Articles (857)

The history of the Romanian tricolor. What do the colors blue, yellow, and red on Romania’s flag mean

The Flag, the Anthem, and the Coat of Arms of a state form the fundamental triad of symbols through which a nation asserts its identity, values, and continuity over time. In the case of Romania, the blue-yellow-red tricolor has become, over the centuries, an element of cohesion, courage, and hope, being present both in glorious episodes and in mome...

Filantropia Maternity Hospital in Bucharest, 212 years of history. The story of the oldest obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Romania

The history of Filantropia Hospital begins in 1811 and is closely connected to the name of Dr. Constantin Caracas. Originally a Macedonian Romanian and a graduate of the University of Vienna, Dr. Caracas returned to Bucharest, where he started practicing medicine alongside his father, Dr. Dimitrie Caracas. Thanks to the experience acquired abroad a...

Grigore Alexandrescu, the orphaned poet who went insane four days after his own wedding, has a street named after him in Bucharest

The life and destiny of Grigore Alexandrescu represent one of the most impressive and, at the same time, most dramatic stories in Romanian culture. A poet, prose writer, and enlightened spirit of his era, he moved through existence like a flame that burns intensely but extinguishes too soon. Although his name remains written in golden letters in Ro...

Why the Arch of Triumph is the site of the December 1st parades: historical, symbolic and urban context

Each year on December 1st, Bucharest centres its public attention around the Arch of Triumph. On the surface, the choice looks straightforward: a monument placed along a broad axis, naturally suited for a military procession. But this positioning is not the result of administrative habit. It formed gradually, as the city’s history, the state’s symb...

Where Bucharest residents went on December 1st in the ’90s and where they go now: the evolution of winter urban habits

Over the past three decades, December 1st has shifted from a simple date on the calendar to a marker that shapes how Bucharest experiences the start of winter. The way residents spend this day reflects the city’s own evolution: its infrastructure, its access to leisure, and the way public space has been reorganized after 1989. In the ’90s, everythi...

How the State Jewish Theatre Was Born, the Only Theatre of a Minority in Romania

The story of the State Jewish Theatre is deeply connected to the cultural evolution of the Jewish community in Romania and represents one of the longest and most stable theatrical traditions of a minority in Europe. This history begins in the year 1876, in a moment when the cultural life of the city of Iași was in full effervescence. On August 19,...

Oprea Soare House, history with tradition. Today it hosts Hanul Berarilor, one of the most famous restaurants of the Capital

Oprea Soare House is one of those buildings that seem to concentrate within their walls the entire spirit of an era. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, in the Neo-Romanian style, it perfectly represents the direction in which Bucharest was heading in those years: a combination of tradition, urban ambition and modernity. Located in the imme...

The history of the grand Marmorosch Bucharest Hotel, the palace that once housed the most influential bank of 19th-century Romania

In the heart of Bucharest’s old town, on Doamnei Street, stands today the Marmorosch Bucharest Hotel, an elegant space that preserves an impressive history within its walls. The building that hosts this five-star hotel was not always a place dedicated to hospitality, but the headquarters of one of the most influential financial institutions of Roma...

Before Little Paris, There Was Little Constantinople. How the Phanariote Era Shaped Bucharest in the 18th–19th Centuries

The Phanariote period, which unfolded from the first half of the 18th century until the early 19th century, is often viewed through the lens of intrigue, corruption, and heavy Ottoman influence. However, beyond this simplified image, the Phanariote era represented a crucial stage in Bucharest’s evolution. Phanariote Bucharest and the transformation...

The House with Sphinx, the Forgotten History of Bucharest Residents. How the Shoemaker’s Home Became a Masonic Lodge and an Extravagant Café

In the center of Bucharest, at the corner of Colței and Slănic streets, rises one of the most remarkable buildings of the capital: the House with Sphinx. This emblematic construction, completed in 1928, impresses through its imposing dome, crowned by a unique sculptural ensemble, created by the famous sculptor Dimitrie Paciurea. Over the decades, t...