If you leave the house at rush hour, you might as well call Bucharest the City of Cars and no one would argue. The streets are clogged with cars, so drivers are forced to cover 20-minute routes every 2 hours. But in all this urban gridlock, there's one street that no car has ever set foot on. And no, not because it's too narrow, but because it's a stepped street. We're talking about Xenofon Street, whose history spans more than a century, during which it has seen both its heyday and its decline.

Xenofon Street - History 

Situated in the Parc Carol area, Rue Xenofon came into being more than a century ago, during the reign of Charles I. With an east-west orientation, a length of 100 meters and no less than 70 steps, this street connects Constantin Istrati Street and Suter Alley.

Created at the beginning of the 20th century, Rue Xenofon is the work of the Swiss architect Gustav Adolf Suter, a close friend of King Carol I, who was entrusted with the development of this "Swiss" district. 

The landscaping project was not an easy one, because the area was one of the most uneven in Bucharest. What's more, these hills were also dotted with swamps and vineyards belonging to Viscount Louis Antoine de Grammont and the Metropolitan of Muntenia.

Finally, the Swiss architect's neighborhood was a modern one, with radial streets. The cadastral plans of the time also mention Suter Alley, which still exists today under the same name. At the end of Suter Alley is now the Carol Parc Hotel (the old Suter Palace, an urban palace built between 1902-1906 in a neoclassical style with Brânco-Venetian influences by, of course, the architect Suter), and the end of Xenofon Street.

Xenofon Street - to the highest point of the capital 

Xenofon Street is also prized for a reason; it leads up to the highest natural point of Bucharest, where you can see the Carol Park and part of the old city, offering a unique and picturesque perspective.

Xenofon Street - late and short-lived fame 

Although unique in Bucharest, Xenofon Street has become an attraction for tourists from all over the world since 2014, when it was included in the project "Your Bucharest at Scale". At that time, artist Eva Radu gave the street an unprecedented face, painting on the steps of the street 8 landmark buildings of the capital: the Triumphal Arch, the National Museum of Art, the Parliament Palace, the National Theater, the Romanian Athenaeum, the Mausoleum in Carol Park and the Romanian Peasant Museum. Although the work lasted just eight days, images of the paintings went viral on the internet and soon became a tourist attraction for many visitors to Bucharest. 

Unfortunately, however, in recent years it has deteriorated at an accelerated pace, a regrettable situation considering its tourist potential, so that it no longer enjoys the large number of visitors it did 10 years ago.

To get to Xenofon Street, the easiest way is to take public transportation to the Eroii Revoluției metro station. From there, a short walk will take you directly to the street entrance.