Cismigiu Garden

Cismigiu is the capital's oldest public garden. Its unique charm has won the hearts of the inhabitants of Bucharest who have strolled along its paths throughout the years. The main entrance into the 17-hectare park is along Regina Elisabeth Boulevard, guarded by the imposing building that house the capital's City Hall. To the left is another boulevard, Schitu Magureanu. At the crossing of these two arteries one finds the National Gheorghe Lazar College, an ancient seat of culture. As one walks along Schitu Magureanu Boulevard, one reaches Magureanu Church, adjacent to the old secret entrance into the subterranean gardens. Cismigiu has yet another entrance along Stirbei Voda Boulevard, near Cretzulescu Palace, whose stone steps descend into the park.

Romanian National Opera

The first news about opera music in Romania dates from 1772 when Livio Cinti's "operists" are reported to have passed through Bucharest on their way to Sibiu where they settled down.

The last 75 years have meant the final consecration of the theatre at international level. This process asserted itself concomitent in three directions:

• the young Romanian solo singers and dancers won numerous prizes in international singing and ballet competitions;
• Romanian singers appear more and more often on the stages of the world;

The Romanian Opera House with its whole ensamble undertakes increasingly numerous tours in other countries. In fact, a large part of the Romanian singers and ballet dancers have been given a start through competitors such as those in Geneva, Toulouse, Montreal, Vercelli, Sofia, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Leipzig, Munchen, Salsburg, Varna, Barcelona, Busseto.

Very many famous artists of great gift carry on their activity in this space, which for a couple of years, has become a national instituion. They are numerous and we cannot mention all of them here. They ensure the continuity of a sparking tradition every night.

The House of Parliament

Situated in the centre of Bucharest, the Parliament Palace, also known as The House of the People (Casa Poporului), is undoubtedly one of the greatest attractions for the tourists visiting the city. The Parliament Palace is 84 meters high and it is said to have as many underground floors as it has above the ground level. They also say it hides a nuclear bunker and a subway system linked to the public one. The building is the most grandiose administrative construction in Europe and includes hundreds of offices, reception rooms, rooms designated to scientific cultural, social-politics manifestations, conference rooms, guest and meeting rooms. There are also a theatre hall, an art gallery and a restaurant inside the building. The number of the rooms, each ranging from 100 and 2,600 square meters, is around a thousand. You will be overwhelmed by the pompous lounges, the monumental sculptures on the walls, the laced ceilings, the tapestries and the heavy plunging carpets. Everything is made of marble, golden plaster, oak, mahogany, beech, crystal and brass. It serves as headquarter for the Romanian Parliament and the equipments with which it was endowed transformed it in an international conference centre.

University of Bucharest

On July 4/16 1864 Prince Alexander John Cuza created the University of Bucharest, bringing together the Faculties of Law, Sciences and Letters as one single body. In the following years, new faculties were created: 1884 - the Faculty of Theology; 1906 - the Institute of Geology; 1913 - the Academic Institute for Electrotechnology; 1921 - the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; 1923 - the Faculty of Pharmacy, 1924 - the Mina Minovici Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Post-1989 history

The area around the old University building (the University Square), adjacent to the C. A. Rosetti, Roman, Kogalniceanu and Union Squares was the scene of many riots, protests and clashes with the security forces during the Romanian Revolution of 1989.

National History Museum

The National History Museum occupies 8000 m2 and presents in 60 rooms very important exhibits gathered from the formed National Museum of Antiquities and other similar institutions from all over the country. It was built in 1900 by the Romanian architect Alexandru Savulescu in French Eclectic style, designed as Central Post Office. Opened as a museum in 1970.