Articles (1840)

What taxes and levies Bucharest residents paid 100 years ago: houses, buses, sidewalks

In 1930, Bucharest was a city poised between tradition and modernity, between the patriarchal rhythm of its outskirts and the ambition to become a fully European capital. Beyond elegant buildings, newly laid boulevards, and commercial effervescence, the city functioned on the basis of a well-established fiscal mechanism. Bucharest residents lived,...

Corso Café, the story of the favorite venue of writers and journalists in interwar Bucharest

During the interwar period, Bucharest was living one of the most effervescent stages of its existence. The capital was nicknamed “Little Paris,” and Calea Victoriei had become the axis around which institutions, editorial offices, theaters, and famous cafés gravitated. Among them, Corso Café held a special place. Located opposite the Royal Palace a...

The talented Anda Călugăreanu, the child prodigy of Romanian music. The tragic story of the artist who disappeared far too early

On October 24, 1946, in Bucharest, Anca Miranda Călugăreanu was born, the one who would become known as Anda Călugăreanu, one of the brightest and most sensitive presences of the Romanian stage. She came from a family with Armenian roots on her mother’s side, and her childhood was not without difficulties. After her parents’ divorce, she grew up al...

Who was Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu and why does he have a street bearing his name in Bucharest

The figure of Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu remains one of the most controversial and complex in the modern history of Romania. A refined intellectual and jurist, a doctor of economic sciences, and a communist leader who stood at the forefront of the events of August 23, 1944, he had a spectacular destiny: rapid ascent, major political influence, and, in the...

Bucharest’s sidewalks in winter — who do they belong to and who is liable when you fall

A heavier snowfall is enough for Bucharest to slip into a now-familiar pattern: snowplows clear the main boulevards, while the sidewalks behind apartment blocks are often left covered in a compact layer of ice. Pedestrians move forward in small steps across the snow-covered pavement, steadying themselves against parked cars or holding their arms ou...

The First Romanian Woman Student at the Sorbonne Spoke French Fluently at the Age of 2. The Brilliant Iulia Hașdeu Was Struck Down by Illness at the Age of Majority

In the history of Romanian culture, few destinies have shone so intensely and faded so quickly as that of Iulia Hașdeu. A genius child, a precocious spirit, a complex artist and an intellectual of rare depth, she managed, in only 18 years, to leave behind a body of work and a legend that continue to fascinate. A child prodigy born into an exception...

“The Prince of the Violin” and the last princess of the Cantacuzinos lived the most beautiful love story: Madeleine and Ion Voicu

In a century marked by wars, regime changes, and identity upheavals, Romania experienced not only collective dramas, but also love stories that defied conventions and the times. One of the most moving and elegant sentimental histories of the 20th century has at its center the great violinist Ion Voicu and Princess Madeleine Cantacuzino. He, nicknam...

From the Bucharest slum to the stages of Japan and the USA. Romica Puceanu, the history of the queen of Romanian Gypsy music

The destiny of Romica Puceanu seems taken from a dramatic novel, in which glory and suffering intertwine without mercy. Rightfully considered the queen of Romanian lăutărească music, the artist started from the slums of Bucharest and reached the great stages of the world, from Japan to the United States of America. She was an unmistakable voice, a...

The stars of interwar Bucharest: The actress Agepsina Macri, the muse and great love of the playwright Victor Eftimiu

In the history of Romanian literature and culture, there are love stories that left a deep imprint not only on their protagonists, but also on their works. One of these stories is the one between Aglae (Agepsina) Macri, a renowned actress from the interwar period, and Victor Eftimiu, an important playwright and poet, considered one of Romania’s gre...

Residential Parking, by Sectors, in Bucharest 2026: Steps, Documents, Costs, Common Mistakes

Residential parking has become, in recent years, one of the most sensitive topics for the inhabitants of the Capital. The increase in the number of cars, the reorganization of parking spaces, and the digitalization of public services have radically changed the way Bucharest residents can secure a spot close to home. In 2026, the procedures are clea...