DESCRIPTION
Welcome to Bucharest! The fourth capital of Wallachia (following Câmpulung, Curtea de Argeș and Târgoviște), Bucharest was mentioned for the first time in documents in 1459. Strategically located half the way between the Danube (the de jure border of the Ottoman Empire) and the Carpathian foothills (the Carpathians defining the border of the Hungarian Kingdom), the city developed as a trading post of increasing significance and its neighbourhoods initially evolved around the bustling inns used by merchants. The greater of them usually gravitated around a church while the enclosure around it hosted the sleeping quarters on the upper floor(s) and the dining, storage and stables on the ground floors; of the still standing such structures, the Hanul lui Manuc was completed in 1808 and features interesting carved wood stairways and passages, while the 1724 Stavropoleos Church and the 1707 St. George’s Church which used to be part of inns finely evocate this concept. The 19th century and the diminishing Ottoman influence saw a shift to the point that in terms of architecture, fashion, music and lifestyle people in Bucharest started looking westwards for inspiration, which created some of the major architectural achievements down the central Calea Victoriei, but also in terms of residential estate, with many houses being built in Neoclassical and then neo-Brâncoveanu style, both to be challenged by Marcel Iancu and other Modernists that would redefine the living space concept in the first decades of the 20th century. After the Ally 1943 Tehran Conference ruled out a Balkan invasion and after the Red Army’s crossing River Prut on August 23 the following year, the next 45 years saw a harsh Communist rule that, apart from killing some 100,000 of the country’s elite and sending to jailing or labor camps up to a million people, also did its best to suppress any opposition by erasing all accusing historical evidence, including architecture. Therefore, a quarter of old Bucharest, together with sometimes entire old towns across the country, were razed and replaced with entire districts of stereotypical, miserable blocks of flats while people feared not only the authorities, but also their neighbours and relatives as potential informants ready to turn them into the regime, an utopian development of Kafkian and Orwellian proportions. The enormous Palace of the Parliament or the wide and long avenue leading to it, together with their bankruptcy bills, trashed history and haunting, alienating image they come together with, provide appropriate reference for the achievements of the time. All that history and the decades following the 1989 fall of Communism complete with the real estate business trying to keep up with the economic development of the country have given a further boost to this vibrant city to the point where diversity and contrasts are the name of the game. Add in the fine pastry or bagels with their respective plethora of fillings and toppings, that casual nonchalance in the air, the great museum and classical music scene (George Enescu Festival included), the architecturally different quarters or blocks down a street (from Brâncoveanu and Byzantine to Neoclassical, Modernist and Italianate, among other styles), respectively the highly diverse vicinity of the city – including fine monasteries, palaces and nature reserves – and there is no shortage of sights and experiences for a week or more. But then, well beyond the list of sights on one’s mind, the buzz doubled by a rather laid back society, the omnipresent mumbling and joking crowd doubled by a contagious laissez faire, the contrasts at every other corner remind one of the origin of the city name, as, come what may, “bucurie” stands for “joy” or “cheer”, as French diplomat and writer Paul Morand concluded his 1935 account:
“The lesson that Bucharest teaches us is not on arts, but on life; it teaches us to adapt to everything, even to the impossible. It well embodies, in this respect, the soul of a people whose patience is endless […], and whose indulgent optimism created the local saying: ‘Great is God’s garden’ (n. a reference to the fact that anything is possible at any given point). Capital of a tragic land where everything often ends in charade and comedy, Bucharest has long abandoned itself to the will of events in the absence of the rigidity and, consequently, of the fragility provoked by anger. This is why, after following the winding road of a picaresque destiny, Bucharest has remained cheerful.”
DAY 1
Bucharest
Let us commence discovering, or rather joining the multiple personae this city is about with a drive along its main avenues, looking at the many different styles of architecture that stand as proofs of the twists and turns its history is about. An eclecticism where Belle Époque, Neoclassical and Neogothic patterns often stand next to Byzantine, Oriental and interwar Modernist buildings, not omitting the grand scale Socialist Realism and, newer, the strictly functional Postmodernism style projects. Then let us carry on with a walk across the old town, the place where it all started around the Old Court and its adjacent church (the oldest religious building in Bucharest completed in 1559). Cobblestone streets, old merchant and craftsman houses, traditional inns where merchants used to stay while with business here, a covered street and the omnipresent buzz will best introduce in the atmosphere of this busy city. Later on, a walk by the 1937 Royal Palace, 1888 Athenaeum and 1893 Carol I Foundation will have us follow yet another period of time along the Bucharest timeline. Then, a drive around the gargantuan Palace of the Parliament and the 6 tower People’s Salvation Cathedral consecrated in 2018 but not yet completed will tell us about the more recent past of the country and city, while a break at one of the many pastry shops on the way will allow us indulge over a slice of pastry or steamy bagel.
- Arrival at Bucharest OTP Airport (arrival before noon recommended).
- Pick-up at the airport and drive into Bucharest.
- Drive across the centre with an introduction to the city’s history and culture.
- Break and presentation in Revolution Square, by the Athenaeum and Royal Palace.
- Drive around the Palace of the Parliament and the People’s Salvation Cathedral.
- Walk across the old town, taking in Stavropoleos Church, Curtea Veche Church, different craftsmen and merchant streets, the Macca-Villacrosse Covered Street, Manuc’s Inn, Gabroveni Inn and the Lindentree Inn.
- Pastry break (best done at a traditional bakery in the old town).
- Accommodation in a 4* hotel hosted by a characterful, elegant period property in the city centre or on the verge of the former Jewish Quarter or in a 5* historic hotel down the Calea Victoriei.
DAY 2
Bucharest
Not possible on Mondays and Tuesdays
The day will be about looking into the cultural heritage of the city and the country as a whole. We shall commence with the fine collection of genuine traditional houses from different regions in Romania taken to pieces and put together village-like in Sociologist Dimitrie Gusti’s Village Museum hosted by Herăstrău, the largest park in the city. There could hardly be a better manner of exploring the different traditions and patterns of vernacular architecture in the country than a relaxed, pleasant walk here. Then, stepping from rural into
urban Romania, we shall have a walk in one of the historical districts of Bucharest (at your choice): the heterogeneous early 20th century Dorobanți Quarter complete with its various style, impressive properties, the leafy Icoanei – Dacia Quarter with its alternation of imposing villas and airy garden properties, or the fine Cotroceni Quarter that used to host many of the intellectual and cultural elite of the country before many of it was sent to jail or murdered in the 1950s. The touring will end with the excellent display at the National Art Gallery hosted by the Northern Wing of the Royal Palace, which goes in a chronological order, starting with impressive samples of old religious art including altars and icons, carrying on with Ottoman-influenced paintings of the 18th and early 19th centuries and then flourishing with the impressionist art of painters among which Nicolae Grigorescu, Ștefan Luchian and Camil Ressu; furthermore, the Modernist art is well represented, while Sculptor Constantin Brâncuși and the collection of mural paintings and decorative elements extracted from Văcărești Monastery just before it was demolished under the Communist rule complete this fascinating incursion in Romanian arts. If the tour takes place on a Thursday or Friday or on any other day when there are performances, we highly recommend ending this day with a classical music concerto at the elegant, 1888 Athenaeum that comes complete with its 72 m. long fresco depicting scenes from the history of the country; the George Enescu Festival takes place every two years in Bucharest and some of the concertos of the world’s leading orchestras are hosted in this very hall.
- Breakfast.
- Visit (walk) to the Village Museum in Bucharest (allow around 2 hours).
- Walk across a neighbourhood at choice: Dorobanți, Icoanei – Dacia or Cotroceni.
- Visit to the Romanian Art Wing of the National Art Gallery hosted by the Royal Palace (allow at least 2 hours).
- Optional (recommended, not included): classical music concerto at the Athenaeum (they usually start at 07:00 PM and the concerto lasts for 2 hours – 2 hours 30 minutes).
- Accommodation in a 4* hotel hosted by a characterful, elegant period property in the city centre or on the verge of the former Jewish Quarter or in a 5* historic hotel down the Calea Victoriei.
DAY 3
Bucharest
Not possible on Mondays and Tuesdays
We always find a personal, up close look to be more rewarding and prolific than looking at the big picture, as grand and appealing as the latter might be. Therefore, let us use the time to the flight out today so as to discover personal tales of the city, while walking lesser trodden trails and stepping into lesser visited houses. For instance, we may commence with a visit to the oldest house in Bucharest, the Casa Melik, set in a fine green garden and completed in 1760, currently hosting a fine Theodor Pallady painting collection; the typical floor plan for the period’s Wallachian upscale urban houses, the plenty of light and timber-intensive architecture will definitely make the visit here welcome. Then, we shall carry on with an artist’s, or rather a family of artists’ house. Frederic and Cecilia-Cuțescu Storck’s house to be more precise, one where it feels as if the owners are still around, and a highly personal space where Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck’s frescoes are simply stunning, while Frederic’s, his father (Carol) and grandfather’s (Karl) works of sculpture could hardly fit better the picture. With these images, as well as with these artists’ stories in mind, one can only leave Bucharest with the urge to return and explore more of what the city has to offer.
As George Enescu put it, “the artist reveals to humanity the path to harmony, and that path is all about happiness and peace”.
- Breakfast.
- Visit to Melik House and the Theodor Pallady collection hosted there (allow around 1 hour for the visit).
- Visit to the Frederic and Cecilia-Cuțescu Storck House (allow around 1 hour for the visit).
- Transfer to Bucharest OTP Airport for the outbound flight.
- End of services.
Photo Gallery
