If we realized how rich we Romanians are, thanks to the legacies left by the cultural men of the past, we would certainly appreciate more the buildings we pass by almost every day and that we almost don't even see them anymore, absorbed by the screens in our hands. One such building we should be more than proud of is the Cantacuzino Palace on Calea Victoriei.

With more than a century of history, the Cantacuzino Palace is an architectural jewel, hiding two love stories of the same woman from aristocratic times.

Cantacuzino Palace - History

The Palace was built at the beginning of the last century, between 1901 and 1903, at the request of Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, an influential Romanian politician of the time (former mayor of the capital, prime minister, head of the Conservative Party), also known as "Nababul", due to his immense wealth. The architectural design was realized by one of the most renowned architects of the time - Ion D. Berindey, resulting in an opulent edifice reflecting the wealth and refined taste of the owner.

After the Nabal's death in 1913, the palace passed into the possession of his son Mihail G. Cantacuzino and his wife, Maria - known in the history of the stately home as Maruca, born Rosetti-Tescanu, into an old Moldavian family of boyar boyars. 

The palace was known in Bucharest for the elegant balls that Mihail Cantacuzino and his wife Maruca organized with the composer George Enescu as a regular guest.

After the premature death of her husband, Maria remarried the great composer George Enescu in 1937, who became his great love.

Between 1945-1946, the Enescu couple lived in the house behind the palace, which was originally intended for the administration of the building.

In the 1940s, the palace housed the headquarters of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and then, from 1947, the Institute of Romanian-Soviet Studies. After George Enescu's death (1955), his wife donated the building to the Romanian state with the aim of establishing a museum dedicated to the composer's memory. Thus, since June 19, 1956, the George Enescu Museum has been operating here.

Since 2007, the Cantacuzino Palace has been listed as a European Heritage Monument.

Cantacuzino Palace - Architecture 

The Cantacuzino Palace and, implicitly, the "GEORGE ENESCU" NATIONAL MUSEUM, is one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest. As soon as you enter, the huge awning in the most authentic Art Nouveau style announces that the luxury and refinement of the period have come together here to create one of the most brilliant and imposing palaces in Bucharest, on the Mogoșoaiei Bridge, which was yesterday's Mogoșoaiei Bridge, today's Calea Victoriei, at number 141.

As mentioned earlier, the palace was realized according to the designs of the remarkable architect Ioan D. Berindei. To decorate the building, Nababul secured the collaboration of renowned artists of the time - G. D. Mirea, Nicolae Vermont and Costin Petrescu for the mural paintings, the architect Emil Wilhelm Becker for the sculptures and sculptural ornamentation, the Krieger House in Paris for the interior decoration (tapestries, chandeliers, lamps, stained glass, etc.).

The exterior and most of the rooms are done in the Beaux Arts style, the rest is neo-Rococo. The two lions at the entrance and the Louis XIV style gates and fences give the building a princely appearance. 

Nicolae Vermont produced six medallions (oil on canvas mounted on the wall), three of which are signed and dated 1907. Five of the six medallions are placed above the doors in the hallway leading to the rooms to the right of the entrance. Two of the medallions, Shepherd with Sheep and Peasant with Coif, are directly inspired by the work of Nicolae Grigorescu, under whose influence their author was.

Cantacuzino Palace - George Enescu Museum 

The museum's permanent exhibition is organized in three halls of the palace and chronologically presents testimonies of a significant biography: photographs, manuscripts, objects and documents related to the musician's life and work. Also on display are decorations, busts, drawings, diplomas, musical instruments - two pianos and the violin Enescu received as a gift at the age of four.

Spectacles, a stage costume (tailcoat) and the costume of a member of the Romanian Academy (tailcoat, sword and bicorn), precious gifts received during concerts abroad, are just some of the personal items of the master's personal belongings on display in the museum.

Set in an exceptional location, the George Enescu National Museum is invested with historical, cultural, artistic and touristic value. Its patrimony allows the history of an exceptional life and career to be reconstructed, put at the service of Romanian music and its affirmation in the universal context.

Unfortunately, since October 2021, the museum is closed for restoration. 

Also recommended: Snagov Palace: royal elegance on the outskirts of Bucharest