The dream of a modern settlement, one that would not simply be a chaotic extension of the capital, materialized at the end of the 19th century through an ambitious project: Bucureștii Noi (“New Bucharest”). This area of the city was created entirely by one man – lawyer, university professor, and landowner Nicolae Basilescu. He conceived and implemented what we would today call a coherent, well-planned neighborhood, equipped with infrastructure, social functions, and a clear urban vision. His story is unique in the history of Bucharest: for the first time, a single man managed to build an entire piece of city from nothing – a complete, functional settlement designed for its people.

Nicolae Basilescu – the man and his vision

Nicolae Basilescu was born in Urlați, on the first day of 1860. He earned a degree in Law in Bucharest, defended his doctoral thesis in Paris in 1884, and continued his studies at the University of Berlin. 

An erudite intellectual, professor at the Faculty of Law, and liberal politician, Basilescu stood out not only as a jurist but also as a man of vision. He was an enterprising spirit who understood that a nation’s social and economic progress begins with urban order and planning.

His marriage to Catherine Pascal, the daughter of Aristide Pascal – a university professor and the author of Romania’s 1866 Constitution – brought Basilescu a significant inheritance: the Măicănești-Grefoaicele estate, located north of Bucharest. It was here, in 1898, that he began a project without precedent: transforming an empty field into a small, modern town based on the principle of cooperation, with a balanced and rational development plan.

Basilescu did not merely divide and sell land plots; he designed an entire settlement with complete infrastructure. In his view, a town could not exist without a school, a church, a synagogue, recreational areas, factories, and cemeteries. 

Moreover, to ensure connection with the capital, he built a personal railway line, on which ran his own diesel-powered train linking Bucureștii Noi to the center of Bucharest.

The urban project of 1898

The Basilescu estate covered approximately 300 hectares. Of this, almost half – around 155 hectares – was put up for sale as plots of land for those wishing to settle in the new town. 

The remaining land was donated to the community, according to a meticulous plan: 600,000 square meters for streets, 35,000 for public squares, 20,000 for a church, 15,000 for a Christian cemetery, 6,500 for a synagogue and Jewish cemetery, 131,000 for the central park – today’s Basilescu Park – and half a million square meters for future factories.

The streets were laid out straight and wide, 12 meters across, following the American model, numbered and placed perpendicularly to the main arteries, offering clarity and urban order. 

In the heart of the new settlement, Basilescu created a splendid park, inspired by great European parks, with old trees preserved from the ancient Vlăsia Forest. This park became, over time, the heart of the community, a meeting and relaxation place for residents.

By 1913, over 1,400 people, most of them of modest means, had bought land and settled in Bucureștii Noi. The new neighborhood thus became a living organism, a model of early social urbanism, where every street, house, and green space had a place in the general vision.

The church and spiritual dimension

At the center of the new community, Nicolae Basilescu built the church that still bears his name today – the Basilescu Church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and Saint Catherine. 

The building was erected entirely from his own funds, without any financial support from the state or the Orthodox Church. Construction took place between 1898 and 1909, and the interior frescoes were painted by the Danish artist Age Exner.

The church was initially designed as a family chapel, and in its crypt are buried Nicolae Basilescu, his wife Ecaterina, and their daughter Lidia. 

Over time, it became the spiritual center of the community, a symbol of the neighborhood’s beginnings and a lasting testimony of the deep bond between its founder and the settlement he created.

In his speeches, Basilescu spoke with emotion: “Between me and New Bucharest, God has tied an indissoluble bond, for life and death.” These words reflect not only pride but also the personal sacrifice he made for his creation. The first person buried in his church was his wife, the woman who had encouraged him through the difficult early years of his endeavor.

The neighborhood’s evolution over time

After continuous growth in the early decades of the 20th century, Bucureștii Noi was officially recognized as an administrative entity in 1925, when the villages of Bucureștii Noi, Grivița, Puțul lui Crăciun, and Chitila Triaj were merged into the rural commune of Grivița-Bucureștii Noi.

During the interwar period, Basilescu continued to fight for the rights of the inhabitants of the new town. In a speech delivered in 1935, he denounced corruption within the local administration and called for tax exemptions for the new residents, arguing that those who had only recently settled should not be burdened with taxes. 

In the same address, he demanded the unification of suburban communes into a strong federation and a reform of Bucharest’s municipal law. Thus, Basilescu was not only a founder but also a political visionary who understood the importance of balanced metropolitan development.

After the Second World War, with the establishment of the communist regime, the area underwent major transformations. On the right side of Bucureștii Noi Boulevard, large Soviet-style apartment blocks appeared, altering the original image of the neighborhood. 

In the 1950s, Basilescu Park was redesigned, and in 1953, on the occasion of the World Festival of Youth and Students, the open-air Summer Theatre was built in socialist-realist style, along with the “Brotherhood of Peoples” cinema, later known as Masca Theatre. 

These buildings brought a new cultural dimension to the neighborhood, even though they moved away from the spirit of Basilescu’s original vision.

Bucureștii Noi today

In 2004, the Basilescu subdivision was included on Romania’s list of historic architectural monuments, category B.

It includes the main streets and boulevards originally laid out in 1898 – Laminorului Boulevard, Fabrica de Cărămidă Street, Elocinței Street, Neajlovului Street, Coralilor Street, Piatra Morii Street, Gloriei Boulevard, Triumfului Street, Lăstarișului Street, Mandolinei Street, Renașterii Street, and Chitila Road. 

Even today, Bucureștii Noi preserves its original grid, with long, straight streets intersecting at right angles, offering an order rarely found in older parts of Bucharest.

Basilescu Park, the neighborhood’s soul, remains one of the most beloved green spaces in Sector 1. Its old trees, shaded alleys, and calm atmosphere recall the times when this place was the heart of a newly founded community. 

In recent years, local authorities have launched projects to restore the Summer Theatre and revitalize the area.

Today, Bucureștii Noi consists of seven sub-neighborhoods: Basilescu, Străulești, Dămăroaia, Chitila Triaj, Costeasca, Pajura, and Băneasa Sud. In these areas, old houses with generous gardens coexist with modern residential complexes. 

The real estate demand has been rising steadily, thanks to the area’s proximity to the city center, its tranquility, and its abundance of green spaces. In 2023, average property prices were around €48,000 for a studio apartment and €90,000 for a two-room flat, reflecting growing interest in this part of Bucharest.

The legacy and spirit of Basilescu

More than a century after its foundation, the Bucureștii Noi neighborhood remains a living testimony to modern vision and remarkable effort. At a time when urban developments were often chaotic, Nicolae Basilescu managed to build a model of urban, economic, and social organization.

He did not merely sell land; he created a whole system: streets, parks, factories, churches, schools, and utilities. He wanted to build a lasting community founded on solidarity and trust.

His legacy is present not only in the street grid or the church that bears his name but also in the spirit of the place itself. Bucureștii Noi remains an example of coherent urban planning, conceived with foresight and civic responsibility. 

In a city that has often expanded without a clear plan, Bucureștii Noi stands as proof that discipline, vision, and respect for community can generate a beautiful, functional, and enduring neighborhood.

The story of Bucureștii Noi is, at its core, the story of a dream fulfilled. Nicolae Basilescu was more than a lawyer or a wealthy landowner – he was a builder of cities, a man who thought in terms of the future and of the common good. He created not only buildings but also a community; not only streets but an urban identity.

Today, when Bucharest’s development is often marked by improvisation and hurried projects, Nicolae Basilescu’s example should serve as inspiration. Bucureștii Noi is not merely an old neighborhood’s name, but a lesson in vision, discipline, and love for people.

In every street and in every corner of the park, one can still feel the imprint of the man who wanted to leave behind not just wealth, but a living city built from both heart and reason.

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