SIGHTSEEING IN BUCURESTI

Founded in 1459, on the banks of the Dambovita River, by ruler Vlad Tepes, Bucharest becomes later the capital city of the Princely Court. The tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was a princely person, an outlaw, a fisher or a shepherd according to different legends. But a fact doubtless: the name of Bucur is of a Thracian-Geto-Dacian origin. The name of Bucharest (Bucuresti) remembers the Romanian word "bucurie" (gladness), and this town had, like many European metropolis, decades of gladness, greatness, and sorrow too.
Bucharest proved it is a great European metropolis many years ago. In 1701-1702, Sword bearer Mihai Cantacuzino built the Coltea Monastery with "an infirmary and a house for foreigners, for the resting and caress, in Christ, of our poor brothers who are ill", with 12 beds for men and 12 beds for women, free of charge. It was the first "hospital" in Bucharest, situated on the place of the modern on of our days in downtown. In 1857 the building of the Palace of Academy, the future University. started using the projects of arch. Alexandru Orascu. Bucharest is permanent in front of progress. It has gas lamps in 1861 before Paris and Berlin. In 1864, law founded its Townhall. On January, 1st, 1871, the street lighting with coal gas made by a factory in Filaret was installed. In the same time, in Bucharest, the first vehicles of public transport started to run: tramcar (1871) and horse trams (1872). The first commercial and handicraft frequented place of the town is "the Great Street" - the Lipscani Street at present dated in a document from June, 5th, 1589. The archaeological discoveries done in Hanul cu Tei, in the basement of the Gabroveni Inn -and in the Lipscani Passage prove this zone was inhabited since the XVth century. The Lipscani is a famous street in the historic downtown of Bucharest only a few meters far from the Kilometer number 0 of Romanian Capital. The Lipsca is apparently the Romanian transcription of the name of Leipzig. and Lipscani was the name of the merchants who sold goods imported from Leipzig. In our days it is an important commercial street which crosses other little streets named after different old professions: "The big Street of Saddlers" (where saddles, reins and harnesses were made). "The Street of Locksmiths" a.o.
The town is also a cultural European town and from this its name of "The Little Paris". There are artistic and literary rooms and the famest is Princess Bibescu's. The population of Bucharest was of a quarter of the one of Paris. Now in Bucharest more than two million peoples live.
In the second half of the XIXth century and early in the XXth century, important buildings are built: the National Bank (1883-1885), Foisorul de Foc (the Firemen's Tower) (1892-1893), the Museum of the Romanian Literature (1873), the Romanian Academy (1890), the Justice Palace (1890-1895), "Gh. Lazar" Lycee (1 890), the Northern Railway Station (1868-1872), the Parliament Palace on the Hill of Metropolitan Church (1907), "Grigore Antipa" Museum (1908). In 1935 the Triumph Arch (27 m in high) is built on the nice Kiseleff Avenue which is longer than Champs Elysees in Paris.

The II WW, failure of monarchy, and the communist regime succeeded. During this period of time, some residential districts for workers were built. The earthquake in 1977 forced the building of some new piles of buildings in downtown. In the Union Square numerous blocks of flats with rooms were built on the Union Boulevard (the one to the former People's House, the Parliament building now).
Bucharest is a real garden-town with a varied architecture. From this point of view the Cismigiu is a reference point. Here, in this park created in 1860, with its lawns and statues, there is a nice and old-fashioned atmosphere. This is the favorite walking place of Bucharest's in summer. It is situated by the main boulevards, the Dambovita River and huge civic center.
The boulevards of Bucharest are cut from the North to the South and from the East to the West. but not very straight. The Victory Road is the vertebral column of Bucharest. The Victory Road! It's the axle of the wheel of this town. The Victory Road is the former Podul Mogosoaiei. Why this name? Because in 1692, ruler Constantine Brancoveanu built this wood floored road between his palace in Bucharest and his castle in Mogosoaia. Along this road there are very interesting building. The Stavrapoleos Church is a real jewel. The young Greek monk Ioanichie leaves the Goura Monastery and comes in Bucharest. In 1722 he bought the ground and builds the Stavropoleos Church (October, 30th, 1724). In 1894, ar chitect Savulescu starts the building of the Post Palace (now it is the National History Museum). The building was opened in 1900, in autumn. It has a surface of 8000 sq.m, costed over 4000000 Lei in gold and it looks like the Federal Post Palace in Geneva. Over 128 years, Capsa was more than a hotel, a confectionery and a cafe'. In a way, it was the hub of our country and its alive chronicle. At Capsa, evening by evening, the fashionable world (actors, critics, writers, painters) of Bucharest met. In 1878, a large-hearted Romanian returned from Athens, where he has been a diplomatic agent, wanted to build a "home of arts" with a concert hall, exhibition halls, library and a picture gallery in Bucharest. The Athenaeum. The name of this Romanian was Constantine Exarcu. Scarlat Rosetti, V.A. Urechia, and Nicolae Kretzulescu a.o helped him. They decided to build the Athenaeum with French architect Albert Galleron who built also the National Bank of Romania. The expenses over-fulfilled the the money they have had. So they initiated a public collection with the motto: "Give one Leu for the Athenaeum". So, in 1888 the Romanian Athenaeum was finished. A happy joining between Rome and Athens, with its facade inspired by Erehteion, the wings of the Sibyle Temple in Tivoli and the crowning of the Lisicrat Monument. the Athenaeum was. is and will be for a long time the landmark of Bucharest like the Eiffel Tower for Paris, the Sant Angelo Castle for Rome and the Parliament building for London. At his death, Constantin Exarcu left his fortune to the Romanian Athenaeum. Here in Exarcu's Athenaeum Hubermann, Kubelik, Enescu and Voicu, Sauer, Paderewski and Ursuleasa played violin and piano, Cortez, Nicolesco and Carusso sang. Celibidache conducted, and in the exhibition halls, generations by generations, Romanian painters and sculptors exhibited their works. The Gen. Gh. Magheru Boulevard, parallel with the Victory Road, is relatively short. Its buildings from the 30' host tourist agencies, airways companies, shops, restaurants, cinemas and de luxe hotels. It is continued by the Nicolae Balcescu street with buildings in the Second Empire style. Also here there is the modern tower of the Intercontinental Hotel, and closed to it, The National Theatre and University. The old town is still a part of Bucharest. Try to find the ruins of the Old Court (former Princely Court of Vlad . Tepes) which is now an open-air museum, build 1936 and its little church dating from the XVI-th century, on the Iuliu Maniu Street. Near by it there is the famous Manuc's Inn, a former caravanserai, built in 1808 and reopened as a hotel-restaurant. The Patriarchate Church, situated on the Union Boulevard was built in 1657. The museums in Bucharest are rich. The Village Museum - an open-air museum - is situated in the Herastrau Park, near by the Triumph Arch. On a surface of 15 ha, by the lake, there are 198 buildings of authentic peasant's architecture from all over Romania. Other important museums are: the National Art Museum, the Museum of Art Collections, Cotroceni National Museum, the National History Museum, National Scince Museum

THE OLD YARD - the archeological researches done in the capital between 1958 and 1972 produced the ruins of the Principal Palate dating XIV-XV century's. The brick's fortress realized in the XIV century was fortified in the Vlad Tepes reign and extended by Mircea Ciobanul, the one who realized the Princely Palate and The Annunciation Church. After 1640 Matei Basarab reconstructed The Princely Yard with his surface of 25000 km sq. The rulers contributed at the beauty and at the extension of the Yard, touching the apogee of his development in the time of Constantin Branvoveanu reign.

 
THE MANUC'S ROAD HOUSE - in 1808,Manuc a rich merchant realized the khan with his name buying the place &om the Princely Yard. The roadhouse had 4 sides witch was closed a small inside yard. In 1812 in this roadhouse prepared the Peace from Bucharest for stopping the tuck Russian war. Between 1968 and 1970 the roadhouse was all restored. In present the roadhouse is a hotel and at the ground floor there are a lot of shops. 

THE SLJTU PALACE - the ex-residence of Costache Sutu and realized in neogothic style between 1832 and 1834 after the plans of the Austrian architects Witald and Konrad Schivink. A big painter and sculptor realized the inside arrangement and the redecoration of the palace: Karl Stork. Known for the balls and for the big parties in the second part of last century, The Sutu Palace was changed in a big museum. 

THE CENTRAL UNIVERSAL LIBRARY - situated in the Revolution Square, the Universal Library was the headquarter of the Carol I Foundation. Realized between 1891 and 1893 after the plans realized by the architect Paul Gottereau, the architecture of the building has the stamp of the classic French style. In present, the building is a headquarter of an International organizations. 

THE GHICA PALACE - is one of the most representative monuments of neoclassic architecture in Bucharest. This Palace was builded in 1822 by the order of Gheorghe Dimitrie Ghica. 

THE MILITARY NATIONAL CENTRE 

It was built in 1912 in the Sxae place was situated The Sarindar Monastery (demolished in1896). The construction dominates The Victory Way and it was realized in a neoclassical French style. The inside is rich decorated and he has receptions saloons, conferences halls, a big library with a lecture hall. 

THE CEC PALACE - between 1702and 1703 Constantin Brancoveanu restaured The Saint John Monastery witch in 1875 was demolished. On this place between 1896 and 1900, The Cec Palace was built after the plans of the French architect Paul Gottereau. 

THE PHONE PALACE - built in 1933, the palace has 53 m. length being a while the highest building in Bucharest. Americans architects signed the plan of the building. 

THE BUCHAREST UNIVERSITY 

In 1694 was Constantin Brancoveanu founded the first institution of superior education and in 1857 started to build the Palace of Bucharest University. The building was created in a neoclassical style and the sculptor Carl Stork made the decoration. Founded in 1864, the University was officially opened in 1869, but the central part of the building was destroyed by the Second World War and rebuild in a classical style.

The Museum Of The Romanian Peasant 

The building of The Museum of The Romanian Peasant is placed in Bucharest. Piata Victoriei, just near by "Grigore Antipa" - the Museum for Natural Sciences, and the Museum of Geology. In 1912. on the premises of the fonner Mint Building and of the Mavrogheni Palace the comerstone was laid of the future "Higlnvay Museum" meant to "honour our ancestor's art under such a shelter that is worthy of its significance", as it had been written in the document signed by King Carol the I-st and burried under the building foundations. 
Architect N. Ghika-Budesti, a brilliant representative of the national architecture school was to be invested ivith the high responsibility of the drawing and civil engineering works. In keeping with the option expressed by ethnographer Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcas, who was also the museum director, the architect had the task of erecting "a palace of the earthly art", similar in shape and disposal of the volumes to the monastic-type precincts. However, only aAer 29 years and numerous iterruptions of the works the building was to be finished. 
Thus, in 1941, the present monument of architecture sheltering the The Museum of The Romanian Peasant was inaugurated. 
An illustration of the neo-Romanian style ispired from the traditional architecture fund, mainly Brancovan, the ivork is remarkable by the poiver of expression of the composition ensemble, completed with a well-balanced use of decorative elements, both floral and zoomorphous. The apparent red brick walls, the large windows joining one another under arches, the columns of the loggia, as well as the hand-rail, the carved-in elements and the elegant silhouette of the central tower with its top balcony recalling the bell-towers of old monasteries, bestow upon this building the ivell-pondered sumptuousness of a real palace of the arts. 
Museum science reflection and museographic practice can be valued if compared with their degree of adequancy, to the cultural program of a museum and to the specific character of the objects included in its collection. The The Museum of The Romanian Peasant - the name of which has been chosen on purpose - considers it useful to talk about the image of the peasant and of his universe. It brings forth a complex peasant character who can be singled-out only aAer subsequent glances, each of them acquiring a fragmentary prospect. The museographic approach which is adequated to this option can only be that of research, a flickering kind of museography, resurrecting with every gesture, opposing everything that is threatened to become routine, proceeding, cliche and recipe. The The Museum of The Romanian Peasant tries to create a fresh kind of museography, freed from any absolute factors and museum fashionable trends; this should be a simple, supple and discreet museography, in which the reverence for the peasant objects and for the noble character of the world from which they come prevails. 
It was in this spirit that, between 1990 and 1995, 23 exhibitions have been organized on a temporary basis: Clay Toys, Masks, Peasant Chairs, Kaster Kggs, Baby, Newly Weds, Peasant Art I (New purchases for the patrimony between 1990 and 1991), Romanian Rugs and Carpets, Peasant Food, Peasant Art II (New purchases for the patrimony between 1992 and 1994), The Bark of the Stone, Head Ornaments and Peasant Adornments, Address about the Cross, Traditional Ceramics, Peasant Blouse, Gift from the Gift... (exhibiting objects which entered the museum thesaurus by donation), Romanian Icons Rome, Venice, Traditional Footwear Die (Grenoble), Romanian Ieons - Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Romanian Rugs and Carpets - Madrid, Romanian Woman Bonn, Romanian Traditional Embroidery - Bayeux, The Cross: Sing and Material Paris. It was in this spirit that such events like The Missionary Museum (Renewal, Icons on Pilgrimage, 300, Calea Victoriei) as well as the bibliophile publications, the posters and the postcard