Bucharest

Without being located in a particularly attractive area, Bucharest can be best defined as a "city of the contrasts". Everything started with a tiny inn conveniently located at some major crossroads. Then it was a small merchants' town in the middle of a widely wooden area. Years passed by and it hosted the Voyevodal Court, from where Wallachia was ruled. Centuries later it was nicknamed "Paris of the East", for its extremely interesting old center at the time. Fifty years of carelessness from its inhabitants, as well as an irrational and blind dictatorship resulted in a big part of the city being demolished, to make room for stereotypical buildings, extremely unattractive for any open-minded person. This short history has left behind a crowded and badly dimensioned city that struggles to find its place on the tourist map in the same country where one can visit the great Moldavian monasteries or the outstanding medieval Transylvanian towns.

Beyond exaggerated descriptions or convulsive criticisms, the city has a few spots to be visited, even if it can hardly stay in line with other Eastern European capitals like Prague or Budapest. We have listed here only some of them, to give the traveler an idea about this controversial city.

The Old Court (15th century), or what there has still left from the Voyevodal Court where, among the others, Vlad the Impaler and Constantin Brancoveanu ruled

Cantacuzino Palace (1900), a building set up in the French baroque style which nowadays hosts George Enescu Museum

The Royal Palace (1927-1937), set up in neoclassic style, was meant to be the residence of the Romanian kings, however only served this purpose for 10 years, after which it became the National Art Museum

The Palace of the Parliament (1984-1989 and still entirely unfinished) was built at the order of President Nicolae Ceausescu, and nowadays it embodies the second biggest building in the world. Monumental halls, huge balconies, unbelievably big chandeliers, as well as over 6000 rooms, these all define the crushing dimensions this building has

The Village Museum, started by sociologist Dimitrie Gusti at the beginning of the 20th century, gathers together over 60 genuine traditional buildings from all over the country, in a very picturesque village-like assembly in Herastrau Park

The Romanian Athenaeum (1888), a domed, extraordinarily beautiful building that hosts classical music concerts

The churches in Bucharest (The Old Court Church - 1559, The Patriarchal Cathedral - 1656, Stavropoleos Church - 1724, The Russian Church, Icoanei Church - 1838, Doamnei Church - 1683, Darvari Convent - 1834)

Victoria Avenue, the oldest avenue in the city, involving on or around it most what is left from the old center