Dubai? Las Vegas? Barcelona? No, Bucharest, with its Urban Fountains in Unirii Square, which attract thousands of glances every summer season and have even been recognized by the World Records Academy, giving them the award for the Longest Synchronized Choreographed Choreographic Fountain in the World!

Whether we are talking about Romanians or foreigners, tourists who come especially to enjoy the fountains or drivers who are distracted by the sight of the fountains to the point of plunging into them - thousands of people come to the center of Bucharest every year to enjoy the fascinating spectacle of the fountains. 

Urban Fountains in Unirii Square - History

About a century ago, on the very spot where the Unirii Square with its shops, fountains and the Unirii Boulevard now stands, there were shopping halls with fruit markets, fish markets and stalls full of all kinds of products, all in the "navel" of the fair. This is what the old Union Square looked like until the 1900s.

However, at the beginning of the 20th century there was a desire to modernize the centre of Bucharest, because the food markets and endless stalls were bringing with them a dirty, untidy and rather smelly appearance, which the inhabitants of the time often complained about.  Thus, in 1935, it was decided to build the "8 June" Market, a project that led to the dismantling of the Bibescu Market and the creation of green beds and pools with fountains.

The center of Bucharest changed again during the communist regime, because the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu put the whole cultural heritage of Bucharest in "bad thoughts", wanting to get rid of the historic center and the emblematic buildings in the area, in order to be able to build in this area the socialist city center he dreamed of. 

Unfortunately, the earthquake of March 1977 gave him the ideal opportunity to demolish some of Bucharest's oldest buildings and to erect instead the Civic Center, a megalomaniac ensemble of buildings in a style characteristic of socialist states such as China or North Korea. 

Comrade Ceaușescu planned a boulevard that would start from the semicircular square in front of the People's House (today's Constitution Square) and run for almost 5 kilometers, up to the Alba Iulia square roundabout. Called the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism, from the outset it was conceived in megalomaniac lines - the idea was to create a boulevard in front of which the famous Champs-Élysées would pale into insignificance. So it's easy to understand why the Avenue of the Victory of Socialism was designed to be longer and even wider than the famous Parisian artery! In addition to the large fountain at Union Square, 44 other fountains were built in the middle of the avenue.

On the instructions of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, in 1987 work began on the "Decorative Fountains", as they were called. In addition to the large fountain in Union Square, 44 smaller fountains were built between the traffic lanes on Unirii Boulevard. All the fountains were clad in marble or granite to match the grand buildings erected here, especially the Parliament Palace.

In total, the complex of fountains stretches for more than a kilometer and a half and covers some 17 000 square meters.

Fountains left abandoned, then modernized

Unfortunately, the fountains fell into disrepair after 1990, with the municipality always arguing that renovation or even modernization would be too costly. Time went by, the granite and marble cracked, the pipes rusted, and those that didn't were stolen and scrapped, along with the metal grilles and decorations.

Eventually, after various proposals and initiatives, the fountains in Union Square were modernized between 2015 and 2019, in a project that involved largely modifying the already existing installations and structures.

The Urban Fountains of Unirii Square - a truly fascinating spectacle

The fountains in Bucharest's Unirii Square, reopened in 2018 after an extensive rehabilitation process implemented by Apa Nova, based on the obligations assumed under the concession contract with the City Hall, are the first urban fountains to benefit from state-of-the-art equipment and technology at European level. The project team included internationally renowned companies, architects, museographers, water entertainment and audio-video design specialists, and some of the elements used are unique in Europe, with the fully digitally monitored system allowing control of any individual unit in all 44 independent fountains, spread over a total length of almost 1.4 kilometers along Unirii Boulevard.

The unique in Europe "High Speed Vario Master" - a group of fast-moving water jets that transforms the original vertical jet shape into a water calyx in an instant - allows the jets to rotate to the beat of the music, adding a dynamic and visual extra at the climax of the show. 

Another spectacular effect are water jets launched by compressed air, which appear suddenly and are integrated into the system to punctuate the choreography coordinated to the music, especially during dramatic moments. In addition to the special effects mentioned, the "foundation" of the show is made up of many controllable parabolic and vertical water jets that can be brightly lit in any color. These are created by a multitude of state-of-the-art pumps, lights and dynamic nozzles. On the four 'water screens' facing the four points of the compass, a huge multimedia platform has been created at the central fountain in Union Square, on which the projections of the theme of the shows are projected.

 The urban fountains in Union Square offer a choice of shows running from Friday to Sunday from June to the end of October. They have different themes, with selected songs complementing the magic created by the play of water and lights. 

The 2018 shows have been designed to take visitors on a journey through 7 worlds that speak about Romania - the world of water, the world of fire, the world of earth, the world of air, the world of plants and the world of the Centenary, all prefaced by the astral world. 

Urban Fountains in Union Square - Visiting program 

Access to the Urban Fountains area follows the following program:

May and August 2024: between 20:30 - 22:30 | the show starts at 21:00

In June and July 2024: between 21:00 - 23:00 | show starts at 21:30

September 2024: between 19:30 - 21:30 | show starts at 20:00

On the days when the shows take place, the traffic is restricted on Unirii Boulevard, the segment between Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard and Splaiul Independenței (fountains area).

Since the reconfiguration, the fountains at Unirii Square have become one of the most important attractions of the city, and the over 70 Water Symphony shows held so far have delighted over 200,000 tourists and Bucharest's weekend visitors.