The country was in full bloom in the interwar period and Bucharest used to be called “the little Paris” but after the second world war, Romania became a communist state until December 1989. I would say that Bucharest today highlights this transition from kingdom to communist state quite well. Calea Victoriei for example and any part of the city that is not the centre will make you feel as if you are in two different cities. Bucharest left some old buildings from the interwar period, but unfortunately the majority of the buildings in the capital of Romania are grey, sad blocks of flats.

The myth says that in the times of Bucur the city started growing, the city reciveing the same name as the man who built it. Some believed he was a shepherd, others a fisherman, a boyar or an outlaw. During the reign of Monarch Carol I as king (1881–1914), Bucharest has undergone a spectacular evolution, acquiring an appearance closer and closer to the capitals of Western Europe.

The social and cultural life of Bucharest reaches an unprecedented level, confirming the nickname of “Little Paris” (or "Paris of the Balkans", although geographically inappropriate). The access to information and culture in the capital, although centralized in a small area of the city, used to offer theatre and musical plays, film screenings and a rich offer of publishing houses and libraries. In the capital of Romania you will find a lot of architectural styles, those from the interwar period being the Vernacular style and the Brancoveanu style. Ion Mincu was the father of the Brancoveanu style( also known as the Neo-romanian style), the brain and the author of many glorious historic buildings which are still standing nowadays. He designed the Central School for Girls in Bucharest, The Lahovari House, The Monteoru and Vernescu Houses on Calea Victoriei and many more.

What is neo-romanian style? It is an architectural style that appeared at the end of the 19th century within the Art Nouveau in Romania, initially the result of the attempts to find a specific Romanian architectural style.

The years following the Second World War, with deprivations of all kinds, brought the establishment of the Romanian communist regime, and this started another period of many architectural transformations in Bucharest, including the erection of the Parliament Palace building, but none of them brought back the nickname "Little Paris". What the authorities do not realize is that the appearance of the city affects the mood of the citizens, so the quality of their lives.

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editorial: Ioana Mătăsaru,

Anastasia Chivu

graphic design: Bianca Constantin

translation: Ioana Mătăsaru,

Anastasia Chivu

DP (desktop publishing): Andreea Seba