\n
The
\nmodern history of the capital of Romania starts with the second half
\nof the 19th century, around 1850, when it turns from an
\nOriental into a European city. Looking at a map or a drawing
\ndepicting the city over 150 years ago, one would hardly be able to
\nrecognize it. This is because the Old City, former commercial
\nquarters, with a few medieval churches, only vaguely sketch the old
\ncapital of Wallachia.
\n<\/p>\n
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The
\nhistory of Bucharest crosses three periods of great transformation.
\nThe first is during the reign of King Carol I, between 1866 and 1914.
\nThe second was during the reign of King Carol II, in the 1930s, while
\nthe third was during the rule of communist ruler Nicolae Ceausescu,
\nin the 1980s.
\n<\/p>\n
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King
\nCarol II was the most controversial sovereign of the four that
\nRomania had. With a strong personality, intelligent, but also full of
\nflaws and weaknesses, Carol II managed to transform Bucharest in
\nconformity with the needs of the capital, and the architecture trends
\nof the time. Carol II’s reign, between 1930 and 1940, was one of
\ngrand projects, recalling those of his forebear, Carol I. His father
\nFerdinand I’s reign, between 1914 and 1927, covered WWI and the
\nconsolidation of the newly formed country, Greater Romania, by
\nuniting, in 1918, most of territories inhabited by Romanians. The
\n1920s were years of integration and recovery after the war. Only in
\nthe 1930s did Romania manage to resume grand development projects,
\none of them being Bucharest itself. During the reign of Carol II,
\nbuilding roads across the country and state and culture institution
\nbuildings were a priority.
\n<\/p>\n
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Construction
\nengineer, professor, and academician Nicolae Noica is the director of
\nthe Romanian Academy Library. He reviewed for us a few notable
\nbuildings that Bucharest owes to controversial ruler Carol II. The
\nlist has to begin with the royal residence itself:
\n<\/p>\n
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The
\nfirst building would be the Royal Palace. On the night of December
\n7th to the 8th, a conflagration consumed the
\nentire central part of the palace. Consolidation of the foundations,
\nand the resistance structure, was made by engineer Pragher. After
\n1932, building works were done for the central section, which ended
\nwith a reception report for the Royal Palace. I found that report.
\nThen, in 1938, building started for the wing that faces the Atheneum,
\nwhich went on until 1940. It is remarkable that the 1940 earthquake
\ndid not damage the building.<\/p>\n
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The
\nprojects continued at an alert pace. Institutions for a state that
\ndoubled in size in 1918 needed bigger buildings. Here is Nicolae
\nNoica:
\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Another
\nimportant building was the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, now
\nthe seat of government. This building was designed by Duiliu Marcu,
\nwhile the reinforced concrete buildings were done by engineer
\nGheorghiu between 1937 and 1938. That was the old foreign ministry
\nbuilding. The new National Bank palace was done at a time when an
\nurban design study was being run, when the Higher Technical Council
\nanalyzed all the changes in alignment in the area. The public utility
\ndecree issued by King Carol II expropriated those areas.<\/p>\n
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King
\nCarol II lives in history as a great supporter of culture. The
\nAcademy was no exception to the list of institutions he encouraged.
\nNoica mentioned the very building of the institution he leads:
\n<\/p>\n
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Another
\nimpressive building is the building of the Romanian Academy Library.
\nFor the first time, after in 1931 Professor Duiliu March had
\nsubmitted to the Academy the project for one of the sections of the
\nlibrary building, between 1935 and 1937 they built this remarkable
\nedifice, with work led by engineer Ioanovici. The inauguration, on 5
\nJune 1937, was attended by the king himself, who insisted to be
\npresent at the Academy session when they made Lucian Blaga a member.<\/p>\n
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On
\none of the big boulevards of Bucharest we find another grand building
\nerected during the reign of Carol II, the headquarters of the
\nNational Archives. To the west, close to Cotroceni Palace, the
\npresidency building, we find the Military Academy, a monument in the
\nBauhaus style. Here is Nicolae Noica:
\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Another
\nrepresentative building is the Patrimony of the Official Registry,
\ntoday the National Archives, across from Cismigiu Park. The Higher
\nSchool of War, today the Military Academy, was built between 1937 and
\n1939. The main body of the Higher School of War was built on a
\nlength of 120 meters, and has 3,650 sqm. The entire building was
\nerected in just two years. The work was led by engineer Emil Pragher,
\na great personality.<\/p>\n
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We
\nmay also put on the short list the Institute of Agricultural
\nResearch, the Village Museum, the Triumphal Arch of Bucharest, the
\nroyal residence in Scrovistea, the Fire Tower Castle in Sinaia, and
\nthe Orthodox cathedrals of Cluj, Medias, and Timisoara.
\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The modern history of the capital of Romania starts with the second half of the 19th century, around 1850<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":50395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45210],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-169913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rri-encyclopaedia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n