Articles (1840)

The History of the Carlton Block, the Monument Forgotten by Bucharest Residents. How It Was Wiped off the Face of the Earth in the 1940 Earthquake

In the landscape of interwar Bucharest, dominated by the desire for modernization and architectural affirmation, the Carlton Block represented a symbol of engineering ambition and urban elegance. Built in the 1930s, during a period of economic and cultural effervescence, the building was considered a true technical marvel. With a height of 47 meter...

He “christened” Birlic and lived only for Romanian theatre. The story of director Sică Alexandrescu

Few people have burned for theatre with the intensity with which Sică Alexandrescu did. For him, the stage was not just a space of creation, but a way of existing. He was born in theatre, he grew up in theatre, and he died working for theatre. He discovered and launched huge names, staged performances that became legendary, and took Romanian theatr...

Anghel Saligny, the greatest Romanian engineer, the “father” of the Cernavodă Bridge, has a street bearing his name in the center of Bucharest

Few personalities in Romania’s history have managed to leave behind a body of work as imposing and enduring as that of Anghel Saligny. His name is forever linked to the Cernavodă Bridge, the monumental construction that united Dobrogea with the rest of the country and that represented, at the end of the 19th century, a true demonstration of technic...

The Best Neighborhoods in Bucharest for Remote Work

Quiet streets, good cafés, reliable internet, green spaces, and metro access – practical criteria for urban livingRemote work has fundamentally changed how we choose where to live. If proximity to the office used to be the main factor, today what matters more is the quality of daily life: noise levels, access to parks, digital infrastructure, café...

Valentine’s Day in Bucharest: Low-Budget Romance, No Luxury Price Tag

If you step out into the Old Town around February 14, the city looks like it has squeezed itself into a suit that’s a size too small. Restaurants blink in red, “specially designed for couples” menus jump out from every window, and reservations are made a week in advance, as if for some kind of emotional final exam. Bucharest pulses to the rhythm of...

Vanished Trades in Bucharest: How Much Did a Shoeshiner or a Carriage Driver Earn?

If you walk down Calea Victoriei today, or deliberately get lost in the twisty little streets around Mântuleasa, your senses get hit with a very modern blend of honking, phone pings, and that unmistakable smell of sun-baked asphalt mixed with exhaust. The city hums at a high frequency, the frequency of permanent urgency, where everything has to hap...

Who was Bălașa Cantacuzino, the Bucharest princess who earned her living by painting portraits

In an era when the name Cantacuzino was synonymous with power, refinement, and aristocratic tradition, Marie Blanche “Bălașa” Cantacuzino chose an unusual path for a princess. Born in the heart of Bucharest, into one of the oldest and most prestigious boyar families, Bălașa did not content herself with living exclusively from the privileges of her...

The most ill-famed place in last century’s Bucharest inspired the painter Ștefan Luchian. The history of the Yellow Inn

In the history of Bucharest there are places that shone through elegance and splendor, but also spaces that remained in the collective memory because of their dark reputation. The Yellow Inn, located on the north-western edge of the old Capital, belongs to the second category. For more than a century, this inn was the witness of a colorful world, p...

Boyar Ioan Movilă, founder of the Eforie Sud resort in Dobrogea, has a street bearing his name in the center of Bucharest

The name of boyar Ioan Movilă is inseparably linked to the emergence and development of the Eforie Sud resort, one of the oldest and most elegant spa destinations on the Romanian seaside. A complex personality, trained as a jurist, politician, refined collector, and visionary in the field of urban planning, Movilă left behind not only a resort rais...

He was born with art flowing through his veins, and at 10 years old he was admitted to the Conservatory in Bucharest. The story of composer Constantin C. Nottara

The destiny of Constantin C. Nottara seems written under the sign of art from the very first day of his life. Born into a family in which stage, music, and literature were everyday realities, he grew up in an environment where talent was not only encouraged, but breathed in. The son of renowned actors of the National Theatre in Bucharest, Constanti...