In today’s Bucharest, as you cross Barbu Văcărescu Boulevard near the bridge over Lake Colentina, few would guess that this area hides a fascinating piece of industrial history. Today, it is home to the Caro Hotel complex, but more than a century ago, the same site hosted The Glucose Factory, a landmark of Romania’s early modern economy and industry. The story of this place is inseparably tied to the street that intersects the boulevard, Șoseaua Fabrica de Glucoză, whose name still preserves the memory of the factory that once stood there.

The beginnings of a successful industry

The construction of the Glucose Factory began at the dawn of the 20th century and was completed in 1902 after nearly ten years of work and investment. The project was financed with Belgian capital, reflecting the international interest in developing Romania’s food and chemical industries at the time. 

The factory mainly produced alcohol and glucose, essential products for various industries and for the city’s food supply. It was regarded as a profitable, well-managed business that played an important role in both Bucharest’s and Romania’s economy.

During the interwar period, the Glucose Factory became a landmark of the Capital, included among the industrial sites worthy of being visited by notable figures, including the future King Mihai I. 

His visit in the spring of 1940 marked a symbolic moment in the factory’s history, just before it was militarized as part of the national war-preparation program under Marshal Ion Antonescu. During this time, the factory not only continued producing glucose and alcohol but also contributed to the country’s wartime industrial efforts.

The communist era: nationalization and continued production

After World War II, the Glucose Factory was nationalized, in line with the new socialist economic policies. Production not only continued but was expanded, maintaining the factory’s position as a significant industrial site in Bucharest. 

During this period, the facility also hosted a chemical laboratory where experiments were conducted on white rabbits — a common industrial practice of the time, though one that would be unacceptable today.

The factory operated at full capacity until the late 1980s. According to local accounts, its closure was allegedly ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu, who was said to be disturbed by the smell emitted during production — an understandable nuisance, as he lived nearby, in the Primăverii neighborhood. 

In 1987, the factory was shut down, and its heavy machinery was moved to the old Bragadiru Brewery on Calea Rahovei. The transfer was done hastily, with cranes tearing out large equipment, rendering much of it unusable — a symbol of the inefficiency and waste that marked the regime’s final years.

Transition and temporary uses

By 1989, before the Romanian Revolution, a small glucose workshop still operated on the five-hectare property, located in one of the factory’s lofts. After the Revolution, like many other industrial buildings in Bucharest, the site was repurposed. 

It became home to a small clothing factory, employing about twenty former Apaca workers who used second-hand sewing machines to complete orders for various clients. At the same time, a small restaurant called Zahana opened on the premises, serving meals to workers from the nearby Pipera industrial platform.

This period of transition reflected the broader economic and social transformation of post-communist Romania, as former industrial spaces struggled to adapt and find new purposes. Even though production had ceased, the red-brick buildings remained active, preserving the industrial character of early 20th-century architecture.

The birth of a modern vision: Caro Hotel

In 1991, the entire industrial complex was purchased by Ion Lazăr, a visionary entrepreneur who saw potential in the Pipera area, even when others believed it would never become a business hub. The acquisition was made through the state-owned publishing company Editura Adevărul, which benefited from the massive success of its newspapers — with Adevărul reaching a daily circulation of one million copies and România Liberă about 800,000.

Lazăr gradually transformed the former factory into a hotel and restaurant, a bold project that evolved over the next three decades. Today, the Caro Club Hotel covers five hectares and includes 184 rooms of 3 and 4 stars, seven event halls, five restaurants, sports facilities, bars, a swimming pool, a fitness center, and numerous other amenities for guests and corporate events.

This transformation was not merely about building a luxury hotel — it was also about preserving and rehabilitating industrial heritage, respecting the spirit of the old interwar buildings. The project successfully combined modern architecture with original industrial features, creating a harmonious blend between past and present that gives the complex a unique charm.

Preserving industrial memory

Although its original function was lost, the red-brick buildings along Lake Colentina still evoke the city’s economic past. The name Șoseaua Fabrica de Glucoză continues to remind passersby of the site’s former role in the production of glucose and alcohol, as well as its contribution to Bucharest’s interwar economy.

Back then, the factory was not just an industrial site — it was a symbol of technological progress and urban prosperity. Official visits and recognition from national leaders highlight its strategic and economic importance, as well as the central role it played in the life of the Capital.

From industry to hospitality: a symbol of Bucharest’s transformation

The transformation of the Glucose Factory into a luxury hotel mirrors Bucharest’s broader evolution after 1990. The city reinvented itself, turning former industrial areas into spaces of service, leisure, and hospitality. Caro Hotel is more than just a place to stay — it is a testament to Bucharest’s ability to merge its industrial past with the dynamic pulse of modern life.

Today, those who pass by and notice the restored brick buildings may not realize they are walking in the footsteps of the workers who once produced glucose and alcohol here, or of the royal visitors who admired the factory’s technological achievements more than eight decades ago.

The Glucose Factory of Bucharest, from its inauguration in 1902 to its closure in the 1980s and its modern reincarnation as a luxury hotel, stands as an example of urban and industrial transformation. Its story is one of adaptation, vision, and continuity — a journey from the production of glucose and alcohol to a new era of hospitality and modern comfort.

Today, Caro Hotel carries forward a piece of that industrial spirit, offering not only accommodation and event spaces but also a tangible link to Bucharest’s hidden industrial heritage. Behind its elegant façades lies a history of labor, innovation, and reinvention — a story that continues to shape the character of Barbu Văcărescu Boulevard and the tranquil shores of Lake Colentina.

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