jewish quarter

The most impressive synagogue in Romania – the Choral Temple – is
the surviving testimony of what was once the strong Jewish
community of Bucharest.  The construction of the Choral Temple
started in 1864 in a complicated political context. Inspired by the
model of major European cities where Jewish communities were
actively promoting their cultural identity through imposing
synagogues, the Choral Temple was also destined to become the
Strada Sfânta
***** The Choral Temple highlight of all Judaic monuments in Romania. It was rebuilt in 1866
Vineri 9
following its destruction in a pogrom. The red-brick Choral Temple
has a memorial in front of it (visible from the street) that
commemorates the Romanian Jews sent to their deaths during the
Holocaust. It is a copy of Vienna's Leopoldstadt-Tempelgasse Great
Synagogue. It was rededicated in December 2014 following an eight-
year renovation of the fabulous, colourful interior. General admission
10 lei. Mon-Thu (9am-3pm), Fri, Sun (9am-1pm)
***** Sfântul Ioan Nou Bulevardul Ion C. It was built in 1766 and it was seriously damaged by the 1847 fire, so,
Church Brătianu 39 during Gheorghe Bibescu's rule, it was greatly restored. Between 1985
and 1986 it escaped Ceaușescu's demolition like through a miracle
(almost the whole quarter behind and in front of it, churches,
synagogues and historic monuments included were razed off). It was
translated from its original setting over 23 meters, under a 37 degree
angle and on a 2.8 grade slope, a solution found by the Church
Patriarch and two engineers, as otherwise it would have been
 demolished in no time to make place for the grand avenue in front of it
and to disappear from public sight. As if this was not enough, they
built two tall concrete buildings in front of it, so as to hide it away (the
communists did so with other churches and synagogues as well).
Bucharest's Great Synagogue, often called the Great Polish Synagogue,
was built from 1845 -1846 by the Ashkenazi Polish-Jewish
community. Rather plain on the outside the interior is an impressive.
colourful mixture of baroque and rococo styles, and the Great
Synagogue is perhaps today the most important Jewish building in the
The Great Polish Strada Vasile
*** country. The synagogue hosts an excellent exhibition dedicated to
Synagogue Adamache 11
Jewish martyrs, and to Moses Rosen, who served as Romania's Chief
Rabbi for 30 years until his death in 1994. Guided tours are available
(phone ahead). The building also continues to serve as an active place
of worship.
Sun-Fri (10am-2pm)
The former Temple of the Holy Union, built in 1836 as a place of
worship for the local tailors’ craft union. The edifice was restored and
underwent substantial architectural modifications in 1910, but it finally
The History
lost its original function in 1968. Since 1978, it has been sheltering the
**** Museum of the Intrarea Mămulari 3
Museum of the History of the Romanian Jews. By studying the
Romanian Jews
displayed exhibits, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the
history of the Jewish community in Romania.
Mon-Thu (9am-3pm), Fri & Sun (9am-1pm)

Zone 5: Dimitrie Cantemir

Though intended as a grand statement of ambition and as a showpiece
of socialism (the original name of B-dul Unirii was Bulevardul
Victoria Socialismului - Victory of Socialism Boulevard) shabby
workmanship and use of poor quality materials mean that the
*** Bulevardul Decebal Bulevardul Unirii
monumental apartment blocks that line B-dul Unirii, Decebal and
Calarasilor are - despite being just over 20 years old - looking
somewhat worse for wear. Nicolae Ceausescu's largest legacy has not
weathered well.
The initial lead architect was Cezar Lăzărescu, who died in 1986
before the building was finished. Shortly after 1989, although some
parts of the building were finished or in an advanced state, due to lack
of funding, the construction had stalled for several years. In 2009 the
project was reassigned to the Ministry of Culture, which completed the
National Library of Bulevardul Unirii construction in 2011 and set the official opening date to take place in
**** Cezar Lăzărescu
Romania 22 2012. The National Library is a cultural institution under the
supervision of the Ministry of Culture. Its goal is to administer the
national patrimony of publications, by purchasing and preserving
documents and making them available to the public, for research or
personal study. Mon-Fri (8am-6pm), Tue,Thu (8am-8pm), Sat (9am-
5pm)
First built perhaps as early as 1416, this could well be the site of the
oldest church in Bucharest. Nobody is exactly sure how long there has
been a church here, but we do know that it predates the Radu Voda
monastery opposite, which was first constructed in 1506. Today, the
Bucur Church is often ignored, hidden as it is on a hill above the street
and hemmed in by two blocks. The current church was built around
*** Bucur Church Str. Radu Voda 33
1720 (thoroughly renovated in 1909-10) to serve as a chapel for the
cemetery of the Radu Voda monastery. The church - and the hill on
which it stands - were recently consolidated in order to prevent them
falling further towards the Dambovita river, just a few metres to the
rear. The church is named for Bucur the Shepherd, the legendary
founder of Bucharest.
Radu Voda is a Princely foundation, one of the earliest in Bucharest.
The first church founded here dates back to 1568 as part of a large
complex which included thick defensive walls and a Princely Palace.
In those turbulent times the monastery has been soon occupied by
Strada Radu Vodă
*** Radu Voda Church Sinan Pasha’s Turkish armies which set up here their headquarters
24A
turning the church into a mosque (1595). The remains of the former
palace have been uncovered by archaeological works in the 1950s. The
tomb of the founder, Prince Radu Mihnea, with a beautiful tombstone,
has been preserved inside the church.
The Saint Spyridon the New Church is a Romanian Orthodox church in
Bucharest, Romania on Calea Șerban Vodă, no. 29. Originally built
with gothic influences in 1860, it was strongly modified by Patriarch
Saint Spyridon the Calea Șerban Vodă
** Justinian. Yet, what is differentiating this church from others is the
New Church 29
interior decorations, with the marvelous paitings by the Romanian
master Gheorghe Tattarescu in Renaissance style, superb stained
glasses and one of a kind iconostasis.
** Bell tower Aleea Dealul In 1698, Constantin Brâncoveanu ordered the construction of a
Mitropoliei 19 traditional entrance-gate, that is, in the form of a bell tower. The
edifice was restored in 1956-58. It was beneath this bell tower that
Barbu Catargiu, the first Prime Minister of Romania, was assassinated
at five o’clock in the evening on June 20, 1862. He had arrived on the
hill to give a speech before the Assembly of Deputies, in session in the
nearby Palace of the Chamber of Deputies. If the tower is closed, ask
 someone at the Cucuteni museum to let you in. General admission 1€.
Mon-Sun (9am-5pm)
The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral (also known as the
Metropolitan Church) was built in 1658 as a religious and civic
landmark. Since it is a working cathedral, it is the site of many
religious holidays and observances that take place for those who follow
the Orthodox Christian faith in Bucharest, including a Palm Sunday
Romanian pilgrimage. The facade is in the Brâncovenesc style. In 1862, the
Aleea Dealul
**** Patriarchal Romanian prime minister, Barbu Catargiu, was assassinated as his
Mitropoliei 2
Cathedral open carriage passed in front of the cathedral. The structure was begun
in 1655 and completed in 1659 under the orders of the Wallachian
prince, Serban Basarb. The facade is in the Brâncovenesc style. All of
the original frescoes and sculptures were destroyed, except for the icon
of Constantine and Helen, who are the patron saints of the cathedral.
Mon-Sun (7am-8pm)
The Patriarchal Palace is the residence of Daniel Ciobotea, the
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1708, and
was - for a brief period in the immediate aftermath of the 1989
revolution - where the new, vaguely democratic Romanian parliament
met. The building served as the seat of successive Romanian
legislatures: of the Assembly of Deputies during the Kingdom of
Romania, then of the Communist-era Great National Assembly, and
Palace of the after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, of the Chamber of Deputies.
***** Dimitrie Maimarolu
Patriarchate Parliamentarians vacated the building in 1997, when it passed to the
Patriarchate of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The façade, done in a
neo-classical style, is 80 m long. The imposing ground floor is
dominated by the centre of the façade, the entrance area, detached and
having a peristyle featuring six Ionic columns, the four in the centre
grouped as pairs. The cupola, similar to that of the Romanian
Athenaeum and located above the assembly hall, is raised, fitted with
windows, and topped by an eagle; it forms the palace's central axis.
The Ligia and Pompiliu Macovei Art Collection is located in the
donors’ private residence, a building built at the beginning of the 20th
century, in a French eclectic style. Pompiliu Macovei (1911-2009) was
a diplomat for the Ion Mincu Institute of Architecture of Bucharest in
Colectia de Arta
1939, and, after 1960, held numerous governmental and diplomatic
***** Ligia si Pompiliu Strada 11 Iunie 36
functions. Ligia Macovei (1916-1998), Pompiliu Macovei’s wife,
Macovei
attended classes at the Bucharest School of Fine Art’s Decorative Arts
Department. The Ligia and Pompiliu Macovei Art Collection is an
original cultural incursion in different times and places. Wed-Sun
(10am-6pm)
The splendid Antim Monastery, with its elegant dome and gold finish
was constructed between 1708 and 1715 on the orders of polymath
Antim Ivireanul, patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Wallachia at the
time. Antim originally intended the monastery to be a refuge for fallen
women and refugees, as well as a seat of learning. The bell tower
*** Antim Monastery Str. Antim 29
through which we today enter the monastery was added in 1857. The
monastery church is particularly worth admiring, for its sumptuous
icons featuring scenes from the Nativity and Revelations, painted in
1812 by Petre Alexandrescu. The sculptures on the wooden double
doors of the church were executed by Patriarch Antim himself.

Zone 6: Splaiul Independentei

Domnita Balasa Church located in Bucharest is a neo-romantic and
neo-Byzantine style building, large, showing a cross-shaped plan, plus
a polygonal apse of the altar. The first church built on these places,
between 1743 and 1744, was founded by Lady Balasa and her husband
Manolache Rangabe also known as Lambrino. It was destroyed in
1871, and in 1883, on the place of the altar, there was placed a
Domnita Balasa Strada Sfinții
** memorial stone. In 1838 an earthquake occurs, which severely affects
Church Apostoli 60
the church. But until 1842 another one is built in neo-Gothic style, with
the support of Safta Brancoveanu, founder of the Brâncovenesc
Hospital. Being degraded because of the flooding, in 1881, this new
building was demolished. The present church was built during the
reign of King Carol I and Queen Elizabeth; the construction lasted 4
years (1881-1885).
The Palace of Justice in Bucharest was built between 1890 and 1895
marked by Neo-Renaissance influences. The facade of the Palace of
Ion Mincu and Splaiul
*** Palace of Justice Justice is guarded by a number of decorative elements, of which the 6
Albert Ballu Independenței 5
allegorical marble statues, each of them symbolizing a certain justice-
related principle, are the most notable.
**** Biserica Mihai Vodă Strada Sapienței 4 Mihai Voda Church bears the name of its founder, the Wallachian
Prince Michael the Brave (1558-1601). The monastic complex, richly
endowed by the founder and the following princes, was often praised
by the visitors from abroad for its beauty. Along the centuries the
monastery served as a refuge place for more than a few princes,
witnessed Turkish assaults as well as dramatic moments. Mihai Voda
is acknowledged not only for the historical value, but as important
architectural patrimony being a rare example of Wallachian medieval
ecclesiastical architecture. The exceptional value of Mihai Voda
 monastery as part of the city’s history and memory did not spare it
from the woes of the last years of the totalitarian regime. Mihai Voda
church is one of the churches which have been relocated during the
demolitions of the 1980s. The church and its Belfry were moved away
from the hill where they had been sitting for almost 400 years, and
transported over 289m.

Zone 7: Parliament + Cotroceni

The Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania
and was built in 1997 as the world’s second-largest building (after
the Pentagon). It became former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most
infamous creation. The construction of The Palace of the Parliament 
began in 1984 (and still unfinished), the building has more than 3000
rooms and covers 330,000 sq metres. The building was designed and
Palace of the
***** Anca Petrescu Strada Izvor 2-4 supervised by chief architect Anca Petrescu, with a team of
Parliament
approximately 700 architects, and constructed over a period of 13
years (1984–97). Today, the building houses the country's parliament
and associated offices – though much of it stands unused. Entry is by
guided tour only (book in advance). Bring your passport since they
check IDs. Today it houses the parliament. General admission 45 lei,
23 students. Mon-Sun (9am-5pm)
The Palace of Parliament houses a superb art gallery, which displays
temporary, ever-changing exhibitions of eclectic installations and
video art. Check the website in advance to make sure something is on
Izvor 2-4 street, during your visit to spare yourself a long walk. The museum is
National Museum of Palatul located on the southwestern side of the building (at the opposite end
***** Anca Petrescu
Contemporary Art Parlamentului, wing of the Palace of Parliament to the tour entrance); look for entry E4.
E4 Every Thursday the exhibition program is extended until 21h00,
while the caffetteria on the 4th floor remains open until 23h00.
General admission 16 lei, 4 lei students. Wed-Sun (10am-6pm), Thu
(10am-8pm)
The People's Salvation Cathedral is a future Romanian Orthodox
cathedral, currently under construction in Bucharest. It will be the
patriarchal cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the
tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world when completed. The
new cathedral will be dedicated to the Ascension of Christ and to
Saint Andrew. The historic area of Arsenal Hill once contained two
monasteries: the Mihai Vodă monastery and the Hermitage
convent. The idea of a national cathedral first emerged following the
Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878), which was mainly
fought between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. The church was
Catedrala Mântuirii to symbolise the victory of Orthodox Christians over the Ottoman
***** John Augustine Calla 13 Septembrie
Neamului Muslims. The idea was shelved for lack of consensus on design,
location and funding. In 1925, after the Romanian Orthodox Church
became an independent patriarchate, Patriarch Miron Cristea
suggested Carol Park as a site but his idea was defeated in favour of
Bibescu Vodă Square (Unirii Square). On 16 February 2005, the
Bucharest City Hall proposed to the Patriarchate "as the most
suitable place to be available" for the construction, which is the
Arsenal Hill, considered the highest place in Bucharest. Following
the Patriarchate's approval, the Government of Romania promoted
the Ordinance no.19/17 March 2005 for the realization of the
People's Salvation Cathedral.
Construction started in 1905 and ended in 1911, with owner Dumitru
Marinescu meaning the building to host a Palace of Culture for the
employees of his beer brewery (Bragadiru Brewery). As he had
grown up in poverty, he wanted to provide entertainment and fun for
his employees. The palace consists of a wide, elegant ballroom
(largely overdone, a bit kitschy and dusty, if not all the way
grotesque though), a library, shops on the ground floor, as well as a
*** Palatul Bragadiru Anton Shuckerl Calea Rahovei
fine backyard. In 1948, the communist regime confiscated the
property, and renamed it Lenin Culture House. The descendants of
Marinescu got the building back in 2003. The building lies to the
back of a still unfinished building which was meant for the
Romanian Academy in 1989. It is not open for visitors, it is usually
rented for weddings, parties and corporate events. Mon-Sun (11am-
7pm)
** The Ark Strada Uranus 150 The Ark was erected in 1898 as main building of the Commodities
Trade ensemble. Used as the Customs’ Postal Office after 1945, it
survived the massive demolitions of the 1980s that erased the Uranus
neighbourhood of the city’s map. After a fire in 1990, it stayed in
ruins over the next 16 years; 7 meter tall trees grew through the
derelict floors. Ranked a historical monument, marked with "danger
of collapse", this 19th century industrial architecture treasure was
bought and renovated by private investors in 2006. Since then it’s
called 'The Ark'. Its ground floor, with access to the terrace, hosts
business & cultural events; the lower floor is used for exhibitions,
conferences and different courses, from ballet to sailing and from
cross fit to sewing. The top floors were transformed into office
spaces and accommodate different companies involved in advertising
 and consulting. Mon-Fri (9am-5pm)
The Academy, built in 1937, was one of the few places in Bucharest
that saw live action during the relatively peaceful handover of power
from Marshall Antonescu to King Mihai in August 1944. A small
plaque in the courtyard commemorates the soldiers killed while
Romanian Military 68-72 Soseaua successfully attacking the building, which played host to German
*** Duiliu Marcu
Academy Pandurilor military 'advisors' during World War II and which served as a last
bastion of Nazism in Romania. It is closed to the public as it is still
used as an officer's training facility. One of the few times you can
gain access is on December 1st, Romania's National Day, when a
small ceremony takes place in the parade ground.
Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest. The Hill of
Cotroceni was once covered by the forest of Vlăsia, which covered
most of today's Bucharest. Here, in 1679 a monastery was built by
Şerban Cantacuzino, later to be transformed into a palace in 1888 by
Cotroceni
** Bulevardul Eroilor Carol I. Houses were built in the area near the palace by the royal
Neighborhood
servants and by high-ranking military personnel. Carol I also build a
royal train station named Gara Cotroceni near the palace. The train
station was relocated by the communist regime and was later used for
transporting materials for the construction of Casa Poporului.
The Cotroceni Palace, former residence of the Romanian Royal
family and today an outstanding museum, is located in the western
part of Bucharest, in an area rich in gardens and greenery.
Old domain of Romanian princes since the 17th century, the Palace
was used by Carol I, the first King of Romania, as residence of
diplomatic representation and protocol of the highest level. This is
Bulevardul Geniului where the King received numerous high-ranking guests and
***** Muzeul Cotroceni Paul Gottereau
1 personalities, among them the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph. At
King Carol’s request, Cotroceni Palace was renovated for the use of
his successors to the Romanian throne, Ferdinand and Marie, the
second royal couple. Along with the celebrated Peles Castle in
Sinaia, Cotroceni palace provides a revealing picture of the status of
the Romanian Royals and on what monarchy meant in the history of
Romania. Tue-Sun (9.30am-5.30pm)
Bucharest’s fabulous Botanical Gardens were founded in 1860 with
the significant financial backing of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, at
the time the leader of the nascent Romanian state. Completed in 1866
to the designs and instructions of Ulrich Hoffmann, they were
*** Muzeul Botanic Ulrich Hoffmann Șoseaua Cotroceni 32 originally in the grounds of the Cotroceni Monastery, moving to their
present location in 1884. The recently renovated glasshouses are
fabulous. General admission 5 lei, 2 lei students. Admission to the
museum and greenhouses costs extra, 2 lei adults, 1 leu children.
Mon-Fri (10am-3pm), Sat-Sun (9am-1pm)

Zone 8: Eroilor
The Dâmbovița Center (also named Casa Radio) is an unfinished
building erected during the late 1980s by the Communist
regime intended to serve as a museum of the Romanian Communist
Party. The balcony (which no longer exists) of the unfinished
building facing Ştirbei Vodă Street was used by the Romanian
dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu on 23 August 1989 to watch the
*** Casa Radio Calea Plevnei 97 festivities marking Romania's National Day. It was the last
Communist-style parade in Romania. The development of Casa
Radio comprises approximately 467,000 square metres of built area,
including a 90,000-square metre GLA shopping mall and indoor
leisure center, approximately 127,000 square metres GBA of offices,
hotel complex with conference center and underground car parking
spaces.
The Romanian National Opera was built in 1953 as the national
opera and ballet. The first opera performed there was Tchaikovsky's
Queen of Spades on 9 January 1954; the first ballet was Coppélia, the
following night. It shows a heraldic symbol on its frontispiece
Octav Doicescu and Bulevardul Mihail
**** Opera Română created by Tudor-Radu Tiron and a motto in Latin language: ARS
Paraschiva Iubu Kogălniceanu 70-72
GRATIA ARTIS (art for the sake of art or, ad litteram, art for
reward's sake). Vaguely neoclassical in design the building is elegant
on the outside, with a richly decorated main auditorium. Their annual
season runs September–June. Tickets http://operanb.ro
Founded on December 18, 1923, National Military Museum became
one of the most important museum institutions in Romania. Since
1865, during the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, when the first
National Military Strada Mircea initiative to set up a military museum by depositing the Army
***
Museum Vulcănescu 125-127 Arsenal in Bucharest flags, uniforms and weapons outgoing supplied.
In this place in 1893 creates Artillery Museum, which in 1914
became the National Museum of Antiquities department. Wed-Sat
(9am-5pm), Sun (9am-7pm)

Zone 9: Kiseleff
**** The buffet in Ion Mincu Șoseaua Pavel The buffet in Kiseleff (buffet original name) is a house in Bucharest,
Kiseleff Dimitrievici Kiseleff neo- Romanian style built as a project for the exhibition in Paris in
 1889, built by the architect Ion Mincu. It was built in 1892 on the
initiative of Petre P. Carp, then Minister of Public Works, was put
into use as a restaurant. In the years that followed, the building was
4 extended by adding elements in the spirit of the original elements.
2003 building houses a luxurious restaurant, Doina restaurant.
Construction is classified as an architectural monument.
Mon-Sun (11am-11pm)
It was built in 1895-1896 after the plans drawn by Giulio Magni.
Magni used the Mincu-founded project while designing this building.
Șoseaua Pavel There are striking resemblances with Mincu's Bufetul de la Șosea
** Middle School Giulio Magni Dimitrievici Kiseleff (nowadays Casa Doina Restaurant) or with Școala Centrală, with the
5-7 terra cotta tile covered facade (especially above the window frames).
The building is surrounded by a beautiful fence built of decorated
brick structure, covered with ceramics. It lies just off Kiseleff Park. 
The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, built between 1912
and 1941, is a museum with a collection of textiles (especially
costumes), icons, ceramics, and other artifacts of Romanian peasant
life. One of Europe's leading museums of popular arts and traditions,
Șoseaua Pavel it was designated "European Museum of the Year" for 1996. During
Muzeul Taranului Nicolae Ghica-
***** Dimitrievici Kiseleff the Communist era, the building housed a museum representing the
Roman Budești
3 country's Communist party; the museum's basement still contains a
room devoted to an ironic display of some artifacts from that earlier
museum. The building, which uses traditional Romanian
architectural features, was built on the former site of the State Mint
(Monetăria Statului). Tue-Sun (10am-6pm)
Originally built in 1906 as the Geological Institute of Romania, is
now home to the National Geological Museum. The permanent
exhibition is formed by 14 base exhibits containing about 7,700 of
Șoseaua Pavel
Victor G. the total 70,000 exhibits in the collections of scientific samples of the
***** Geology Museum Dimitrievici Kiseleff
Stephănescu museum. A highly worthwhile museum, this one features Romania's
2
varied geological formations, with enough English signage on hand
to give you the general idea of what's on display. General
admission 8 lei adults, 4 lei students. Mon-Sun (10am-6pm)
Oromolu Office, completed in 2017, is a dialogue between old and
new, between heritage and new technologies, a reflection on the glass
of the history who yearns to be contemporary. Oromolu Villa was
built for the former Governor of the National Bank Mihai Oromolu
in the interwar period by the architect Petre Antonescu. The three-
story building in the L planimetric conformation embrace the old
renown villa and outlines a public space –an urban porch reserved for
Bulevardul
**** Oromolu Office DSBA Victory Square (the most important plaza in Bucharest associated
Aviatorilor 8
with the Romanian government building). The action was carried out
on two levels: in the first instance, the rehabilitation of the villa
which was in an advanced stage of degradation and then a glass
object to stay with reflective modesty behind, being united in the
basement. The innovation factor is defined by the 16m-long canopy
and double-ventilated façade with triple-laminated double-curved
glass.
The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History was
established on 3 November 1834. It was renamed in 1933 after
Muzeul National de Șoseaua Pavel Grigore Antipa, who administered the museum for 51 years. The
*** Istorie Naturala Dimitrievici Kiseleff heritage of the museum consists of more than 2 million pieces
Grigore Antipa 1 grouped into different zoological, paleontological, minerals and
rocks and ethnographic. General admission 20 lei, 5 lei students.
Mon-Fri (10am-6pm), Sat-Sun (10am-7pm)

Zone 10: Dorobanti + Pimaverii

Works at Victoria Palace started in 1937 and finished in 1944. Owing
to the damage brought by 1944 bombing, the works started again and
were finalized in 1952. Initially designed to be headquarters of the
Foreign Ministry, Victoria Palace was the headquarters of Foreign
**** Victoria Palace Duiliu Marcu Piața Victoriei 1 Ministry and Council of Ministers during the Communist period and
became in 1990, headquarters of the first Government of post -
communist Romania. Currently the offices of Prime Minister of
Romania and its affiliates are located there. Mon-Fri (8.30am-
4.30pm)
The National Museum of Maps and Old Books was set up, at least in
part, by grace of its two main contributors, Adrian and Daniela
National Museum of
Năstase, who donated most of the exhibits presently displayed in the
*** Maps and Old Strada Londra 39
16 rooms of the museums. The collections amount to some 800
Books
items, which are always worth exploring by people interested in the
field. Wed-Sun (10am-6pm)
The Victor Babeş Museum was founded in 1955 documents in depth
his life and activity, by means of exhibits which range from scientific
works and manuscripts to diplomas and certificates. Victor Babeş
Muzeul Victor No. 14A Andrei was one of the most important and worldwide renowned Romanian
***
Babeș Muresanu Street scientists specialized in the field of bacteriology, microbiology and
morphs-pathology. General admission 5 lei, photo/Filming fee: 15
lei.
Wed-Sun (10am-6pm)
 Zambaccian Museum consists exclusively of the private collections
gathered by Krikor H. Zambaccian, a wealthy businessman in the
early and mid 20th century who, given its passion for art, came
closest to the idea of embodiment of an autochthonous Mecenas. The
house was built in the 1930s and it was expanded in 1957. The
museum was founded in the Dorobanți neighbourhood in 1947,
Zambaccian 21A Strada
*** closed by the Ceauşescu regime in 1977, and re-opened in 1992. It is
Museum Zambacian
now a branch of The National Museum of Art of Romania. Its
collection includes works by Romanian artists—including a
masterful portrait of Zambaccian himself by Corneliu Baba—and
works by several French impressionists. The courtyard features a
large sculpture by Romanian sculptor Oscar Han. Wed-Sun (10am-
6pm)
Primăverii Palace (Palatul Primăverii) is located in Primăverii
neighborhood, one of the richest and most exclusive districts of
Bucharest. Built in the ‘60s and modified in the ‘70s, the palace has
80 rooms, a large swimming pool, a winter garden, a large courtyard,
many luxurious bathrooms, a cinema, and of course, a wine cellar.
Each and every room received lavish attention to detail, with
expensive furniture, fine porcelain, silk wallpapers, and valuable
50 Primăverii
***** Primăverii Palace paintings. In this way, Ceauşescu was finally able to forget his
Boulevard
humble past. He was now able to receive the most important leaders
of the world such as Richard Nixon, who had the pleasure of
drinking a cup of tea with Ceauşescu in 1969. The palace, which was
always the private residence of the Ceauşescu family, is a good
opportunity to reveal the true face of Communism, i.e. of those who
were speaking in the name of the poor while enjoying an extravagant
life, full of luxuries and without any worries. Wed-Sun (10am-6pm)
Unicredit Ţiriac was built in 2012 as the bank HQ.  Any large
corporation will want a representative headquarters building that will
enhance in the city its image as an important institution in the
society. As notions of corporate image and representation are closer
Unicredit Ţiriac Westfourth Piața Charles de
* to marketing and real estate than architecture, translating the bank's
Bank HQ Architecture Gaulle 15
wishes for representation in architectural terms was one of the major
challenges of the project. The building attempts to avoid the bank's
identity requirements through a simple formal gesture and engages a
more complex architectural approach.

Zone 11: Herăstrău Park

First, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania
gained independence (1878), so that it 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
** Arcul de Triumf Petre Antonescu Piața Arcul de Triumf
September 1936. The current arch has a height of 27 meters and the
facades are decorated by sculptures created by famous Romanian
sculptors such as Ion Jalea and Dimitrie Paciurea. Nowadays,
Military Parades has held beneath the arch each 1 Dec., with the
occasion of Romania's national holiday.
This outdoor museum fills a surface of some 10 hectares, a park
populated with examples of Romanian rural architecture. The park
aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the architectural styles
used in building the traditional rural homes throughout Romania, in
sundry regions of the country (Moldavia, Oltenia, Transylvania,
Dimitrie Gusti Șoseaua Pavel
Banat, and Dobrogea, for instance). The houses aside, the patrimony
***** National Village Dimitrievici Kiseleff
of the museum is complemented by churches, outhouses and mills,
Museum 30
such as to offer visitors a thorough picture of the Romanian
traditional village life. The structures (depending on their type) are
furnished with authentic items (old furniture, tapestries, tools and the
like), such as to render as closely as possible the atmosphere of the
rural life. General admission 15 LEI. Mon-Sun (9am-5pm)
City Gate Towers (Turnurile "Porţile Oraşului") are two class A
office buildings of 18-story that stand at a height of 72
meters. Located at the entry in Bucharest, in “Piaţa Presei Libere”
Westfourth and in the axis of the Exhibition Pavilion, the Citygate complex is
***** City Gate Towers Piața Presei Libere 3
Architecture being constructed on one of the most prominent locations in the
city. The towers are located across from each other and creating an
entry plaza to the Exhibition Complex in between. A common three
level garage connects the towers under the plaza.
The House of the Free Press (Casa Presei Libere), formerly called
Casa Scânteii, is one of the landmarks of Bucharest reminiscent of
the communist regime. The edifice was built during the regime
(between 1952 and 1957) and served as headquarters of the party’s
publication (Scânteia) being, thus, by design, an institution
*** Casa Presei Libere Horia Maicu Piața Presei Libere 1 completely subject to the communist authorities. In reaction to this
juncture, subsequently to the 1989 Revolution, the name of the
building was changed into the House of the Free Press. The building
combines elements promoted by the Russian Soviet architecture with
details typical of the religious architecture cultivated in Wallachia
and Moldavia.
 This amazing red brick, Tudor style house holds the small yet
stunning art collection of Dumitru Furnica Minovici, who made his
fortune in the oil business in the 1930s. Visitors will be delighted to
find inside some fine collections of Dutch furniture, stained glass
windows, a complete library and Italian paintings from the 16th/17th
Dumitru Minovici Strada Nicolae centuries. Dumitru Minovici House lies next to the aforementioned
*****
House Minovici 3 Nicolae Minovici House. It was built in English Gothic style in 1939,
as Dumitru Minovici, its owner, inherited a vast piece of land from
his uncle and bought many pieces of old Western art (stained glass
windows, a chimney, statues, a whole library, old tables and chairs,
paintings); the interesting thing is that he had the house built to fit
these items and hence the harmonious display. Wed-Sun (9am-5pm)
The Dr. Nicolae Minovici Museum was the first museum dedicated
to folk art in Bucharest. Inaugurated in 1906, “the national art
museum” first functioned as a private institution. Nicolae Minovici
gained the support of architect Cristofi Cerkez in building this unique
construction on the northern side of Bucharest. The Dr. Nicolae
Minovici villa is one of the first neo-Romanian constructions in
Bucharest, built between 1905 and 1906. The villa was surrounded
by a splendid 1900s style garden, to the arrangement of which
contributed decorative sculptor Wilhelm August von Becker. Nicolae
Muzeul Nicolae Strada Doctor Minovici founded the Salvarea Society (1906), the first emergency
***** Cristofi Cerchez
Minovici Nicolae Minovici hospital in Romania (1937), and was the Principal of the Forensic
Medicine Institute between 1933 and 1940. The museum’s collection
of folkloric art was gradually put together through Minovici’s own
acquisitions, between the years 1900 and 1941. A large part of the
collection is formed by traditional garbs from Suceava, Ilfov-Vlaşca
and Argeş, and woven fabric from Oltenia. The collection also
includes glass-painted icons from Ardeal, clothing and accessories,
traditionally dyed eggs gathered from all over the country, as well as
inter-war artworks. General admission 5 lei, students 2 lei. Wed-Sun
(10am-6pm)
One of the most remarkable art monuments in Bucharest is the
“Miorita fountain”, which greets the visitor at the northern entrance
Șoseaua București- to the city. The mosaics set in stone evoke the beautiful Romanian
* Fântâna Miorița Milita Petrascu
Ploiești popular ballad “Miorita” (“The little ewe”). The graceful black and
white mosaics, work of the Romanian avant-garde artist Milita
Petrascu, are also a wonderful example of the Art Deco style.
Spread over 187 hectares around Herastrau lake is one of the jewels
in Bucharest’s crown, which might explain why half of the city
chooses to spend its summer Sunday afternoons here. Herastrau was
Ernest Pinard, laid out from 1930-36 on what had until then been mainly marshland
Sos. Kiseleff 32,
***** Herăstrău Park Rebhun. Fr. Rebhun around the (natural) lake. The park’s open-air Teatrul de Vara
Herăstrău Park
and Octav Doicescu (summer theatre) was recently renovated after years of neglect and
now hosts performances put on by a number of Bucharest theatre
companies (in season). There are boat trips on the lake during
summer, as well as a shuttle that links one side to the other.

Zone 11: Outskirts

The Shopping center has 6 levels: 3 basement levels, a ground floor
level and 2 upper levels, which encompasses 140 shops and a roof
terrace – which houses a green garden in the summer and an ice-rink
* Promenada Mall B23T International Calea Floreasca 246B
in the winter. The 3-dimensional bended steel structure follows the
architectural joints of the façade. Great views from rooftop.
Mon-Sun (10am-10pm)
The Bucharest Metropolitan Circus was built in 1960-1961 as a
icolae Porumbescu,
circus. An enormous, permanent big-top with seating for more than
* Circus Globus Nicolae Pruncu and Aleea Circului 2
3,500 spectators, Bucharest's circus continues to host excellent
Constantin Ruleahe
performances, put on by both local and touring circuses.
Built in 2007 as an office building. A discontinued urban tissue,
chaotic constructions and a very narrow plot as a context. As the law
required windowless façade on both sides of the building, the use of
the metallic mesh (low cost, but convincing) makes a "false" blind
*** Futura Office Tecon Episcopul Radu 20
wall. This material strengthens the "light" appearance of the metal
structure, a very rare thing in a city with a powerful seismic activity.
All these qualities helped this project win the "Best Architecture
Project of 2007" from the Architects Order of Bucharest.
Offering much the same as the other Hanul Berarilor closer to the
city centre this place (run by the same group, who also look after
Caru' cu bere) is located in a house that was once the property of
Elena Lupescu, mistress of Romania's controversial King Carol II.
Huge, set over two levels, the house is surrounded by a large
Hanu' Berarilor Casa Bulevardul Pache
* courtyard and garden, which is superb in the right weather. Pick of
Elena Lupescu Protopopescu 51
the serviceable menu is unquestionably the Ciolan la protap: an
enormous, slowly roasted pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and
mamaliga; it's big enough for two to share. They serve their own
beer, which is highly drinkable and a bargain at 7.90 lei per pint.
Mon-Sun (8am-12am)
** Foișorul de Foc George Mandrea Bulevardul Ferdinand Foișorul de Foc, a 42-metre high building, was originally built in
I nr. 33 1890 as an observation tower by the firemen, two years after the
 previous watchtower, Turnul Colței (built in 1715) was
demolished. Foișorul de Foc had a double role, as it was also
designed to be a water tower, too. However, after the building was
finished, the local water utility company (Uzina de Apă Grozăvești)
had no pumps powerful enough to fill it with water. Foișorul de Foc
was used by the firefighters until 1935, when it became ineffective,
as more and more high buildings were built in Bucharest, and
introduction of the telephone reduced the need for a watchtower. In
1963, it was turned into a Firefighters' Museum. General admission 3
lei. Mon-Fri (8am-4pm)
Evanghelismos Society bought a plot of land from the City Hall and
began the construction works in 1899. Until the building of this church,
the Greek community in Bucharest had used Lazaris Kalenderoglu
Church on Doamnei Street (nowadays the Bulgarian Church). The land
where they built the church was close to the old Greek cemetery
Bulevardul Ferdinand
*** The Greek Church (which used to stretch all the way to the actual Foișorul de Foc, see my
I6
special tip on it). The monumental church has the shape of an antic
temple, and it bears on its Western and Eastern facades 6 canelled
columns with Ionic capitals. The church was reinforced with steel bars.
It is surrounded by a forged iron fence and the Greek Embassy lies
behind it.
A beautiful Brancovan style monument, restored in 1924 – ’30, in the
reign of King Ferdinand and his descendant, King Carol II. Since
ancient times Bucharest grew and developed around its churches.
** Mantuleasa Church Strada Mântuleasa 20
The town’s old neighborhoods, called ‘mahala’ or ‘parish’, were
actually named after the church to which they belonged. For
example, ‘Mahalaua Negustori’ named after Negustori Church.
The building is situated on 26 Negustori Str. in a traditional
residential urban tissue. It is a villa build by a former sturgeon fish
trader at the beginning of the XXth century. Simbio is a place where
you can spend pleasant moments at brunch, taking dinner with
trada Negustori 26, friends or just working. Therefore, the arrangement, carried out in
**** Simbio SYAA
București 030167 2015, had to be primarily welcoming to guests. Moreover, the space
had two roles to play: to be perfectly functional for the restaurant, but
also to be representative for the centenary house. The brief proposed
three distinct areas, influenced by the configuration of the building:
bar, restaurant and business hub. Mon-Sun (10am-12am)
Hala Traian was built in 1896, and it was initially called a ‘Market
Hall for Trade and a Lamb Slaughter House’. It was later known
simply as Traian Market Hall. It was built to cater for the district that
developed around it and which reached its peak in the 1900-1940
period. The brick and metal edifice designed by Italian architect
***** Hala Traian Giulio Magni Calea Călărași 133
Giulio Magni, the man behind Bucharest’s old Stock Exchange, was
modelled after a Parisian market hall. It nowadays hosts a Mega
Image Supermarket which is well worth a visit, as one can still see
the architectural details inside. The market proper however was
moved across the street from the main entrance, in a tin structure. 
The Lia Manoliu National Stadium was part of an athletic complex that
opened in 1953 and hosted football games, concerts and other events.
National Arena 37-39, Bulevardul
*** Louis Berger The stadium had become outdated, however, and in 2007 it was
Stadium Basarabia
demolished to make way for a new facility. Opened in 2011, the new
23-meter-high National Arena seats approximately 55,000 people.
Having 190 hectares, the area where the park stands was part of a
large swampy area on the outskirts of Bucharest. To its west was the
area known as the "valley of weeping" that was the rubbish dump of
Parcul Natural
** Splaiul Unirii 168 interbellum Bucharest. Much of the swampy area surrounding the
Văcăreşti
park was drained by Socialist Romania, building a neighbourhood of
apartment blocks, while the "valley of weeping" became Tineretului
Park.
Built over the four year period between 1698 and 1702 by Constantin
Bracoveanu, Mogoasoaia Palace is famous as an architectural
monument because its facade is dominated by traditional staircase
balconies, columns with capitals, and arcades that have come to be
known as the Brancovan style or Romanian Renaissance style, which
Strada Valea Parcului is a combination of Ottoman and Venetian elements. All in all, it was
***** Mogoşoaia Palace
1 the Bibescu family who continued the works of the Brâncoveanus,
who either renovated or enriched the complex with new structures.
Unsurprisingly, the domain was confiscated during the communist
regime. At present, the complex is opened to the visiting public.
Inside the castle there is also a Museum of Brâncoveanu Style Art
which can be visited. Thu-Sun (12pm-12am)
***** Bellu Cemetery Alexandru Orescu Șoseaua Olteniței 3-5 Șerban Vodă cemetery (commonly known as Bellu cemetery) is the
largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest. It has been in use
since 1858. The city’s most prestigious burial ground houses the
tombs of many notable Romanian writers – a map inside the gate
points out locations. Many Romanians pay their respects to national
poet Mihai Eminescu (1850–89) and comic playwright and humorist
Ion Luca Caragiale (1852–1912), who are separated only by a bloke
named Traian Savulescu; go to Figura 9 (to the right after you
enter). The Poroineanu family’s grave is easily recognizable after the
 statue made by Raffaello Romanelli that brings to life a scene of a
Shakespearean tragedy, with a very old man sitting next to a dead
young woman lying on a bed. They were a family of landowners in
Caracal, and it is supposed that the statue would represent two
brothers from the Poroineanu family who fell in love with each other
but found out only afterward that they were related. Because they
could not be together, they committed suicide, and after them, their
father, Constantin Poroineanu, committed suicide. The monument is
a reminder of their tragic love story which could have been avoided
if their father wouldn’t have committed adultery. Mon-Fri (8.30-
4pm), Thu (8.30am-6.30pm), Fri (8.30am-2pm), Sat (9am-2pm)

 ULR map: http://goo.gl/aUybNZ

 Metro map: http://www.metrorex.ro/
 Note: Directions are given in order of neighborhoods following this diagram.

1. Centrul Vechi
2. Centru
3. Dacia-Armeneasca
4. Jewish Quarter
5. Dimitrie Cantemir
6. Splaiul Independentei
7. Parliament + Cotroceni
8. Eroilor
9. Kiseleff
10. Dorobançi + Pimaverii
11. Herăstrău Park
12. Outskirts