The National Bank of Romania

The National Bank of Romania (BNR - Banca Națională a României) stands on the site of one of am old famous buildings: Hanul Șerban Vodă. From 1678 until 1883 it was the home of various activities: from a pub to an inn and to a girl's dormitory! After two fires gutted the building, the land was levelled and in 1883 work began on the BNR, completed to the designs of French architects Cassien Bernard and Albert Galleron in 1885. Built in a French, neo-classical style, the building boasts a facade with Corintian columns, and an enormous central banking hall. The passing of time has seen the building become rather hemmed in, but it remains a classic worthy of admiration. 

Address: Str. Lipscani 25

Sf. Ecaterina Church

GPS: N44.424555, E26.101660

A Hot Day in Bucharest

Walking in Bucharest

Bucureşti

Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, is an exquisite mixture of old and new, as you can find modern skyscrapers right next to 500-year-old churches. It has everything, from the hustle of financial markets, to popular vacation getaways (like Snagov lake), to legendary places (like "Hanul lui Manuc"). Known as "Little Paris" between the two World Wars and after 50 years of communism (and another 27 of continuous transition), Bucharest is still searching for its place.

October in Bucharest

October in Bucharest is a weather mix. After gray rainy days, you can enjoy a lively sun on a white-blue sky. It is an excellent opportunity for a walk in one of the many beautiful parks. And today it was Parcul Tineretului.

Tricolore Wings

Eminescu Statue

Mihai Eminescu is considered the most famous and influential Romanian poet. He has remained forever young: destiny decided that he should pass away in the summer of 1889, at the age of 39. The bronze statue in front of the Romanian Athenaeum (by sculptor Gheorghe Anghel) is a symbolic image of the Morning Star, the hero of Eminescu’s famous poem, a strange legend about the incapacity of the genius to enjoy earthly happiness.

Bucharest - Walk of Fame

Inaugurated no so long time ago, in Time Square (Piața Timpului), the Walk of Fame (Aleea Celebrităților) has only 5 stars by now. Many more to come.

Mogoșoaia Palace

Mogoşoaia Palace is situated near Bucharest (about 10 km from downtown). It was built in 1698-1702 by Constantin Brâncoveanu in Brâncovenesc style (Romanian Renaissance style), a combination of Venetian and Ottoman elements. The Palace was extended and rebuilt in the 1920s by Marta Bibescu.

The Palace, with a beautiful garden, lake and forest, is now a popular tourist destination

Carol Park

Work of the French architect Eduard Redont, Carol I Park (known also as Libertăţii Park – name given during communist regime) was designed in 1900 under the King Carol I of Romania and opened to the public in 1906 on the Filaret Hill. It is designed with a predominant natural landscape character, surrounding a lake, having a central alley in geometric style and vegetation arranged in nature-like scenes. Aside from its beautiful vegetation and panoramic views, the park also includes several attractions: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the communist regime mausoleum, the Giants' Statues, the Zodiac Fountain, the Technical Museum.

Wooden Church from Maramureş

In Maramureş region of northern Transylvania become a tradition to build wooden Orthodox churches. They are high timber constructions with characteristic tall, slim bell towers at the western end of the building. Starting with the 17th century, these churches are a particular expression of the cultural landscape of this area. The churches are made of thick logs and painted with Biblical scenes and with icons on glass.

After 1989, this architecture was used for several new churches in Bucharest. The biggest one is in Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park, near Titan subway station.

Titan Subway Station

Inaugurated at Nov. 16th 1979, with only 6 stations, now Metrou Bucureşti (the subway network) is used by 50.000 people each day. Probable the most interesting station is Titan, on M1 line, opened in Dec. 28th 1981, a huge open space with no columns inside.

Băneasa Forest

Băneasa Forest (Pădurea Băneasa) is located north of Bucharest. Despite the fact that after 1989 the forest also becomes a site for real-estate development, it is still a quiet place for hike or bicycle ride in fresh air, a place where to admire the beauty of the nature. There are also some restaurants and terraces and the Zoo is one of main attraction.

Bucharest Landmarks: National Art Museum

National Art Museum is the most representative art gallery in Romania and is hosted in the former Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was the official royal residence from 1834. Art Museum Palace is situated center of Bucharest (Revolution Square). The Palace displays in its four storeys an extensive collection of European Art and Romanian Art.

Fell the Music: Romanian Athenaeum

The Romanian Athenaeum is the symbol of the city as far back as its 1888 inauguration. The work of French architect Albert Galleron, who also designed the National Bank of Romania, the building was inaugurated on February 26, 1888, and was built almost entirely with money donated by ordinary citizens of the capital, when a campaign called 'Give a penny for the Athenaeum' rescued the project from folly after the original patrons ran out of funds.

The first concert of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra took place on March 5, 1889, under the Athenaeum’s dome. Between the two Wars, the hall was embellished with a superb fresco, and at George Enescu's suggestion, was endowed with an organ.

Romanian Athenaeum is situated in Revolution Plaza (on Bd. Calea Victoriei). With its sublime baroque cupola, it stands proudly at the flux of the city's busiest public square, competing with the Athenee Palace Hilton hotel, the Royal Palace and the old National Library.

Romanian Athenaeums is the place to hear classical music; the resident orchestra is the George Enescu Philharmonic. The auditorium can seat 1,000 spectators comfortably, and is renowned worldwide for its outstanding acoustics.

Gara de Nord: Your Gate to Bucharest

On October 4, 1868 a law passed for the construction of railways in Romania. It allowed the H.B. Strousberg Prussian Concession to build, in three years, the first Romanian railway network. On September 22, 1869 works were started at the main railway station of Bucharest: Târgovişte Station. It was opened to the public on 27 November 1870, when the railway Roman-Galaţi-Bucharest-Piteşti was inaugurated.

Built after a plan proposed and approved by the Technical Council of the Public Works Ministry, the Târgovişte Station was thought as a transit station, with six lines, direct access to the three storage areas (one of them was for perishable merchandise) and a depot for locomotives with eight places. The last line insured direct access to the Reparation Atelier for Locomotives and Wagons.

The passengers' quarters with a single floor was 93.4 meters long and was made of a central building, guarded by two towers. It had two clitoral wings and the front was parallel to the Calea Targovistei Street. Between the two towers there were three main gates for passenger access. The entrance became in 1896 the Royal Salon, specially created for the visits that the King of Austria, Frantz Ioseph 1st and King of Serbia, Alexandru Obrenovici paid the king of Romania.

In the summer of 1887, at the Bucharest Central Atelier for Locomotive and Wagons Repairs a gas plant was built that supplied power to the installations in the station and in 1897, a power plant became operational. The plant insured electric lighting to the station. Once the station was modernized, the name changed to Gara de Nord (North Railway Station).

Since then, a lot of work was done to keep in line with traffic increase and continuous modernization of railways transportation.

Now, almost in the middle of the town, Gara de Nord is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest one in Romania. With good connections with subway, local transportation and international airport, Gara de Nord is your gate to visit Romania.