Bucharest
I INTRODUCTION Bucharest, capital and largest city of Romania,
located in the southeastern part of the country. The city is situated about 65
km (about 40 mi) north of the Danube River, near Ploiesti, on the banks of the Dimbovita River
(a tributary of the Danube). Bucharest lies on a generally level plain
and, including suburban districts, occupies an area of about 300 sq km (about
117 sq mi).
II POPULATION
In
1930 the population of Bucharest was 631,288. By the 1950s, as a
result of industrialization and urbanization policies, the population doubled,
and it has continued to increase steadily. The population was 2,037,000 in
1997.
The rise in population caused severe housing shortages,
and by the mid-1990s housing was still in short supply. Romania's lack
of financial resources has prohibited the construction of new apartment
buildings; many structures begun before the 1990s are still unfinished.
III ECONOMY
Bucharest is a
major industrial center and the main financial and trade center of Romania. The
city accounts for about 20 percent of the country's industrial production.
Industries include heavy machinery, aviation, precision machinery, agricultural
tools, furniture, electronics, chemicals, textiles, leather goods, wire, soap,
cosmetics, and food processing.
IV THE
URBAN LANDSCAPE The city is divided into two sections by the Dimbovita River and is crossed by two wide
boulevards. Bucharest
contains six administrative districts; the adjacent rural area forms a seventh
district. Most industrial areas are located in the suburbs, while the city is
primarily residential. Bucharest, known as the "Paris of the Balkans" in
the early 20th century, was a cosmopolitan city before 1944 when its architecture, city planning, and
culture were French-inspired. After a Communist government came to power
following World War II (1939-1945), French cultural qualities were ended,
although the architecture remains. During the 1980s, under the orders of
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, a vast area on the banks of the Dimbovita
was razed, including houses and historical monuments. Buildings of North Korean
architectural style were then erected, although many of these structures are
still unfinished.
V POINTS
OF INTEREST Noteworthy
secular structures include the Palace of Justice (1864), the Stirbey Palace
(1835), the National Bank (1885), the Presidential Palace (previously Cotroceni
Palace; 17th century with later additions), and the buildings of the Central
Library of the University (1893). In the 20th century, the Cantacuzino Palace
(1900), the Central Post Palace
(1900), the Central Savings Bank (1900), the Royal Palace
(1935), the Central Army House (1913), and the Arch of Triumph (1920) were
built. Among Bucharest's outstanding religious
structures are the Antim Monastery (1715) and the Patriarchate Church
(1665). Bucharest
has many parks and wooded areas, including Herastrau, a large park with lakes.
VI EDUCATIONAL
AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS Educational
institutions in Bucharest include the University of Bucharest (founded in 1694; refounded in 1864) and the Polytechnic University (1819). The city is also the
site of the academies of economics, agriculture, architecture, medicine, and
music.
The
city has several libraries, including the National Library (1955) and the
Library of the Academy
of Romania (1867). Other
cultural institutions include the Romanian National Museum of Art (1950); the
National History Museum of Romania
(1968); and the Romanian Athenaeum (1888), the concert hall of the Romanian
Philharmonic.
VII HISTORY
The history of Bucharest
is traced to the 15th century. Following the revolt of the vassal
principalities of Walachia and Moldavia
against their Ottoman conquerors, the Ottomans burned the city in 1595.
In 1698 the Ottoman sultan Mustafa II made Bucharest the seat of the Walachian
government. Wars routinely erupted among the Ottoman Empire, Austria, and
Russia between 1711 and 1829, and
Bucharest, geographically in the middle of the conflicts, was periodically
occupied and destroyed.
In 1859 Bucharest became the administrative center of
the united principalities of Walachia and Moldavia, under Ottoman suzerainty.
By the decisions of the Congress of Berlin, which provided for a general
settlement of the Balkan situation after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and
1878 (see Russo-Turkish Wars), Romania was recognized as an independent
country with Bucharest as its capital. German troops occupied Bucharest from
December 1916 until mid-1918 during World War I. During World War II Romanian
dictator Ion Antonescu admitted German
troops into Romania in October 1940, and the Germans occupied Bucharest until
1944. Weakened by Romanian insurrection and Allied bombings, the Germans
surrendered when Soviet forces entered the city in August. Soviet military
occupation lasted until 1958.
In
addition to the ravages of several wars, Bucharest has endured epidemics of
bubonic plague, fires, and earthquakes. In 1977
an earthquake resulted in the death of more than 1500 people and
extensive property damage. Another earthquake occurred in 1990, but caused only
minor damage.
