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Bucharest 4 Attractions
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Palatul Parlamentului
(Parliament Palace) |
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 Ceausescu's
greatest folly took 20,000 workers, 7000 architects and 16 billion Lei
to build. The result is a monolith rising 84m (276ft) high and the
second-largest building in the world (after the Pentagon).
It was intended to house Communist Party offices, ministries and
Ceausescu's state rooms, but at the time of Ceausescu's death, only
the exterior and three rooms had been completed. It is now the seat of
Romania's Parliament and headquarters of the International Conference
Centre.
The best view of this monumental building is from Piata Unirii,
approaching its east side, but visitors enter on the south side where
45-minute guided tours are offered in English, French, German,
Italian, Spanish and Hungarian. The lobby's centerpiece is a
magnificent crystal chandelier - only one of the palace's 2800. At the
far end, a pink marble staircase leads to shimmering stained-glass
windows. Already one feels overwhelmed - and this is just the
beginning.
The tour focuses on ten rooms (including ones used by the Senate if it
is not in session), decorated in rich oak wood paneling carved by the
country's most talented craftspeople. Paintings from the National Art
Gallery line the walls, dwarfed by marble columns and high, ornate
ceilings. The guide reports how money was lavished on these rooms,
which were constantly redecorated as Ceausescu and his wife Elena kept
changing their minds. But one thing they got right is the balcony
leading out of the opulent Alexandru Ioan Cuza Room, where Ceausescu
was to have signed all his documents. Standing on the balcony, looking
straight down the Bulevardul Unirii surrounded by a spectacular view
of the Centru Civic, one feels at the centre of the universe -
just the way the old dictator liked it.
Address: Calea 13 Septembre 1
Tel: (01) 311 3611. Fax: (01) 312 0902.
Transport: Metro Izvor or Unirii; bus 136 or 385.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600.
Admission: US$2.50; US$2.50 (photography fee); US$10.50 (video free). |
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Piata
Revolutiei (Revolution Square) |
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 This
spot marks the death of President Nicolae Ceausescu more poignantly
than the tombstone above his grave. On 21 December 1989, 80,000 people
thronged this square, then called Piata Republica (Republican
Square).
They were supposedly there for a rally to support the President after
riots broke out in the town of Timisoara over the arrest of an
outspoken priest. Thinking he was among friends, Ceausescu appeared on
the balcony of the Central Committee Building to address the crowd.
However, eight minutes into the speech, people began to chant
'Ti-mi-soa-ra, Ti-mi-soa-ra.' As the chanting grew louder, the shock
on Ceausescu's face pinpointed the true moment of his downfall - a
moment televised all over Romania and, later, the world. Within 24
hours, protesters had stormed the building and Ceausescu and his wife
had escaped in a helicopter from the roof; but within days they had
been tried and shot by a firing squad.
The battle wounds from this deciding moment in Romania's history can
still be seen in the buildings surrounding the square. The Royal
Palace, housing the National Museum, and The Biblioteca
(University Library), gutted by subsequent street fighting, had to be
completely renovated. A house behind the library, on the southern end
of Calea Victoriei, has been left in its ruined state as a grim
monument. On the Central Committee Building, now part of the Senate, a
white, marble plaque points to the balcony where Ceausescu lost his
grip on the country. It says 'Glorie martirilor nostiri' ('Glory to
our Martyrs'), in remembrance of revolutionaries killed in the
fighting.
Transport: Metro Universitatii; bus 122, 126, 168, 226, 268, 300 or
368. |
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Muzeul Satului
(Village Museum) |
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 Nestled
along Herastrau Lake are 85 peasant homes, barns, churches and mills
transported from all over Romania. Tall-roofed Transylvanian houses
with beautifully crafted shingles sit alongside rustic wooden churches
to form a unique neighborhood. The overall impression is that Romanian
peasants take great pride in their work and homes.
Everyday accessories - tools, butter-churns, hay forks, beer kegs and
clothes - are displayed inside the houses. This museum can take a
whole day to explore and, in fine weather, families settle down for
picnic lunches in the scenic grounds.
Address: Soseaua Kiseleff 28-30 Tel: (01) 222 9106. Fax: 312 9068
or 222 9068.
Transport: Metro Aviatorilor; bus 331 or 131.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (Oct-May); daily 0900-2000 (May-Oct).
Admission: US$0.40; US$0.80 (photography fee); US$4 (video fee). |
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Muzeul Taranului Roman (Romanian
Peasant Museum) |
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This eclectic collection of peasant relics won 1996's European
Museum of the Year award - and it is easy to see why. The concoction
of religious and traditional crafts is so creatively displayed that
the exhibition is a work of art in itself.
Handmade rugs, pottery, tools and painted eggs rub shoulders with
rosaries and icons. Upstairs a group of mannequins in peasant costumes
look like they are about to wake up at any moment and march across the
room. This museum certainly brings the Romanian peasant to life.
Address:
Soseaua
Kiseleff 3
Tel: (01) 650 5360. Fax: (01) 312 9875.
E-mail:
muztar@sunu.rnc.ro
Transport: Metro Piata Victoriei; bus 205 or 300.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission: US$0.80; US$4
(photography free). |
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Catedrala
Patriarhala (Patriarchal Cathedral) |
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This stunning
seventeenth-century cathedral, situated on a hill overlooking southern
Bucharest, is the Romanian Orthodox Church headquarters.
A
fabulous fresco of the blessed and the damned, ascending to heaven or
tumbling into hell, adorns the entrance.
Inside, expressive and beautifully painted icons, embedded in an
exquisite gilded altarpiece, dazzle the eye in the sombre darkness. St
Dumitru, Bucharest's patron saint, lies entombed in the left-hand
corner and worshippers constantly climb the staircase to his shrine to
pay their respects.
Address: Strada Dealul Mitropoliei Tel: (01) 337 0079.
Transport: Metro Unirii; bus 104 or 123.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-1900. Admission: Free. |
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