Nicolae Basilescu, born on January 1, 1860, in Urlați, Prahova County, was not just a law professor or politician of his time. His life perfectly illustrated the profile of a complex man, with a vision far beyond the academic or political sphere. 

The beginnings of a remarkable destiny

Basilescu trained as a jurist in Bucharest, and he completed his education in Paris, where in 1884 he obtained his PhD in law. Upon returning to the country, he became a university professor in Iași and later in Bucharest, where he was appointed dean of the Faculty of Law.

His academic career could have secured him a stable place in the intellectual society of the time, but Basilescu was much more than a lecturer. His entrepreneurial spirit and desire to innovate drove him to explore new horizons. The historical context—a Romania undergoing economic modernization—offered fertile ground for him to put his ideas into practice.

From estate to modern industry

His personal life led him in a surprising direction. Through marriage, Basilescu came into possession of a large estate of about 300 hectares, located on the northwestern outskirts of Bucharest. His pragmatic vision led him not to limit himself to the role of simple landowner. He divided and sold parts of the land, built and developed properties, but most importantly, he understood the opportunities of the new industrial era.

Thus, he invested in breweries, malt factories, and brickworks, anticipating the growing demand for such products. At the same time, he did not abandon the viticultural tradition inherited from his native region, Dealu Mare–Urlați. The wines produced there, renowned for their quality, reached the tables of the most refined restaurants and, most notably, the cellars of the famous Casa Capșa in Bucharest.

What distinguished him from other landowners of the time was the way he managed the phylloxera crisis, the devastating insect that destroyed vineyards across Europe and Romania. Instead of giving up, Basilescu replanted his vineyards with resistant American vines, managing to restore production.

The idea that changed Romanian winemaking

Around 1910, Basilescu had an intuition that would change the history of Romanian wine. Facing large stocks of unsold wine, he decided to transform it into a product with greater added value: champagne. To succeed, he turned to the expertise of Paul Poittvin, a French specialist in sparkling wines. The first experiments, carried out with Pinot Blanc, proved highly successful.

Encouraged by these results, Basilescu planted over 50 parcels with grape varieties suitable for champagne—Pinot Blanc and Riesling—and in 1912 he launched the first Romanian champagne under the “Capșa” brand. The transformation of his brewery into a facility dedicated exclusively to sparkling wine marked a pioneering moment in the national economy.

Moreover, listing his industrial portfolio on the Brussels Stock Exchange brought him capital, prestige, and international visibility. By 1916, Basilescu was producing hundreds of thousands of liters of wine and tens of thousands of bottles of champagne, becoming one of the leading entrepreneurs in the field.

War and the loss of an empire

The First World War was a devastating blow for Basilescu. After the defeat at Turtucaia and the occupation of Bucharest in December 1916, his economic empire collapsed. His factories were seized by the occupying troops and turned into veterinary hospitals, his houses were plundered, and the church he had built on his estate was transformed into a lazaretto for prisoners.

Exiled in Moldova, Basilescu did not remain idle. Prime Minister Ionel Brătianu entrusted him with diplomatic missions in key European capitals—Petrograd, Paris, and London. From exile, he dedicated his personal resources to the national cause, writing articles and volumes in defense of Romania.

At the end of the war in 1918, he returned to Bucharest only to find ruins where his industrial empire once stood. The champagne factory was gone, and his stocks had been taken over by competitor Rhein, protected by the German authorities.

The rebirth of an idea after 1918

Despite the disaster, Nicolae Basilescu chose the harder path: rebuilding. With the support of the Agricultural Union Bank of Ilfov, he replanted his vineyards in Dealu Mare, bringing high-quality wines back to the market under labels such as Grand Capșa, Riesling Capșa, and Capșa Rouge.

Gradually, he managed to repurchase his former factories in Bucureștii Noi and, with financial support from institutions such as Marmorosch-Blank Bank and the National Industrial Credit Society, he restarted champagne production. This time, he collaborated with specialists from the Saint Marceaux House in Reims, who received a commission from sales.

In 1927, Romanian champagne officially reappeared on the market. However, the economic context had radically changed. The “open doors” policy of the peasant government favored imports, while the state consistently supported foreign competitors. Although in 1928 and 1929 Basilescu managed to sell tens of thousands of bottles, production costs and loan interest rates were crushing.

Even though he modernized the factory—introducing running water, electric lighting, and Diesel engines—his debts continued to mount.

Decline and oblivion

Although the quality of Capșa wines and champagne was undeniable, foreign competition, lack of government support, and financial pressures led to the decline of his business. The tremendous efforts he made to sustain a domestic champagne industry clashed with a hostile economic system.

Nicolae Basilescu died in 1938, after a life in which he combined the roles of professor, politician, diplomat, and entrepreneur. His material legacy faded away, but his innovative spirit remains a lesson in courage and vision.

Basilescu Park – memory and legend

Today, Nicolae Basilescu’s name is carried by a park in the Bucureștii Noi neighborhood, built on the very lands where his vineyards and factories once stood. At its inauguration, the park covered over 130 hectares, but today its surface has been reduced to about 13.5 hectares. Nevertheless, the place retains a special charm, with shaded alleys and century-old trees, some of them remnants of the ancient Vlăsia Forest.

Over time, numerous legends have been woven around the park. It is said that Nicolae Basilescu’s spirit haunts the area, reminding passers-by of the bygone glory of his empire. Among the ruins of the Summer Theater, people sometimes claim to hear mysterious footsteps, the creak of a door, the jingle of small bells, or even a dry cough attributed to the former landowner. However, no one has ever claimed to have actually seen him.

Today, Bazilescu Park is not only a green space in the Romanian capital but also a place of memory, steeped in symbols and stories. Where once the first Romanian champagne was produced, now Bucharest residents find a corner of peace and history.

Nicolae Basilescu was more than a university professor and more than a politician. He was a visionary who intuited Romania’s economic potential and laid the foundations for an industry that could have become emblematic: the production of Romanian champagne. His life, marked by brilliant successes and dramatic defeats, remains an example of courage and sacrifice for the national good.

Today, his memory survives discreetly through the park that bears his name. Despite widespread oblivion, Nicolae Basilescu continues to be a figure worth rediscovering—both for his contribution to Romania’s economic culture and for the lesson of perseverance he left to future generations.

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