Articles (1006)

Before Casa Capșa, there was Kübler. The story of the most famous café in 19th-century Bucharest

Before the tables of Casa Capșa became the preferred stage for writers, journalists, and bohemians of the Capital, another venue dominated the cultural life of Bucharest. This was the famous café Kübler, the meeting place of literary figures, actors, journalists, and aristocrats of the time. In the 19th century, Kübler was not just a café but a tru...

Costică Alexandrescu, “the Banker of Berceni,” owner of the legendary Mandravela tavern

Interwar Bucharest was a city of striking contrasts, where the opulence of grand palaces coexisted uneasily with the turmoil of working-class neighborhoods. Yet these disparate worlds often intersected in the city’s taverns, which became spaces where aristocrats, artists, laborers, and rogues mingled over food, wine, and music. Among the most celeb...

Assan House, the palace in the heart of the Capital where the first Romanian to travel around the world lived

Hidden in the center of Bucharest, right behind Piața Romană, stands Assan House, a superb building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. As its name suggests, it once served as the residence of a member of the influential Assan family, namely Bazil, the eldest son of the family’s patriarch. The story of this miniature palace is intertwined...

Dunărea Hotel, the architectural jewel turned ruin. Destroyed by earthquakes, abandoned by the Romanian state

When you enter an unfamiliar city, first impressions are formed almost instantly. The train station and the airport inevitably become its calling cards, the places through which all travelers pass. For this reason, the way these areas look represents a form of urban identity. Unfortunately, Bucharest has struggled greatly in this regard, and the im...

The history of the Cireșica Restaurant, the favorite place of interwar Bucharest, where you went “to eat batoc fish and listen to Zavaidoc”

Interwar Bucharest was a vibrant city, where cultural and social life pulsed at every street corner. Cafés, restaurants, and summer gardens were true centers of bohemian life, places where artists, politicians, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens gathered to talk, have fun, and create stories that would remain in history. Among all these charming...

Who was Monica Lovinescu, the most important female voice of the Romanian exile. She dedicated her life to the fight against the communist regime

In 2025, seventeen years have passed since the death of Monica Lovinescu, one of the most powerful and respected figures of the Romanian exile. Literary critic, journalist, translator, radio broadcaster, and militant for freedom, she remains to this day a symbol of courage and resistance against the communist dictatorship. Her life, marked by perso...

The Bucharest neighborhoods with the best price–quality ratio for rentals (2025)

For many renters, the essential question is not simply “where can I find a cheaper place?”, but “where do I pay a fair price for what I get?”. The price–quality ratio in rentals combines the monthly rent with access to metro or fast transport, proximity to parks, schools, and shops, as well as the condition of the housing stock and local infrastruc...

The relief of Bucharest: the city built on seven hills and a plain of hidden waters

When we think of Bucharest, we picture buildings, boulevards, traffic, or its eclectic architecture. Few, however, stop to ask: what kind of land does the capital actually stand on? The relief of Bucharest, seemingly flat and uneventful, has its own geological and natural stories that explain not only the city’s present-day look but also the way it...

The history of Dristor neighborhood: from the Dudești estate to the arrival of the Bulgarians and today’s area

Few of today’s residents of Dristor know that their neighborhood has a history going back more than two centuries, and that, paradoxically, it was not originally intended as a settlement for Romanians. At the beginning of the 19th century, the land that would later become one of Bucharest’s most popular semi-central neighborhoods was known as the D...

Bazaca street, lost in the fog of time. How the liveliest artery of interwar Bucharest disappeared

Interwar Bucharest was a city of contrasts, a fascinating blend of tradition and modernity, where the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar intertwined with the refinement of Western influences. In the middle of this lively urban scene stood Bazaca Street, one of the most picturesque and beloved commercial arteries of the Capital. The vibrant heart of a...