Articles (1839)

The code of good manners in interwar Bucharest: How gentlemen and young ladies behaved when they went out in the city

Today, the rules of behavior in public spaces are much more relaxed than they were a century ago. The way we dress, the way we speak with those around us, or the habits we have when going to a restaurant are no longer subject to the same social restrictions as in the past. In interwar Bucharest, however, every gesture had a certain significance, an...

“Like in Venice”: The history of the Monte Carlo restaurant in Cișmigiu, the place where high society has gathered for “a coffee and a gossip” 100 years ago

Few places in Bucharest have managed to gather around them as many stories, memories, and legends as the Monte Carlo restaurant in Cișmigiu Garden. Located on the island on the lake, surrounded by greenery, water, and romantic alleys, this establishment has been for more than a century one of the symbols of social life in the Capital. Bourgeois, ar...

Where Romanians had fun in interwar Bucharest: the most famous bars and restaurants from a century ago

Interwar Bucharest was a city of contrasts, of spectacular changes, and of a nightlife that rivaled that of the great European capitals. During the period between the two World Wars, Romania’s capital was going through an accelerated process of modernization: new buildings appeared from one year to another, boulevards became increasingly lively, el...

Bucharest's Lost Open-Air Pools: How the City Cooled Off 50 to 100 Years Ago, at Tei and Floreasca

Of the open-air pools that once lined the shores of Lake Tei, almost nothing remains standing today — only ruins overrun by vegetation, in a place where, a generation or two ago, thousands of Bucharest residents spent every summer Sunday. One of several pools that operated along the lake's shore — sources vary, putting the number at six, seven, or...

What you need to do to change your ID card or passport in Bucharest in 2026

In 2026, changing your ID card or obtaining a new passport in Bucharest can be done much more easily than in the past, thanks to online appointment systems and the gradual digitalization of public services. However, the process involves following clear rules regarding scheduling an appointment, preparing the necessary documents, and paying any appl...

Carol Knappe, the German who introduced oil lamps on the streets of Bucharest, has a street named after him in the Capital

Today’s Bucharest, a city illuminated by thousands of modern lighting fixtures and lively until late at night, is far removed from the image it had almost two centuries ago. In the middle of the 19th century, once evening fell, much of the Capital was engulfed in darkness, and the inhabitants were forced to light their way with candles or old oil l...

How to secure your bicycle or car in Bucharest: useful tricks

Bucharest is a crowded city, with a fast pace of life and a growing number of people who choose to travel either by bicycle or by personal car. Although these means of transportation offer comfort and flexibility, they also come with certain risks. Bicycle thefts, attempts to break into cars, or damage caused in unsupervised parking areas are situa...

Casa Poporului, Beyond the Numbers. Workers Buried Alive in Concrete on the Site, and Other Stories — Confirmed or Not

If you stop in Constitution Square and try to fit the Palace of Parliament into a single photograph, you quickly run into a problem: the building doesn't fit. It's too wide, too tall, too deep for any ordinary lens. Tour guides leading visitors through the interior usually recite an impressive set of numbers — the second-largest administrative buil...

Bucharest’s lakes: 20 aquatic landmarks with stories

At first glance, Bucharest seems like a city with a rather administrative relationship with water. The Dâmbovița flows obediently between concrete banks, the Colentina hides under bridges and between neighborhoods, while the lakes appear on the map as blue patches that somehow escaped the city’s obsession with curbs. And yet, the city has a surpris...

Marioara Murărescu, the woman who transformed Romanian folklore into a true national treasure

For several decades, Marioara Murărescu represented one of the most important personalities of Romanian traditional culture. Through the passion, rigor, and dedication with which she researched and promoted folk music, the television producer managed to build a strong bridge between the Romanian village and the audience in front of their television...