Bucharest BucureÅŸti
The CEC Palace
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname: Little Paris, Paris of the East
Motto: Patria si Dreptul Meu (My Country and My Right)
Location of Bucharest within Romania (in red)
Coordinates: 44°26′7″N 26°6′10″E / 44.43528, 26.10278
Country	Romania
County	Municipality of Bucharest
Founded	1459 (first official record)
Government
- Mayor	Adriean Videanu (PD)
Area
- City	228 km² (88 sq mi)
- Metro	238 km² (91.9 sq mi)
Elevation	60 - 90 m (197–295 ft)
Population (2007-July-11)
- City	â–² 1,931,838
- Density	8,510/km² (22,040.8/sq mi)
- Metro	2,600,000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	0xxxxx
Area code(s)	+40 x1
Car Plates	B
Website: www.pmb.ro

Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti /bu.kuˈreʃtʲ/ (help·info)) is the capital city and industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25′N, 26°06′E, and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River. It was originally known as Dâmboviţa citadel.

By European standards, Bucharest is not an old city, its existence first being referred to by scholars as late as 1459.Bucharest Travel Guide, Fodors Since then it has gone through a variety of changes, becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and steadily consolidating its position as the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and arts. Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical, interbellum, Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city\'s elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of the "Paris of the East" or "Little Paris" (Micul Paris).Bucharest, the small Paris of the East, on the Museums from Romania web site. Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes and Nicolae CeauÅŸescu\'s program of systematization, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom.Bucica, 2000, p.6.

According to January 2006 official estimates, Bucharest proper has a population of 1,930,390.(Romanian) INS, Government of Romania. "Populatia Romaniei scade de la an la an". Retrieved on 2007-03-07. The urban area extends beyond the limits of Bucharest proper and has a population of 2.1 million people.(English) XIX Meeting of METREX Network, Nürnberg, 15-18 June 2005. "Bucharest: Few expectations for urban development", page 29 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-03-07. Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the metropolitan area of Bucharest has a population of 2.6 million people.(English) XIX Meeting of METREX Network, Nürnberg, 15-18 June 2005. "Bucharest: Few expectations for urban development", page 29 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.. Bucharest is the 6th largest city in the European Union by population within city limits.(Romanian) "Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits". Retrieved on 2007-03-07.

Economically, the city is the most prosperous in RomaniaPriceWaterhouseCoopers Global Regional Attractiveness Report Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. As the most developed city in Romania, Bucharest also has a broad range of educational facilities.

The city proper is administratively known as the Municipality of Bucharest (Municipiul BucureÅŸti), and has the same administrative level as a county, being further subdivided into six sectors.

Etymology

Tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was either a prince, an outlaw, a fisherman or a shepherd according to different legends. The name of Bucur (from "bucurie" meaning "joy") is of Thracian-Geto-Dacian origin. http://ro.wikipedia.orgList%C4%83_de_cuvinte_dacice

The official city name in full is The Municipality of Bucharest (Romanian: Municipiul BucureÅŸti). Bucharest has been known in Latin as Bucaresta, in Hungarian and German as Bukarest and in French, Italian and Spanish as Bucarest.

A native or resident of Bucharest is called Bucharester (Romanian: BucureÅŸtean).

History

Main article: History of Bucharest

The remains of Curtea Veche, the royal court in Bucharest during the Middle Ages

Bucharest in 1837

Back view of the CEC Palace and the royal guard

Bucharest\'s history alternated periods of development and decline from the early settlements of the Antiquity and until its consolidation as capital of Romania late in the 19th century.

First mentioned as "the Citadel of Bucureşti" in 1459, it became a residence of the Wallachian prince Vlad III the Impaler. The Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche) was built by Mircea Ciobanul, and during following rules, Bucharest was established as the summer residence of the court, competing with Târgovişte for the status of capital after an increase in the importance of southern Muntenia brought about by the demands of the suzerain power, the Ottoman Empire.

Burned down by the Ottomans and briefly discarded by princes at the start of the 17th century, Bucharest was restored and continued to grow in size and prosperity. Its centre was around the street "Uliţa Mare", which starting 1589 was known as Lipscani. Before the 1700s, it became the most important trade centre of Wallachia and became a permanent location for the Wallachian court after 1698 (starting with the reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu).

Partly destroyed by natural disasters and rebuilt several times during the following 200 years, hit by Caragea\'s plague in 1813-1814, the city was wrested from Ottoman control and occupied at several intervals by the Habsburg Monarchy (1716, 1737, 1789) and Imperial Russia (three times between 1768 and 1806). It was placed under Russian administration between 1828 and the Crimean War, with an interlude during the Bucharest-centered 1848 Wallachian revolution, and an Austrian garrison took possession after the Russian departure (remaining in the city until March 1857). Additionally, on March 23, 1847, a fire consumed about 2,000 buildings of Bucharest, destroying a third of the city. The social divide between rich and poor was described at the time by Ferdinand Lassalle as making the city "a savage hotchpotch".

In 1861, when Wallachia and Moldavia were united to form the Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation\'s capital; in 1881, it became the political center of the newly-proclaimed Kingdom of Romania. During the second half of the 19th century, due to its new status, the city\'s population increased dramatically, and a new period of urban development began. The extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture of this period won Bucharest the nickname of "The Paris of the East" (or "Little Paris", Micul Paris), with Calea Victoriei as its Champs-Élysées or Fifth Avenue.

Between December 6, 1916 and November 1918, it was occupied by German forces, the legitimate capital being moved to IaÅŸi. After World War I, Bucharest became the capital of Greater Romania. As the capital of an Axis country, Bucharest suffered heavy losses during World War II, due to Allied bombings, and, on August 23, 1944, saw the the royal coup which brought Romania into the anti-German camp, suffering a short but destructive period of Luftwaffe bombings in reprisal. On November 8, 1945, the king\'s birthday, the Soviet-backed Petru Groza government suppressed pro-monarchist rallies.

During Nicolae CeauÅŸescu\'s leadership (1965-1989), most of the historic part of the city was destroyed and replaced with Communist-style buildings, particularly high-rise apartment blocks. The best example of this is the development called Centrul Civic (the Civic Centre), including the Palace of the Parliament, where an entire historic quarter was razed to make way for CeauÅŸescu\'s megalomaniac constructions. In 1977, a strong 7.4 on the Richter-scale earthquake claimed 1,500 lives and destroyed many old buildings. Nevertheless, some historic neighbourhoods did survive to this day.

The Romanian Revolution of 1989 began with mass anti-CeauÅŸescu protests in TimiÅŸoara in December 1989 and continued in Bucharest, leading to the overthrow of the Communist regime. Dissatisfied with the post-revolutionary leadership of the National Salvation Front, student leagues and opposition groups organized large-scale protests continued in 1990 (the Golaniad), which were violently stopped by the miners of Valea Jiului (the Mineriad). Several other Mineriads followed, the results of which included a government change.

After the year 2000, due to the advent of Romania\'s economic boom, the city has modernised and is currently undergoing a period of urban renewal. Various residential and commercial developments are underway, particularly in the northern districts, while Bucharest\'s historic centre is currently undergoing significant restoration.

Geography

Zeroth Kilometer Monument

Bucharest is situated on the banks of the DâmboviÅ£a River, which flows into the ArgeÅŸ River, a tributary of the Danube. Several lakes – the most important of which are Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei and Lake Colentina – stretch across the city, along the Colentina River, a tributary of the DâmboviÅ£a. In addition, in the centre of the capital there is a small artificial lake – Lake CiÅŸmigiu – surrounded by the CiÅŸmigiu Gardens. The CiÅŸmigiu Gardens have a rich history, being frequented by famous poets and writers. Opened in 1847 and based on the plans of German architect Carl F.W. Meyer, the gardens are currently the main recreational facility in the city centre.

Besides Cişmigiu, Bucharest contains several other large parks and gardens, including Herăstrău Park and the Botanical Garden. Herăstrău is a large public park located in the north of the city, and the site of the Village Museum, while the Bucharest\'s botanical garden is the largest in Romania and contains over 10,000 species of plants, many of them exotic; it was once a pleasure park for the royal family.Botanical Garden, onlinegallery.ro. Accessed 13 October 2006.

Bucharest is situated in the south eastern corner of the Romanian Plain, in an area once covered by the Vlăsiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile flatland. As with many cities, Bucharest is traditionally considered to have seven hills, in the tradition of the seven hills of Rome. Bucharest\'s seven hills are: Mihai Vodă, Dealul Mitropoliei, Radu Vodă, Cotroceni, Spirei, Văcăreşti and Sf. Gheorghe Nou.

The CiÅŸmigiu Gardens

The city has a total area of 226 square kilometres (87 sq mi). The altitude varies from 55.8 metres (183.1 ft) at the DâmboviÅ£a bridge in Căţelu, south-eastern Bucharest and 91.5 m (300.2 ft) at the Militari church. The city has a relatively round shape, with the centre situated approximately in the cross-way of the main north-south/east-west axes at the University Square. The milestone for Romanian\'s Kilometre Zero is placed just south of University Square in front of the New St. George Church (Sfântul Gheorghe Nou) at St. George Square (PiaÅ£a Sfântul Gheorghe). Bucharest\'s radius, from University Square to the city limits in all directions, varies from about 10 to 12 km (6.25–7.5 mi).

Until recently, the regions surrounding Bucharest were largely rural, but after 1989, new suburbs started to be built around Bucharest, in the surrounding Ilfov county. Further urban consolidation is expected to take place when the Bucharest metropolitan area is formed in 2006, which will incorporate various communes and cities of Ilfov and surrounding counties.

Climate

Bucharest has a continental climate, characterised by hot dry summers and cold winters. Due to its position on the Romanian Plain, the city\'s winters can get windy, even though some of the winds are mitigated due to urbanisation. Winter temperatures are often below 0 Â°C (32 Â°F), even though they rarely drop below −10 Â°C (14 Â°F). In summer, the average temperature is approximately 23 Â°C (73 Â°F) (the average for July and August), despite the fact that temperatures sometimes reach 35 Â°C (95 Â°F) to 40 Â°C (104 Â°F) in mid-summer in the city centre. Although average precipitation and humidity during summer is low, there are infrequent yet heavy and often violent storms. During spring and autumn, temperatures vary between 18 Â°C (64 Â°F) to 22 Â°C (72 Â°F), and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain.

Law and government

Administration

See also: Bucharest metropolitan area

The Bucharest City Hall

The six administrative sectors of Bucharest

Bucharest has a unique status in Romanian administration, since it is the only municipality that is not part of a county. Its population, however, is larger than that of any Romanian county, and hence the power of the Bucharest General City Hall (Primăria Generală), which is the city\'s local government body, is about the same as, if not greater than, that of Romanian county councils.

The city government is headed by a General Mayor (Primar General), currently (as of 2007) Adriean Videanu. Decisions are approved and discussed by the General Council (Consiliu General) made up of 55 elected councillors. Furthermore, the city is divided into six administrative sectors (sectoare), each of which has their own 27-seat sectorial council, town hall and mayor. The powers of local government over a certain area are therefore shared by the Bucharest City Hall and the local sectorial councils with little or no overlapping of authority. The general rule is that the main City Hall is responsible for citywide utilities such as the water system, the transport system and the main boulevards, while sectorial town halls manage the contact between individuals and the local government, secondary streets, parks, schools and cleaning services.

The six sectors are numbered from one to six and are disposed radially so that each one has under its administration an area of the city center. They are numbered clockwise and are further divided into districts without any form of administration (cartiere):

• Sector 1 with population in 2007 of 228,629 including :DorobanÅ£i, Băneasa, AviaÅ£iei, Pipera, Aviatorilor, Primăverii, Romană, Victoriei, Herăstrău Park, BucureÅŸtii Noi, Dămăroaia, StrÇŽuleÅŸti, GriviÅ£a, Ion Mihalache, Băneasa Forest, Pajura, Domenii and a small part of GiuleÅŸti - the part with GiuleÅŸti Stadium
• Sector 2 with population in 2007 of 359,107 including :Pantelimon, Colentina, Iancului, Tei, Floreasca, MoÅŸilor, Obor, Vatra Luminoasă, Fundeni, Plumbuita, Åžtefan cel Mare
• Sector 3 with population in 2007 of 394,812 including :Vitan, DudeÅŸti, Titan, Centrul Civic, Dristor, Lipscani, Muncii, Unirii
• Sector 4 with population in 2007 of 301,172 including :Berceni, OlteniÅ£ei, Giurgiului, VăcăreÅŸti, Timpuri Noi, Tineretului
• Sector 5 with population in 2007 of 287,480 including :Rahova, Ferentari, Cotroceni, 13 Septembrie, Dealul Spirii
• Sector 6 with population in 2007 of 360,638 including :GiuleÅŸti, CrângaÅŸi, Drumul Taberei, Militari, GrozÇŽveÅŸti (also known as Regie), Ghencea

Like all other local councils in Romania, the Bucharest sectorial councils, the city\'s General Council and the mayors are elected every four years by the population. Additionally, Bucharest has a prefect, who is appointed by Romania\'s central government. The prefect is not allowed to be a member of a political party. The prefect\'s role is to represent the national government at local level, acting as a liaison and facilitating the implementation of National Development Plans and governing programmes at local level. The current prefect of Bucharest (as of 2007) is Călin Deaconescu.

The Municipality of Bucharest, along with the surrounding Ilfov county, forms the Bucharest development region, which is equivalent to NUTS-II regions in the European Union and is used by the European Union and the Romanian Government for statistical analysis and regional development. The Bucharest development region is not, however, an administrative entity.

Justice system

Bucharest\'s judicial system is similar to that of the Romanian counties. Each of the six sectors has their own local tribunal, while appeals from these tribunals\' verdicts, and more serious cases, are directed to the Bucharest Court of Appeals, the city\'s municipal court. Bucharest is also home to Romania\'s supreme court, the High Court of Cassation and Justice, as well as other national courts such as the Constitutional Court of Romania and the National Military Tribunal.

Bucharest has its own municipal police force, the Bucharest Police (Poliţia Bucureşti), which is responsible for policing of crime within the whole city, and operates a number of special divisions. The Bucharest Police are headquartered on Ştefan cel Mare Blvd in the city centre, and has a number of precincts throughout the city. From 2004 onwards, each sector City Hall also has under its administration a Community Police force (Poliţia Comunitară), dealing with local community issues. Bucharest also houses the General Inspectorates of the Gendarmerie and the National Police.

Crime

Main article: Crime in Bucharest

Bucharest skyline at night

Bucharest\'s crime rate is rather low in comparison to other East-European capital cities, with the number of total offences declining by 51% between 2000 and 2004.Bucharest Crime Statistics 2000-2004, Bucharest Directorate-General of Police In particular, levels of violent crime remain very low, with 24 murders and 1069 other violent offences taking place in 2004. Although there have been a number of recent police crackdowns on organised crime gangs, such as the Cămătaru clan, organised crime generally has a reduced impact on public life. Petty crime, however, is more common, particularly in the form of pickpocketing, which occurs mainly on the city\'s public transport network. Additionally, confidence tricks are sometimes common, especially in regards to tourists, even though the frequency of these tricks has declined in recent years. Levels of crime are higher in the southern districts of the city, particularly in Ferentari, a socially-disadvantaged area mainly inhabited by people of Roma ethnicity.

Although the presence of street children was a problem in Bucharest in the 1990s, their numbers have declined significantly in recent years, currently lying at or below the average of major European capital citiesWorldwide Street Children statisticsPDF (20.5 KiB), Hilton Foundation/Council of Europe. The same is true for beggars and homeless people, many of them from the Roma minority. However, there are still an estimated 1,000 street children in the city,[see above] many of whom engage in petty crime and begging. There has also been speculation that the street children are recruited by professional underground networks for criminal purposes. From 2000 onwards, Bucharest has seen an increase in illegal road races which occur mainly at night in the city\'s outskirts or on industrial sites.

A significant problem in the city remains institutional corruption, which is seen as the most important justice-and-law related problem in the city.

Demographics

The city\'s population, according to the 2002 census, is 1,926,334 inhabitants,(English) INS, Government of Romania. "Population at the 1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002 censuses by municipalities and towns" (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-03-07. or 8.9% of the total population of Romania. Additionally, there are about 50,000 people who commute to the city every day, mainly from the surrounding Ilfov county.

Bucharest\'s population experienced two phases of rapid growth, the first in the late 19th century, when the city grew in importance and size, and the second during the Communist period, when a massive urbanisation campaign was launched and many people migrated from rural areas to the capital. At this time, due to CeauÅŸescu\'s ban on abortion and contraception, natural increase was also significant.

Approximately 97% of the population of Bucharest are ethnic Romanians, with the second largest ethnic group being the Roma, which make up 1.4% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are Hungarians (0.3%), Jews (0.1%), Turks (0,1%) and Germans (0,1%). Some other inhabitants of Bucharest are of Greek, Armenian, Lipovan and Italian descent. The Greeks and the Armenians used to play significant roles in the life of the city at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. One the predominantly Greek neighbourhoods Vitan - where a Jewish population also lived; the latter was more present in Văcăreşti and areas around Unirii Square.

In terms of religion, 96.1% of the population are Romanian Orthodox, 1.2% are Roman Catholic, 0.5% are Muslim and 0.4% are Eastern Rite-Catholic. Despite this, only 24% of the population, of any religion, attend a place of worship once a week or more.Open Society Institute\'s Survey into Religiosity in Romania (Microsoft Word document) The life expectancy of residents of Bucharest in 2003-2005 was 74.14 years, around 2 years higher than the Romanian average. Female life expectancy was 77.41 years, in comparison to 70.57 years for males.(Romanian) Populaţia şi fenomene demografice pe sectoare administrative ale Municipiului Bucureşti (Population and demographic phenomena by administrative sectors of the Municipality of Bucharest)

Economy

Main article: Economy of Bucharest

Charles de Gaulle Plaza seen from the Herăstrău Park

BRD Tower in Victoria square

Bucharest is the most economically-developed and industrialised city in Romania, producing around 21% of the country\'s GDP and about one-quarter of its industrial production, while only accounting for 9% of the country\'s population.Joint Inclusion Memorandum of Romania Almost one third of national taxes is paid by Bucharest\'s citizens and companies. In 2005, at purchasing power parity, Bucharest had a per-capita GDP of €16,760, or 74.8% that of the European Union average and more than twice the Romanian average.GDP per inhabitant in 2005 ranged from 24% of the EU27 average in Nord-Est in Romania to 303% in Inner London (Eurostat, 12 February 2008) The city\'s strong economic growth has revitalised infrastructure and led to the development of many shopping malls and modern residential towers and high-rise office buildings. In September 2005, Bucharest had an unemployment rate of 2.6%, significantly lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.7%.Major economic indicators of Romania in the period 1 January 2005-30 October 2005, National Institute of Statistics of Romania, 9 December 2005 (Romanian)

Bucharest\'s economy is mainly centred on industry and services, with services particularly growing in importance in the last ten years. The city serves as the headquarters of 186,000 firms, including nearly all large Romanian companies.Toti bucurestenii vor avea dosar fiscal din 2006, Averea, 15 December 2005 An important source for growth since 2000 has been the city\'s property and construction boom, which has resulted in a significant growth in the construction sector. Bucharest is also Romania\'s largest centre for information technology and communications and is home to several software companies operating offshore delivery centers. Bucharest contains Romania\'s largest stock exchange, the Bucharest Stock Exchange, which was merged in December 2005 with the Bucharest-based electronic stock exchange, Rasdaq.

The city has a number of international supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Cora and METRO. At the moment, the city is undergoing a retail boom, with a large number of supermarkets, and hypermarkets, constructed every year. For more information, see supermarkets in Romania. The biggest modern shopping centres in Bucharest are Bucharest Mall, Plaza Romania, City Mall, Jolie Ville Galleria and Unirea Shopping Center. However, there are also a large number of traditional markets; the one at Obor covers about a dozen city blocks, and numerous large stores that are not officially part of the market effectively add up to a market district almost twice that size.

Transport

Bucharest Metro - Titan Station

Bucharest bus

Main article: Transport in Bucharest

Public Transport

Bucharest\'s extensive public transport system is the largest in Romania and the third largest in Europe^{[citation needed]}. It is made up of the Bucharest Metro, as well as a surface transport system run by RATB (Regia Autonomă de Transport Bucureşti), which consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses and light rail. In addition, there is a private minibus system. The metro and the surface transport system — used to be run by two separate state-owned corporations but have been merged in early 2007 to form the Bucharest Metropolitan Transport Board. As of 2007, there is a limit of 10,000 taxicab licences http://www.sfin.ro/articol_8335/atacul_clonelor_in_taximetria_bucuresteana.html, down from 25,000 in the 1990\'s, and the even higher demand is supplied by taxis registered in Ilfov county.

Air

The city is served by two airports: Henri Coandă International Airport (formerly Otopeni) and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (formerly Băneasa). Henri Coandă is the largest airport in Romania with 5 million passengers in 2007 and the main hub for the national operator TAROM. It is also connected to several international airports by a wide range of international airlines. The smaller Aurel Vlaicu Airport is used for charter flights and low-cost carriers.

Railways

Bucharest is the hub of Romania\'s national railway network, run by Căile Ferate Române. The main railway station is Gara de Nord, or North Station, which provides connections to all major cities in Romania as well as international destinations such as Budapest, Sofia, Vienna, Prague, Moscow, Istanbul, Chisinau, Belgrad, and many others european capital and city. The city also has five other railway stations run by CFR, most important are Basarab (in proximity of North Station), Obor, Baneasa, Progresu, which are in the process of being integrated in a commuter railway serving Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county.From the Bucharest depart 7 main line.

Infrastructure

The city\'s municipal road network is centred around a series of high-capacity boulevards, which generally radiate out from the city centre to the outskirts. The main axes, which run north-south, east-west and northwest-southeast, as well as one internal and one external ring road, support the bulk of the traffic. The city\'s roads are usually very crowded during rush hours, due to an increase in car ownership in recent years. Every day, there are more than one million vehicles travelling within the city.Governing programme of Adriean Videanu, General Mayor of Bucharest This has resulted in wear and potholes appearing on many Bucharest roads, particularly secondary roads, this being identified as one of Bucharest\'s main infrastructural problems. In recent years, there has been a comprehensive effort on behalf of the City Hall to boost road infrastructure and according to the general development plan, nearly 2000 roads are expected to be repaired by 2008.Rehabilitation of Urban Roads, Phase II, from the site of the General Mayor of Bucharest, Adriean Videanu

Roads

Bucharest is also a major intersection of Romania\'s national road network. It is the origin of most of the country\'s national roads and motorway, which link the city to all of Romania\'s major cities as well as to neighbouring countries such as Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Romania\'s two motorway currently in operation, the A1 to Pitesti and the A2, in romanian "Autostrada Soarelui" (the sun motorway) to Dobrogea region and Constanta both start from Bucharest. The planned A3 and A4 freeways will also radiate from the Voluntari region in the city\'s northern outskirts.

Water

Although it is situated on the banks of a river, Bucharest has never functioned as a port city, with other Romanian cities such as ConstanÅ£a and Brăila acting as the country\'s main ports. However, the Danube-Bucharest Canal, which is 73 km (45 mi) long, is currently in construction and is around 60% completed. When finished, the canal will link Bucharest to the Danube River and, via the Danube-Black Sea Canal, to the Black Sea. This corridor is expected to be a significant component of the city\'s transport infrastructure and increase sea traffic by a large margin.

Culture

University Square with the statue of Mihai Viteazu in the foreground

Bucharest has a diverse and growing cultural scene, with cultural life exhibited in a number of various fields, including the visual arts, performing arts and nightlife. Unlike other parts of Romania, such as the Black Sea coast or Transylvania, Bucharest\'s cultural scene is much more eclectic, without a defined style, and instead incorporates various elements of Romanian and international culture. Bucharest has an eclectic mixture of elements from traditionally Romanian buildings to buildings that are influenced by French architects. It is because of this French influence that Bucharest was once called "the Paris of the East" or "Little Paris."

Landmarks

The Memorial of Rebirth

The Palace of the Parliament

Arcul de Triumf

Bucharest has a number of landmark buildings and monuments. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the Palace of the Parliament, built in the 1980s during the reign of Communist dictator Nicolae CeauÅŸescu. Currently the largest building in Europe and the second-largest in the world, the Palace houses the Romanian Parliament (the Chamber of Deputies and Senate), as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art. It is also often used as a convention centre.

Another well-known landmark of Bucharest is Arcul de Triumf (The Triumphal Arch), built in 1935 and modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. A newer landmark of the city is the Memorial of Rebirth, a stylized marble pillar unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the victims of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which overthrew Communism. The abstract monument sparked a great deal of controversy when it was unveiled, being dubbed with names such as "the toothpick and the olive", ("măslina-n scobitoare"), as many argued that it does not fit in its surroundings and believed that its choice was based on political reasons.„Memorialul Renasterii“, ce oribilitate! ("The Monument of Rebirth - how horrible!"), Săptămâna Financiară, August 2005 (Romanian)

The Romanian Athaeneum building is considered to be a symbol of Romanian culture and since 2007 is on the list of the Label of European Heritage sights.Romanian Athenaeum awarded Label of European Heritage, Romania\'s Permanent Delegation to NATO

Other cultural venues include the National Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History "Grigore Antipa", Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Ţăranului Român), National History Museum, and the Military Museum.

Visual arts

The National Museum of Art

In terms of visual arts, the city contains a number of museums featuring both classical and contemporary Romanian art, as well as selected international works. The National Museum of Art of Romania is perhaps the best-known of Bucharest museums. It is located in the former royal palace and features extensive collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, including works by renowned sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, as well as a prominent international collection assembled by the former Romanian royal family.

Other, smaller museums, contain more specialised collections of works. The Zambaccian Museum, which is situated in the former home of Armenian-Romanian art collector Krikor H. Zambaccian contains works by many well-known Romanian artists as well as international artists such as Paul Cézanne, Eugène Delacroix, Henri Matisse, Camille Pissarro and Pablo Picasso.

The Gheorghe Tattarescu Museum contains portraits of Romanian revolutionaries in exile such as Gheorghe Magheru, Ştefan Golescu, Nicolae Bălcescu and allegorical compositions with revolutionary (Romania\'s rebirth, 1849) and patriotic (The Principalities\' Unification, 1857) themes. The Theodor Pallady Museum is situated in one of the oldest surviving merchant houses in Bucharest and includes many works by Romanian painter Theodor Pallady as well as a number of European and Oriental furniture pieces. The Museum of Art Collections contains the collections of a number of well-known Romanian art aficionados, including Krikor Zambaccian and Theodor Pallady.

Despite the extensive classical art galleries and museums in the city, there is also a contemporary arts scene that has become increasingly prominent in recent times. The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), situated in a wing of the Palace of the Parliament, was opened in 2004 and contains a widespread collection of Romanian and international contemporary art, in a number of expressive forms. The MNAC also manages the Kalinderu MediaLab, which caters specifically to multimedia and experimental art. There is also a range of smaller, private art galleries throughout the city centre.

Performing arts

I.L. Caragiale National Theatre

Performing arts are one of the strongest cultural elements of Bucharest, and the city has a number of world-renowned facilities and institutions. The most prominent is the neoclassical Romanian Athenaeum, which was founded in 1852, hosts classical music concerts, the George Enescu Festival, and is home to the "George Enescu" Philharmonic. Bucharest is also home to the Romanian National Opera, as well as the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre. Another well-known theatre in Bucharest is the State Jewish Theatre, which has gained increasing prominence in recent years due partly to the fact that it features plays starring world-renowned Romanian-Jewish actress Maia Morgenstern. There is also a large number of smaller theatres throughout the city that cater to specific genres, such as the Comedy Theatre, the Nottara Theatre, the Bulandra Theatre, the Odeon Theatre, and the Constantin Tănase Revue Theatre.

Music and nightlife

Bucharest is home to Romania\'s largest recording labels, and is often the residence of Romanian musicians. The city\'s music scene is quite eclectic. Many Romanian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Iris and Holograf, continue to be popular, particularly with the middle-aged, while since the 1990s there has been growth in the boy band and hip hop genres. The eclectic pop-rock band Taxi have been gaining international respect, as has Spitalul de Urgenţă\'s raucous updating of traditional Romanian music. While many discos play manele, a Turkish-influenced type of music that is particularly popular in Bucharest\'s working class districts, the city has an increasing jazz and blues scene, and, to an extent, eurodance/trance and heavy metal/punk. The city\'s nightlife, particularly its club scene grew significantly in the 1990s, and continues to increase. The city does not have a central nightlife strip, with many entertainment venues dispersed throughout the city centre, with a cluster in the historical centre. One of the city\'s best known clubs is the Lăptăria Enache and the La Motoare, located above (on the rooftop of) the National Theatre, as well as^{[citation needed]} Fire Club and Club A. Most clubs and bars are located around the center of the city, from the Piaţa Unirii to Piaţa Romană. Also, a large concentration of rock clubs can be found in the Lipscani area, the old part of the city, in the vicinity of Piata Unirii. Another popular venue, especially among students from the Politehnica University campus, is Club Maxx, located on Splaiul Independentei No. 290.

The city also hosts some of the best electronic/house music clubs in Europe such as Bamboo and Krystal Club. During the summer, Zoom Beach Club is an outdoor club on the shore of a lake and has two separate dance floors. The Office is one of the most exclusive clubs in Bucharest and has a long tradition in clubbing. One of the best cocktail clubs is Deja Vu situated on Balcescu Boulevard Near the Italian church. Other clubs are: Gaia, Fratelli, Glamour, Tipsy, Cotton Club, Pat, Studio Martin and Embryo.

Traditional culture

The National Museum of Romanian History

Bucharest\'s culture has, especially since the early 1990s, become more modern and worldly in comparison to other Romanian cities. Traditional Romanian culture, however, continues to have an influence in domains such as theatre and music. Additionally, Bucharest has two internationally-renowned ethnographic museums, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the open-air Village Museum. The Village Museum, in Herăstrău Park, contains 272 authentic buildings and peasant farms from all over Romania. The Museum of the Romanian Peasant was declared the European Museum of the Year in 1996, and displays a rich collection of textiles (especially costumes), icons, ceramics, and other artifacts of Romanian peasant life.

The Museum of Romanian History is another important museum in Bucharest, containing a collection of artefacts detailing Romanian history and culture from the prehistoric times, Dacian era, medieval times and the modern era.

Cultural events and festivals

George Enescu Festival

Unirii Boulevard during the White Night of Bucharest Festival

There are a number of cultural festivals in Bucharest throughout the year, in various domains, even though most festivals take place in the summer months of June, July and August. The National Opera organises the International Opera Festival every year in May and June, which includes ensembles and orchestras from all over th