Newbie’s Guide to Bucharest
Author: Cristiana-Teodora Ușurelu
Bucharest is one of the hidden jewels of Eastern Europe that usually does not receive its deserved time in the spotlight. But the city hides a lot of charming buildings rich in history, unique churches, and monasteries, beautiful chic streets, and boulevards and parks. To help you get better acquainted with your new home, I have gathered 10 essential pieces of information about Bucharest, some better-known facts than others, yet all worth knowing!
1.Bucur’s legend
The legend says that Bucharest was founded by a rich shepherd named Bucur, who wanted to lead his sheep and dogs to the Danube but chose to remain by the Dâmbovița River. He built a large house for him and his daughter, Ana, and also a small church, „Bisericuţa lui Bucur” (The Church of Bucur), standing tall in the city to this day. Other Romanians, Greeks, Russians, and Turks settled down around Bucur’s house and, after a few centuries, the city of Bucharest was born. The name „Bucur” is derived from the Romanian word „bucurie” which translates to „joy”, and makes Bucharest „the city of joy”.
2.Little Paris
Bucharest started to get its nickname „Little Paris” at the beginning of the 1900s. The beautiful and elegant architecture was one of the major reasons for it. Bucharest has its own Arc de Triomphe, inspired by the famous one in Paris, although significantly smaller than the original. Several boulevards and avenues were designed after the French style, one example being Unirii Boulevard to resemble the iconic Champs-Élysées.
The citizens frequently traveling to Paris for holidays and to study also added to the „Little Paris” dubbing. Locals began to greet each other in French, a custom that still exists nowadays. It is not surprising to hear Romanians say „Mersi!” when showing their gratitude.
3.The Palace of the Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament, also known as the House of the People, is one of the first landmarks any traveler wants to see when they arrive in Bucharest. And with good reason! The Romanian Parliament is the second-largest and most expensive administrative building, after US’s Pentagon.
Ordered by the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu as a statement of Romania’s power in independence, the building counts 1100 rooms (out of which only 400 are in use) and weighs 4,10 million tons, making it the heaviest building in the world. It houses the senate, the chamber of deputies, three museums, and an international conference center.
4.Unirii Boulevard
Speaking of Unirii Boulevard, it is the largest boulevard in the world, with a length of 3,500 m, 40 m longer than Champs-Élysées in Paris. It connects three main squares of Bucharest: Alba Iulia Square, Unirii Square, and Constituției Square (the front of the Parliament building). Throughout Unirii Boulevard a fountain system is built that measures 1,4 km. According to the World Record Academy, this structure is the longest choreographic system with fountains in the world.
5.First city lighted by lamp oil
On the 1st of April 1857, Bucharest was publicly lighted by 1000 oil lamps, making history by being the first city to use lamp oil illumination. The project was possible with the help of a refinery in Ploiesti. Its equipment was modern for the period and produced the highest level of oil.
6.Calea Victoriei
Calea Victoriei is one of the major and most important roads in Bucharest. Built in 1692, Calea Victoriei was the first paved street in the city and was initially called the Wooden Road. This was because of its pavement which consisted of tree trunks and planks. Later, in 1882, the wood was changed for stone. Calea Victoriei (Victory Road) took its name after Romania won its independence in 1878, and the army troops entered the city triumphally by this road.
7.Bucharest or Budapest
It is safe to say that every Romanian knows a story about someone mistaking Bucharest for Budapest. Unfortunately, the English names of the two Eastern European capitals are very similar and Bucharest easily tends to be called Budapest. Famous names like Michael Jackson, Iron Maiden, Lenny Kravitz, and Ozzy Osbourne are just a few that confused the two cities. The confusion made headlines when in 2012, 400 Athletic Bilbao fans mistook the two cities and flew to Budapest instead of Bucharest, for the Europe League final.
8.Politehnica Metro station
You might want to look closely at what you are stepping on when reaching this unique metro station in Bucharest. The floors of the Politehnica metro are paved with a beautiful yet very special marble that contains over 80-million-year-old marine fossils. Built in 1983, the floors encapsulate different shells, snails, or corals.
9.We have amazing internet speed
Romania has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world, especially in Bucharest where the infrastructure system is of very high quality. Just a few years ago, Romania had the fastest broadband internet speeds in Europe but recently dropped to the 3rd position. In the world, Romania is in 4th place with 232 Mbps.
10.We also eat a lot of meat
Nowadays, the diet of the everyday Romanian is quite varied but a lot of traditional recipes consist of different types of meat, pork as the preferred one, followed by beef, fish, and chicken. Famous Romanian meals include mici, sarmale, different types of sausages, chicken schnitzels, and pork greaves. The meat in the meal is either served as a main dish or as a part of it.
Follow us