Articles (893)

Băneasa, one of Bucharest’s oldest districts: the story of Ban Mareș’s wife in the 17th century

Few Bucharest neighborhoods can boast a history as rich and layered as Băneasa. The area—known today mainly for its airport, the Royal Railway Station, and the Miorița Fountain—has roots reaching back to the 17th century, when it was a small village called Cârstănești. Beyond monuments, institutions, and historical events, the origin of its name li...

The Arch of Triumph in Bucharest, symbol of Greater Romania. The messages inscribed on the monument’s façades

The Arch of Triumph in Bucharest is not only an imposing architectural monument but also a symbol of national history, sacrifice, and victory. Built to honor the courage and heroism of Romanian soldiers in the First World War and to mark the achievement of the Great Union of 1918, the monument today stands as a landmark of Romanian identity. Over t...

In the heart of Bucharest: the surprising history of Șepcari Street

In the middle of Bucharest, where the narrow streets of the Old Town bring together cafés, shops, and fragments of history, Șepcari Street hides a truly surprising past. Beyond the appearance of a simple pedestrian alley, today sprinkled with restaurants and bars, this street carries within its walls the story of one of the most fascinating linguis...

How to survive Bucharest traffic – a practical guide for expats

Anyone who has spent even a few days in Bucharest quickly realizes that traffic is one of the city’s biggest nightmares. For expats, often used to more predictable infrastructure, the shock is real: hours lost at intersections, streets clogged during rush hours, construction sites that change routes overnight. Yet there are ways to make it bearable...

How the routine of Bucharest residents changes when summer ends

The end of summer brings a shift in rhythm that you can sense in Bucharest even if you’re not paying close attention. After months of a different kind of bustle—empty streets on weekends and terraces buzzing until late at night—the city moves into another phase. It’s as if it breathes differently.Traffic is the first to betray the change. September...

145 years of the National Bank of Romania: “bearer banknotes” and the palace built on the former site of Hanul Șerban Vodă in Bucharest

In the modern history of Romania, few institutions have played as important and constant a role as the National Bank of Romania (BNR). Founded on April 17, 1880, with the publication in the Official Gazette of the Law establishing a “bank of discount and circulation,” the institution marked not only a crucial stage in building the Romanian state’s...

The story of gangster Gică Cioc, the “Dragon” of Ferentari who terrorized Bucharest in the 1940s

The years following the Second World War were marked, for Romania, by chaos and deep instability. In the capital, the outlying neighborhoods became areas where law was almost nonexistent and daily life unfolded under the sign of violence. Out of this bleak backdrop rose a figure who would enter the dark legend of Bucharest: Gică Cioc, nicknamed “Th...

The Anglican Church, Queen Marie of Romania’s place of faith and prayer. The chalice she gifted still offers communion to the people of Bucharest today

In a quiet corner of the capital, just steps away from Grădina Icoanei, rises a sober yet elegant red-brick building that seems transported from a London neighborhood: the Anglican Church “The Church of the Resurrection.” The only Anglican place of worship in Bucharest, it bears a history closely tied to the spirituality of Queen Marie, one of the...

The story of painter Nicolae Grigorescu, the orphan from the Cărămidarilor neighborhood who painted icons to sell at the fair

Nicolae Grigorescu, one of the greatest Romanian painters and a leading figure of 19th-century European art, was born on May 15, 1838, in the village of Pitaru, Dâmbovița county. He came from a modest family: his father, Ion Grigorescu, was a notary, and his mother, Ruxandra, a seamstress. Little Nicu was the sixth child of the family and knew hard...

Bucharest’s Calea Victoriei “breathes” history: the old Mogoșoaia Bridge was paved by Constantin Brâncoveanu with tree trunks

Few places in Bucharest concentrate as much history, charm, and collective memory as Calea Victoriei. Today we associate it with grand architecture and intense cultural and social life, but its origins lie in a much humbler past. Before becoming a central artery of the Capital, Calea Victoriei was just a dirt road linking the princely palace on the...