Palatul-Parlamentului-2
Bucharest-1
Manuc’s-Inn-in-Bucharest
Bucharest-Ateneu
Paris of the East – Bucharest
Crossroads of cultures
Bucharest, in Romanian Bucuresti (pronounced Bukuresht), the 2- million inhabitants capital of Romania, celebrated the 555th anniversary of its first documentary mention in 2014. According to legend, the town was founded by a shepherd named Bucur. The city was first mentioned in a 1459 document of Vlad Tepes, when Bucharest became the royal residence (Curtea) of Wallachia, which got a special meaning as the guardian of the Christian world after the fall of Constantinople.
One of the most romantic and mysterious area of the city of Bucharest is situated around the Curtea Veche, the old Royal Court of Vlad Tepes: Lipscani street (named after the merchants from Leipzig) and the adjacent guilds Covaci (blacksmiths), Sepcari (hatters) and others. Here is the historic core of Bucharest – or what is left of it, after the fury of Urban renewal of Ceausescu. Large parts of the old town fell victims to the dictator’s megalomania; as he needed to create room for the Palace of the Parliament (Palatul Poporului), the second largest administrative building in the world, and the large boulevards and square surrounding it, huge parts of old Bucharest were simply torn down. Fortunately some of it is left, like for example Hanul lui Manuc (hostel for Manuc), certified in the 18th century as a hotel and restaurant in the middle of the metropolis.
MUSEUMS WE RECOMMEND:
The National Museum of History
The Museum of the Romanian Peasant
The Natural History Museum “Grigore Antipa”
The National Museum of Romanian Literature
The Village and Folk Museum, where you can take a stroll among historical peasant houses in different styles, next to one of the largest parks in Bucharest – Herastrau Park
The National Museum of Contemporary Art, hosted in the Palace of the Parliament – one of the best places to watch the sunset over Bucharest
The Cotroceni Palace, home of the Romanian Presidency
The “George Enescu” Museum, hosted in the Cantacuzino Palace, one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in Bucharest
The National Museum of Old Maps and Books, located in a little street in one of the most charming districts of the city
NOT TO BE MISSED:
The Lipscani district
The beautiful Romanian Athenaeum (Concert Hall of the 19th century, home of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra)
The Cantacuzino Palace
Hanul lui Manuc
Herastrau Park
The “House of the Free Press” in the northern part of the city, an impressive building built during Communism
The Plaza of the Revolution
The Palace of the National Military Circle
The University Square
The Old Princely Court
The Palace of the Parliament (former House of the People during Communist times)
The Metropolitan Church
The Jewish Bucharest
The Dr. Moses Rosen Museum of the History of the Jewish community in Romania
The Choral Temple
Around Bucharest
Snagov Monastery
Horezu Monastery, Horezu ceramic & Center
Prahova valley
