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The Museum of Romanian Peasant is the winner of the European Museum of the Year Award for year 1996. A short visit to the museum will convince you that the award is well deserved. The collection includes 18000 pieces of pottery and 20000 examples of national dress from all over the country, as well as carpets, icons, furniture, photographs and films documenting the customs of rural life. But what makes it special is the way the collection is arranged; the museum looks more like an art gallery than a museum. The display information is hand written on pieces of paper or illustrated by freehand sketches. In one of the galleries you can see a wooden church and in another a wooden peasant house. They also have some beautiful "troite" (crosses placed at crossroads or at the edge of a village).
The museum building has an interesting story as well. The museum was founded in 1905 under the name of Ethnographical and National Art Museum. In 1906 Carol I laid the foundation for the present building; the construction was stopped in 1916 and restarted in 1932. It was completed only in 1935, 29 years after it was started. The red-brick building is an illustration of the neo-Romanian style inspired from the traditional architecture. In 1953, the communists "liberated" the building and sent the collection away to another location. The building was turned into a museum dedicated to the history of the Communist Party. In 1990 the museum returned to its old location. Leave a Comment
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The Village Museum was a very nice idea of some Romanian sociologists, started in 1925 by professor Dimitrie Gusti. The idea was to create a museum demonstrating the sociological structure of the Romanian village. During the time, more and more objects has been moved from their original place to Bucharest. You will have to remember that the ample works for hydro-amelioration in the northern part of Bucharest began only in 1932, when Herastrau Park was being born. 4,5 hectares were alloted to the project. Gradually, the area was filled by houses and the Village Museum was inaugurated on May 10th 1936 together with the Herastrau Park.
The exhibition has a total of 322 constructions (47 dwellings, household dependencies, 3 wooden churches, 3 windmills, technical installations that use the force of the water etc.)
The museum is visited by circa 300,000 people every year both from Romania and from abroad. There are 16 functioning open-air museums in Romania at the moment. Most of them exhibit specific characteristics of the area where they are situated (Cluj, Timisoara, Sighetu Marmatiei, Baia-Mare, Bran, Suceava, Focsani, etc.). Other two museums are conceived to represent the national area: at Golesti, near Pitesti, The Fruit Growing and Wine Growing Museum - laying the stress on constructions from the areas that are characteristic to this type of activity. The museum from Sibiu exhibits monuments of the traditional technical civilisation mainly - The Traditional Civilisation Museum - Astra.
Visiting hours: 10AM - 6PM Leave a Comment
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Lipscani Street is the one that was meant to be – just like in most other 'regular' big cities – a pedestrian street. However it has turned into a wide bazaar with cars bugging pedestrians at times, decaying beautiful houses and plenty of small lovely shops. The name of the street comes from the merchants that used to come here with merchandise brought from Lipsca (Leipzig). Façades illustrate all 19th century architectural styles, from the Classical one (see building at number 21) to the Art Nouveau style (number 72-74). The street is nowadays (just like it originally was) a noisy bazaar, with merchants selling everything from blue jeans, to wedding dresses, Indian incense sticks or pretzels. It is neither clean, nor it has a proper pavement, but this is the way a real, functioning bazaar should be (I am not referring here to the Egyptian bazaar in Istanbul, that has lost its original purpose). This is not a museum and it is not meant for tourists either.
Note: After years of grand promises, the local authorities made an attempt to close the Old Town for cars. They partially succeeded to do so for the first part, but, when they started digging ditches along the main streets of the old quarter, also removing all pavement, they succeeded indeed to keep cars out. Now they go on working, to replace the sewing system, to put in internet and electricity cables, to replace all pavement. Pedestrians have to cling on rather unstable wooden bridges along the former sidewalk, which, especially at night, in the rather dim light provided by scarce lights, give one that Kathmandu-during-curfew feeling. No rickshaws in sight unfortunately, but no "7.40 lei / km." taxis either. Thank God. And Buddha. Leave a Comment Address: Lipscani Street, between Balcescu and Victoria Ave
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Location of the building using Google Earth : Atheneul Roman
Fine example of eclectic architecture & outstanding acoustics
A magnificent concert hall, the Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman) is the true symbol of Bucharest. Had such a postcard been printed, it would certainly represent this building.
The neo-Classical facade, a wonderful Baroque cupola and the 8 Ionic columns portico were the main arguments of the French architect Albert Galleron in order to erect in 1888 the finest building of the city; the money was raised by public contribution ("Dati un leu pentru Ateneu / Give one leu for the Athenaeum").
More than that, the interior is also impressive : a refined hall (12 Doric columns and 4 marble staircases) and the auditorium with a giant fresco depicting scenes from the Romanian history.
The Romanian Atheneum is the seat of the "George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra"; most performances include classical music.
In front of the building stands the statue of the greatest Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu.
The next main event : International Festival and Competition "George Enescu" 2009 Edition (August 30 - September 26) Leave a Comment Address: 1 Franklin St., BucharestPhone: +40 21 315 0024Website: http://fge.org.ro Other Contact: info@fge.org.ro
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Raised in 1922 to commemorate Romania's Great War dead, the original construction was of wood, replaced by the present, Petru Antonescu designed concrete structure in 1935. Standing 25 metres high, the Arc has a staircase that allows visitors to climb to the terrace on the top of the monument. The sculptures that decorate the monument were created by leading artists of the day, including Ion Jalea, Constantin Medrea and Constantin Baraschi.
The Triumphal Arch in Bucharest is a little smaller than the one in Paris, but it is also located at the intersection of (six) boulevards. Leave a Comment
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In the very center of Bucharest there is a place where one can take a break from Bucharest for a few hours. Cismigiu is located close to Universitatii Square, across the City Hall building. It is Bucharest's oldest park and a great place to stroll and enjoy the peace that one can feel finding such a place in the middle of a hectic city. Among the lawns and trees and the winding paths you'll find a lake with rowboat rentals, a beer garden, a playground for children, a chess area where old people play tournaments and plenty of park benches for relaxing and people watching. Sometimes there are Sunday concerts at the gazebo. Cismigiu was first designed and laid out in 1830 by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, on the commision of Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, but it wasn't completed until 1860. More than 30,000 trees and plants were brought in from the Romanian mountains to be planted on the 17 hectares park. Leave a Comment Address: Bdul Regina Elisabeta
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The concrete buildings alongside Unirii Avenue and around Unirii Square hide away from public sight a few remnants of what normal Bucharest once meant. Going on twisted streets and through narrow passages between tall concrete buildings, one can still visit some of them and read their sad stories. A beautiful settlement is Antim Monastery, raised in 1713-1715 by Antim Ivireanu, Mitropolite of Wallachia. The monastery was raised on a site where an older, 17th century wooden church had existed. Ivireanu also endowed the monastery with a Greek and Romanian printer. Acting against the Ottoman rule, he was killed in 1716 at Voyevode Constantin Mavrocordat's order. He left all his fortune to the monastery, meant for the poor and helpless. Tradition has it that the exquisite wooden door of the church was carved by Antim Ivireanu himself. Several features, including the Neogothic rosetta, were added during the 1860 restoration led by Arch. Schlater.
The monastery also hosts to the left the Synodical Library (translated with 14 meters at President Ceausescu’s order, in 1985), a great piece of Brancoveanu style architecture with floral decoration under the roof. Use the monastery as a starting point a walk along old streets towards Regina Maria Avenue (George Georgescu, Justitiei, Poiana Florilor streets are recommendable), even though some of the buildings there lie in a bad state. Leave a Comment Directions: On Antim Ivireanu Street, as you walk from the Palace of the Parliament to Unirea Square, the first street to the right, through the first break in the concrete blocks.
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The Old Court (“Curtea Veche”, open Wednesday – Sunday 10.00-18.00), located in the centre of the old town; it used to lie on the left bank of the river. In this area archaeological diggings have released proof of the existence of some 6th – 7th century cottages, as well as remains of a 14th century fortress. The building was about 160 sq. m. wide and also had a tower. In the times of Vlad the Impaler a new fortress was built, in rectangular shape and of over 600 sq. m. in shape, with many cellars. In the end of the 15th century the fortress was almost 1000 sq. m. wide, with the followers of Vlad the Impaler continuing his work (Basarab the Young, Mircea the Shepherd); the whole structure was much developed during the rule of Matei Basarab (1632-1654) and Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714). In 1972, on the site of the former Princely Court there was inaugurated an open air museum with fragments from different stages of the fortress development. The museum can be also seen from outside, as there isn’t much to the back, but it can also be visited by entering.
Next to the museum there is the Curtea Veche Church, built in 1559 by Mircea the Shepherd and being Bucharest’s oldest church. The church was much deteriorated during the Turkish campaigns of 1595 and 1658-1659, it was subsequently restored in the beginning of the 18th century just to partially burn down during the 1804 and 1847 fires that desolated a wide part of Bucharest. The church got its actual looks after the 1928 and 1935 restoration works that brought it back close to the former looks. In the niches of the lateral walls belonging to the entrance one can still see a few original frescoes from the time of Stephen Cantacuzino (1714-1715). Leave a Comment Address: 23-31 Franceza StreetDirections: It lies just off Unirea Square
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A short while afterwards, on the same left side of the street we meet George Enescu Museum, hosted by a great and monumental building, Cantacuzino Palace (see my special tip for this building). Across the street from it there is the former Italian Legation, nowadays hosting the Art History Institute; the building was designed by architects Grigore Cerchez and Alexandre Clavel, a fine sample of the Eclectic style that was prevailing during the end of the 19th century, with Neoclassical decoration. Soon afterwards we enter Victoria Square in which there are also a few places to mention. To the left, between Ion Mihalache Avenue and Kiseleff Road there is Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum (as we enter from Victoria Avenue, we turn left, cross the tram lines, turn right and cross Titulescu Avenue on top of the passage, then cross once again the tram lines to the right and reach the Antipa). Farther up the Kiseleff there is the Romanian Peasant Museum and across the street from it there is the Geology Museum. See my special posts for them. After crossing Kiseleff Road and Aviatorilor Avenue, we can cast a look at the Romanian Government building (1937-1952, originally meant for the Foreign Affairs Ministry). Leave a Comment
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Calea Victoriei, one of the oldest avenues in the city, includes most of the major old buildings that have survived two World Wars and the communist 80s. It was established by Voyevode Constantin Brancoveanu starting with 1692, as a road paved with oak beams that made the connection between his palace on the shore of Dambovita (in the area of the actual 17 floors reddish building) and his domain in Mogosoaia (where one can still see the Brancoveanu Palace). At first it was called Podul Mogosoaiei (En. the Bridge to Mogosoaia), exactly because of the wooden beams. In 1878 the victorious Romanian army returned from the Independence War and crossed Bucharest along this avenue and this is why it was afterwards called Calea Victoriei (En. the Victory Avenue). A stroll along this 2700 m. long street, starting from Dambovita River and ending in Victoria Square will go as it follows. Immediately after we start, to the left, there is the imposing CEC building (1896-1900), hosting one of the oldest banks in the city set up in Eclectic style (see my special tip for this building). Just across the street there is the former Palace of the Post Company (built in 1894-1900) that nowadays hosts the biggest museum in the country, namely The National History Museum, in a grand, neoclassical building (see my special tip for this building). After passing by Zlatari Church (built in 1850-1852 and formerly surrounded by Zlatari Inn, demolished in 1903), we notice to the left the Police headquarters and just across the street the entrance towards Vilacrosse Passage, a glass covered street that continues with Macca Passage and exits 200 m. later on the same avenue. On the main avenue we continue and, just after passing by a fashion store, we notice, through the narrow passage under a new building, a church to the right: Doamnei Church (1683). The church borrows some features for the window frame decorations from the Moldavian style, also having a rich sculpture on the doors and beautiful frescoes made by Konstantinos. Leave a Comment
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- Sofitel Bucharest (1 Piazza Montrealio Bucarestiei Sec 1)
10 Montreal Square Sect. 1, Bucharest - Johann Strauss
Street Johann Struass 1, District 2, Bucharest - Class
30a Garlei St 1st District, Bucharest - Lebada Hotel
3 Biruintei Bv., Sector 2, Bucharest - Crystal Palace
18-20 Cpt. Av. Alex Serbanescu Street, Bucharest - Yourhotels Casa Bucur
2 Poenaru Bordea Street, Sector 5, Bucharest - Ibis Bucharest
Calea Grivitei 143, Sector 1, Bucharest - InterContinental Bucharest
4 Boulevard Nicolae Balcescu, Bucharest - Hotel Helvetia
Charles de Gaulle Square, Bucharest - K K Hotel Elisabeta
Slanic Street 26, Bucharest - Crowne Plaza Hotel Bucharest
Poligrafiei 1 Sector 1, Bucharest - Bucharest Comfort Suites (16 Nicolae Balcescu Blvd. Floors 2-3.)
Birmingham Road (formerly Ward Arms), Bucharest - SOFITEL BUCHAREST
10 Montreal Square Sect. 1, Bucharest - Le Boutique Hotel Moxa
4 Mihail Moxa St Crossroads Calea Victoriei, Bucharest - Ambassador
Bd. Magheru 8-10 Sector 1, Bucharest
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on September 27, 2006
on October 5, 2008
on January 1, 2008
on May 13, 2008
