ROMANIA : BUCHAREST
According to a Romanian legend Bucharest was
founded by a shepherd named "Bucur", whose name means "joy". His flute
playing reportedly dazzled the locals and his hearty wine from nearby
vineyards endeared him to the local traders, who gave his name to the
place.
The region where Bucharest is now located was once covered by the
Vlasiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile
flatland.That once bucolic and lovely place is now the capital city and
industrial and commercial centre of Romania.
Bucharest is located in the southeast of the country, on the Dâmbovita
river. The city has a population of 2,082,000 inhabitants, together with
the metropolitan area comprising approximately 2.3 million people. Along
a small tributary of Dâmbovita, named Colentina, several lakes stretch
across the city, the most important being Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei and
Lake Colentina. In addition, in the center of the capital there is a
small artificial lake - Lake Cismigiu.
The city has grown rapidly, doubling its size since World War II. The
earliest city lay on rising ground on the left bank of the Dimbovita.
This rural town was replaced beginning in the 1860s by an elegant
capital with French-inspired architecture that caused it to be known as
the Paris of the Balkans.
The Communist planners extended the wide boulevards begin in the 19th
century. They also laid out squares and erected massive buildings-many
of them markedly Soviet in style--including the Communist party
headquarters and the giant building which housed the government printing
and publishing works.
Among the post-World War II buildings are many huge, utilitarian
apartment blocks of no particular aesthetic distinction. Communist rule
interrupted Bucharest's cosmopolitan days. Many years after the
overthrown of the communist regime, the "House of the People" — the
world's second largest building after the US Pentagon — reminds
Romanians of the communist years. Only Romanian materials and products
were used — local marble, cherry and walnut paneling, crystal
chandeliers, specially commissioned hand-woven tapestries, carpets and
draperies — to build what supposed to be the headquarters of Romania's
last communist leader. Now renamed the Palace of Parliament, this
magnificent building of 1,000 rooms reflects the work of the country's
best architects and artisans. A number of historic churches and
synagogues were razed by order of Romania's authoritarian president
Nicolae Ceausescu to make way for these building projects.
