Cismigiu Park, the oldest and, according to some, the most elegant
\npublic garden in the capital city, lies over 16 ha in the center of town. It is
\nclose to Dambovita River, Bucharest City Hall, the School of Law, and Gh. Lazar
\nHigh School, one of the most famous in the country. However, it hasn’t always
\nbeen the oasis of elegance of relaxation of today. Where the park now stands
\nthere was a foul pool of water, much larger than the lake of today. When the
\nriver Dambovita overran its shores, the pool’s level rose. On October 10, 1779,
\nruler Alexandru Ipsilanti ordered two wells to be dug in Bucharest to supply
\nclean water to the inhabitants. The first of the wells was dug on the place where
\nthe garden is now. Water pumps are called ‘cismea’ in Romanian, and the manager
\nof the garden was called the Grand ‘Cismigiu’, giving the future park its name.
\nThe pool was drained much later, though, in the second half of the 19th
\ncentury, as we were told by landscaper Alexandru Maxi: <\/p>\n
\n
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Several projects were
\nproposed for draining the Cismigiu pool, as early as the beginning of the 19th
\ncentury. They came to fruition as late as 1843. Around 1843 or 1845, date
\nuncertain, the garden was designed by a landscaper brought from abroad, called
\nCarl Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer. He is the same landscaper who designed Kiseleff
\nGardens. After Meyer, there have been a number of adjustments to the design,
\nwith the most drastic occurring in early 20th century. That is when
\nthe axis was redrawn in the shape we see today, the Roman Circle was set up,
\nlater called the Writers Circle, alongside the Ruined Citadel at the tip of the
\naxis, the rose garden, the Flower Alley, and the Japanese Garden.<\/p>\n
\n
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After Meyer’s death in 1852, Cismigiu’s design was commissioned to
\nother architects and landscapers, mostly foreign, who changed it to suit the
\nera, as well as the changing size of the park. Here is Alexandru Mexi once
\nagain: <\/p>\n
\n
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When Meyer started managing
\nthe park, it extended far towards Dambovita River. Queen Elisabeth Boulevard
\nwas drawn up in late 19th century. In late 19th and early
\n20th century, the park was expanded to the west, where we now have
\nSchitu Magureanu Boulevard. In mid-20th century, the park expanded
\nnorth, taking over the Kretzulescu Palace garden. Only a few elements are
\npreserved from Meyer’s time, such as the plane trees. The central area of the
\npark has a number of very large plane trees. Close to City Hall we have an ash
\ntree dating back to that era, which, unfortunately, does not fare very well.<\/p>\n
\n
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Meanwhile, Cismigiu itself has become a monument, home to works of
\nart and a special flora. Among the best known features are the two small
\nconcrete bridges, the so-called Grand Bridge and the bridge sided with
\ndecorations in the shape of twigs, fashioned out of concrete. They span the
\nartificial lake in the middle of the park. Alexandru Mexi told us about other
\nattractions in the park: <\/p>\n
\n
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I would also mention the
\nSissi Stefanidi spring, the brass band pavilion, formerly the Mineral Water
\nPavilion, and the Monument of the French Hero. There are several statues in
\nCismigiu, and most of them are part of the national patrimony, listed as
\nhistorical monuments. There are 20 such objectives, mostly statues, brought to
\nCismigiu in various eras. This park is on the A-list of historical monuments,
\nbeing in itself a national, even international monument. This ensemble includes
\nother A-list art monuments. In terms of vegetation, in addition to several
\ncenturies old trees, such as the plane trees, we have a number of exotic trees,
\nbut also trees that Bucharest City Hall has put on the protected list, such as
\na number of old chestnut trees.<\/p>\n
\n
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<\/p>\n
Cismigiu Park, in accordance with its status as a heritage site,
\ncannot be modified unless it passes a review of a special committee.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cismigiu Park is the oldest and, according to some, the most elegant public garden in the capital city<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":168947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45210],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-168946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rri-encyclopaedia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n