Was Bucharest Old Town Really Demolished To Build The Largest Building In The World?
The answer to the question in the title is both yes and no. Parts of Bucharest Old Town were demolished in the 1980s to make way for vanity projects by the communist regime that ruled Romania from 1947 until the Romanian Revolution in 1989. Around 20-25 % of the city center was leveled during the 1980s to build socialist realist-style civic buildings. The most famous of them is the Palace of the Parliament (formerly known as "House of the Republic" and "The People's House" during the communist era). This building is widely considered to be one of the largest buildings in the world. It's often referred to as the second-largest, only surpassed by the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
Bucharest still has an Old Town, called Lipscani, which is pleasant to explore and walk around in. The areas that were destroyed were called Uranus, Dealul Spirii (Spirea's Hill), and Văcărești. More areas were partly demolished to make way for large boulevards with grandiose Soviet architecture. In general terms, it can be said that the city South of the Dâmbovița River was demolished, while the areas North of it were spared and still exist today. It's important to also mention that the surviving parts of Old Town were also scheduled to be demolished but the Romanian Revolution stopped those plans before they became a reality.
Covaci Street in the surviving part of Bucharest Old Town.
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The huge Palace of the Parliament is built over the hills that were once known as Dealul Spirii and Dealul Arsenalului. It's the symbol of the destruction that in Romania goes by the name "Ceaușima". The word is a wordplay on the name of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and the Japanese city of Hiroshima and the nuclear attack on that city.
The building is today one of the most famous sights of Bucharest and the number one thing you have to see if you visit. It's just sad that the history it lies on is the destruction of the historic core of the city.
Piața Unirii (Union Square) is another landmark of the city that was built over the demolished ruins of history. The newer areas are not worth exploring as a tourist except for the area closest to the surviving Old Town, where you can find the Palace of the Parliament and Union Square.
An afternoon view of Bulevardul Unirii from the Palace of the Parliament. Everything you see in this picture was once part of the Old Town of Bucharest and part of the demolitions of the 1980s.
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If you visit Bucharest today you will find sights in both the old and new parts of the city. A few historically important structures were moved instead of destroyed. A total of eight churches were moved to other parts of the city, while 28 churches and synagogues were demolished and destroyed. The most famous example of a moved building is the Mihai Vodă Monastery, located on Strada Sapienței about 285 meters from its original location. It is today found inside a large quarter of the socialist realist architecture that the Communist regime built near the Southern bank of the Dâmbovița River.
A somewhat controversial opinion from myself is that while it is always sad to see older architecture get lost, the area that was built in its place in Bucharest gives the city uniqueness. Bucharest of today wouldn't be the same without the Palace of the Parliament, Piața Unirii, and the line of socialist realist buildings along Bulevardul Unirii.
Bucharest Destination Guide!