The name of the street comes from the guild of saddlers, craftsmen who made saddles and accessories for horses. In past centuries, horses were essential for transport, trade, and daily life, and saddlers were seen as true artists of their craft. Their street was lively, full of merchants, workshops, and travelers. At the end of Șelari lay Podul Calicilor (“The Beggars’ Bridge”), one of the oldest bridges over the Dâmbovița, linking the city center with the Rahova outskirts. The name “calici” (beggars) was not accidental, as the area sheltered many poor people living on the margins of society.

The street was also directly connected to the Glassmakers’ Court, built around 1710 during the reign of Ștefan Cantacuzino. Here, glass and ceramic objects were produced, and the place also remained in memory because of the tragic story of the voivode’s wife, Lady Păuna.

The passions of Lady Păuna and the curse of betrayal

Legend has it that Lady Păuna lost her mind after her husband, Ștefan Cantacuzino, betrayed Constantin Brâncoveanu by handing him over to the Turks in Istanbul. The act stained the family name with blood and brought a personal tragedy as well. Overcome with guilt and suffering, Păuna withdrew behind the walls of the Glassmakers’ Court, where she was said to wander restlessly, plagued by visions and delirium. The place thus became imbued with a mysterious aura, tied both to the craft of glassmaking and to the curse of betrayal.

Over time, the furnaces and workshops disappeared, making way for inns, shops, and later entertainment venues. Today, in the place of the Glassmakers’ Court stands the Brewers’ Court (Curtea Berarilor), dedicated to another kind of “craft” – artisanal beer – but the memory of Lady Păuna still haunts the street’s historical imagination.

The Red-Light District of the Capital, the street of forbidden pleasures

In the 19th century, Șelari Street and its surroundings entered a new stage: organized debauchery. After the princely court moved away, the Lipscani–Șelari area turned into a hotspot for brothels, often compared to Amsterdam’s famous Red-Light District. Period tales recall fiddlers, dizzying music, red wine, and courtesans dressed in silk.

The most famous brothel on Șelari opened after 1795 and operated until 1847, when a devastating fire consumed much of the Old Town. The blaze officially ended the age of tolerance houses, but their memory lived on. In their place, elegant inns and respectable hotels rose. In 1857, right where the brothel had been, Hotel Fieschi was built, considered one of the most luxurious of its time. Thus, Șelari Street moved from the world of hidden pleasures to that of bourgeois respectability.

Still, in the Bucharest imagination, the street remained long associated with libertinism, forbidden loves, and nocturnal tales passed from mouth to mouth, earning it the nickname “kilometer zero of love” in the Capital.

Zaraza, caught between Zavaidoc and Cristian Vasile

But the most famous story tied to Șelari is that of Zaraza, the beautiful courtesan who became both muse and fatal destiny for the great tango singer Cristian Vasile. The two met at the Red Fox Inn, where Vasile sang romances and tangos. Zaraza was already a legendary figure, desired by wealthy and powerful men. Their relationship was intense and passionate, and the singer dedicated to her the famous tango that bears her name, which became a symbol of mad love.

But their love was shattered by the rivalry between Cristian Vasile and Zavaidoc, another celebrated singer of the time. It is said that, blinded by envy, Zavaidoc hired a thug to kill Vasile. The would-be assassin, an admirer of his musical talent, refused to take his life, but instead struck where it hurt most: his beloved. One night, on the Beggars’ Bridge, Zaraza was killed.

The grief crushed Cristian Vasile. Legend has it that after his lover’s cremation, he stole her urn and, for four months, consumed a little of her ashes each day – a hallucinatory gesture of a man driven mad by sorrow and longing. In the end, he tried to end his life by drinking turpentine. He survived but destroyed his vocal cords, remaining mute forever. Thus ended the career of one of Romania’s greatest tango singers, in a tragedy Bucharest has not forgotten.

Șelari Street today, between legend and modernity

Today, Șelari has changed its appearance but not its soul. It is one of the liveliest streets in the Old Town, filled with cafés, bars, and themed restaurants. Tourists come here to taste the charm of interwar Bucharest and to discover the stories still floating in the air.

Places like Gara Lipscani or Bordello recall the past, whether through décor inspired by other eras or through names that evoke the street’s history of brothels.

The contrast is striking: on the same street where Lady Păuna once lamented her madness and Zaraza’s tragic love faded away, today resound modern music, laughter, and the clinking of glasses. Yet Șelari remains a space of living memory. The walls and cobblestones still hide the shadows of the past, turning every step into a journey through time.

Kilometer zero of interwar Bucharest’s love

Șelari Street is more than just another artery of the Old Town. It is a place where history, legend, and myth are woven together into a complex tapestry. Here saddlers, rulers, artists, and courtesans met. Here unfolded political betrayals, forbidden passions, and love tragedies. From Lady Păuna to Zaraza, from the Beggars’ Bridge to the Glassmakers’ Court, every corner of the street carries a story.

Today, Șelari is a symbol of Bucharest’s contrasts: a place of modern partying but also a living museum of the past. Whoever steps here unknowingly enters the kilometer zero of love in the Capital, where passions, suffering, and desire have left deep, indelible marks.