Eddie Țone

7 Housing Developments from the Early Years of Communism, Each with an Unusual Story

People in Bucharest walk past communist-era apartment blocks without really seeing them anymore. They have been part of the city for as long as anyone can remember it in its present form. Balconies were enclosed at different times, windows were replaced according to whatever fashion happened to prev... Read more

How Bucharest Residents Spent Autumn 100 Years Ago

Autumn in Bucharest in, say, 1925 began with the same small negotiation the city still conducts with the seasons today. September still held on to the warmth of summer, garden terraces still had customers, and evening arrived a little earlier, just enough to remind everyone that the season of hats,... Read more

Unusual Sports You Can Try in Bucharest

If you're an amateur athlete, your relationship with Bucharest is probably fairly predictable. You run through Herăstrău, cycle wherever you're allowed to, lift weights in a gym with mirrors large enough for a small Viennese palace, and, when spring arrives, rediscover tennis. Beyond this familiar r... Read more

10 Urban Experiences in Bucharest You Should Try at Least Once

Bucharest is surprisingly difficult to get to know from behind the wheel of a car, and surprisingly easy when you actually give it some time. The city works through contrasts placed side by side with an almost comical naturalness: just a few stops apart, you can find a wetland inhabited by otters an... Read more

History of the Military Club, the Palace Built by Officers on the Capricious Ground of Sărindar

At the intersection of Calea Victoriei and Regina Elisabeta Boulevard, Bucharest changes its attire for a few moments. Car horns continue to sound in traffic, phones keep ringing, and people continue crossing the street with hurried expressions. Above them, the Military Club (Cercul Militar) “survey... Read more

The history of a famous market: Hala Traian, the place that looks like a train station and lives inside a supermarket

At the intersection of Calea Călărașilor and Traian Street—amidst trams, cables, blaring horns, and shops whose signboards look as though they were chosen in a random raffle—stands a building with the solemn air of a provincial French train station. It features exposed brickwork, a metallic frame, e... Read more

Bariera Vergului, the Place Where Bucharest Checked Its Pockets and Went Out for a Picnic

Today, Piața Muncii, in Sector 2, means, for most Bucharesters, a large intersection seasoned with a road underpass, a metro station, and several minutes during which the traffic lights contemplate the human condition. Its official name, Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Square, appears on maps and in City Hall do... Read more

Interview with Ciprian Sipoș, Green Designer: “Bucharest Needs More Than Green Concrete”

Bucharest is a city that changes every day, though not always in the direction we would like. Amid traffic, summer temperatures that are becoming increasingly difficult to bear, mounting pressure on green spaces, and neighborhoods built in haste, the question is no longer whether we need transformat... Read more

10 Swimming Pools in Bucharest Where You Can Swim Without Being a Competitive Athlete

Bucharest provides plenty of opportunities to work up a sweat while standing still, what with the long traffic lights, crowded platforms and meetings that somehow discover one more item on the agenda. Swimming offers a rather more elegant alternative. You get into the water, leave your phone in a lo... Read more