Few neighborhoods in Bucharest can claim roots as ancient as those of Crângași. Today part of Sector 6 of the Capital, this seemingly modest district hides a turbulent history stretching across many centuries. The earliest traces of human activity in the area date back to the 4th century AD, as evidenced by the discovery of Roman coins from the reign of Emperor Valentinian I (364–375 AD). These relics indicate that the area was inhabited—or at least traversed—by communities long before Bucharest officially existed.

Deep roots in Bucharest’s history

The neighborhood’s name has a direct connection to nature. In the Middle Ages, this part of the city was an extension of the vast Vlăsia Forest, a dense woodland that once covered a large part of southern Romania. People who lived in these small forested areas were known as “crângași,” giving the district its enduring name.

By the second half of the 16th century, several settlements were already established in the area that would later become Bucharest: Obilești on the Colentina River, Dobroești to the northeast, Otopeni, and Crângași along the Dâmbovița River. These early villages foreshadowed the city’s later expansion.

Crângași at the beginning of the 20th century

Until the modernization of Bucharest, Crângași was little more than a small hamlet on the banks of the Dâmbovița. Its location at the border between the Capital and the commune of Marele Voievod Mihai (later renamed the 16 Februarie commune) made it a transitional area, but also a modest residential enclave.

In 1923, part of Crângași was officially incorporated into Bucharest’s territory, marking the neighborhood’s integration into the city’s urban life. Thirteen years later, in 1936, the local community celebrated the construction of a notable architectural landmark: Belvedere Church, built in a neo-Byzantine style, dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and Saint Catherine the Martyr. The church’s construction reflected the growth of a community intent on leaving a spiritual and cultural imprint.

The “Black Sector” and interwar life

During the interwar period, Bucharest was divided administratively into five sectors, identified by colors: yellow, black, blue, and green. Crângași belonged to the so-called “Black Sector,” which included much of today’s Sector 6.

At that time, Crângași remained a peripheral neighborhood, with dusty roads, simple houses, and a lifestyle that was more rural than urban. The Dâmbovița River, which flowed through the area, was both a blessing and a threat. On one hand, it provided water and a natural space rich in resources; on the other, it caused devastating spring floods.

Residents of Crângași, many from poor families, built homes from adobe or wattle-and-daub, inexpensive and accessible materials but fragile and vulnerable. This reality reinforced the neighborhood’s image as a modest community, often marginalized compared to central Bucharest.

Post-World War II – social and political changes

The years following World War II brought significant changes to Romanian society, and Crângași was no exception. In 1946, the youth organization of the National Peasant Party was established in the area, reflecting an active, politically engaged community. However, with the advent of the communist regime, such initiatives were quickly suppressed.

Between 1940 and 1960, vacant plots in the neighborhood were gradually occupied by modest dwellings constructed by impoverished families. Seasonal floods of the Dâmbovița continued to wreak havoc, periodically destroying homes and causing hardship for the residents.

First apartment blocks and the beginning of urbanization

It was not until the 1960s that a turning point occurred. Authorities began constructing the first apartment blocks for workers, particularly those employed in the rapidly expanding metallurgy industry. Crângași thus began to acquire a new identity as a working-class district, with modern housing promising better living conditions.

Yet urbanization was gradual and incomplete. Alongside the new blocks, old homes continued to exist, highlighting the social contrasts of the time.

The floods of the 1970s

The 1970s were a particularly harsh period for Crângași. Massive floods of the Dâmbovița transformed streets into canals and damaged both old houses and newer apartment blocks. Residents faced dramatic situations, prompting authorities to find lasting solutions.

By the early 1980s, the communist regime undertook a radical transformation: the riverbed of the Dâmbovița was systematized, and massive apartment blocks replaced the vulnerable homes. It was also during this period that Lake Ciurel was created, a large reservoir intended to mitigate future flood risks.

This intervention definitively shaped the neighborhood’s identity. Crângași became an urbanized area with tall blocks, wide streets, and modern infrastructure, though it lost some of the rural character it had preserved for centuries.

Crângași today – between tradition and modernity

Today, Crângași presents a blend of old and new. Communist-era apartment blocks dominate the landscape, but older houses, remnants of an earlier era, can still be found tucked between them. Belvedere Church remains a spiritual and architectural landmark, a reminder of the neighborhood’s ambitions during the interwar period, as well as the famous Windmill Lake.

Lake Ciurel and the surrounding park provide residents with green space for recreation and social life. Crângași is fully integrated into the life of Bucharest, with public transport access and urban amenities, yet its past continues to resonate in the collective memory of those familiar with its history.

A neighborhood with a strong identity

The story of Crângași is, in many ways, the story of Bucharest itself: a history of transformation, a struggle against nature, a passage from rural to urban, and a testament to the resilience of ordinary people who shaped the city from the ground up.

From the crângași living in the Vlăsia Forest to the metallurgical workers of the 20th century, each generation left its mark on the neighborhood. The Dâmbovița floods repeatedly tested the community, but each disaster was followed by renewal and change.

Today, Crângași remains a neighborhood with a distinct identity—a combination of resilience, adaptation, and collective memory. Its story continues to unfold alongside the ever-changing rhythm of a city that never ceases to transform.

Foto credit: bucurestiulmeudrag.ro

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