Bucharest

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bucharest
Bucure?ti
Capital city
Bucharest - Spitalul Clinic Coltea - pano 01-equalized.jpg
Ateneul Romn 1.jpgHotel Continental - Calea Victoriei.jpg
Flickr - fusion-of-horizons - Stavropoleos (254).jpgPalace of Justice, Bucharest -
outdoor night photo.JPG
20140702 Bucuresti 124.jpgRO B - Banca Na?ionala a Romniei, corp vechi.jpg
Parcul Floreasca - panorama.jpg
From top, left to right: Col?ea Hospital panorama Romanian Athenaeum Victory
Avenue Lipscani district, view towards Caru' cu bere and Stavropoleos Monastery
Palace of Justice CEC Palace National Bank of Romania Floreasca park
Flag of Bucharest
Flag Coat of arms of Bucharest
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Micul Paris (The Little Paris),
Paris of the East[1]
Motto: Patria ?i dreptul meu
(The Homeland and my right)
Bucharest is located in Romania BucharestBucharestLocation in Romania
Coordinates: 4425'57?N 266'14?E
Country Romania
County Nonea
First attested 1459
Government
Mayor Gabriela Firea[2]
Prefect Adrian Petcu
Area[3][4]
Capital city 228 km2 (88 sq mi)
Urban 285 km2 (110 sq mi)
Elevation 55.891.5 m (183.1300.2 ft)
Population (2011)[6]
Capital city 1,883,425
Estimate (2016)[7] 2,106,144
Rank 1st in Romania (6th in EU)
Density 9,237/km2 (23,920/sq mi)
Metro 2,412,530[5]
Demonym(s)
Bucharester (en)

bucure?tean, bucure?teanca (ro)

Time zone EET (UTC+2)
Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 0xxxxx
Area code(s) +40 x1
Car plate prefix B
- Nominal GDP (in 2015) $50 billion[8]
- Per capita $21,000
Website pmb.ro
a Romanian law stipulates that Bucharest has a special administrative status which
is equal to that of a County;
b Bucharest metropolitan area is a proposed project.
Bucharest (/'bju?k?r?st/; Romanian: Bucure?ti, pronounced [buku're?t?] About this
sound listen (helpinfo)) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as
its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of
the country, at 4425'57?N 2606'14?ECoordinates: 4425'57?N 2606'14?E, on the
banks of the Dmbovi?a River, less than 60 km (37.3 mi) north of the Danube River
and the Bulgarian border.

Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became the capital of

Romania in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its
architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and art
deco), communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the
city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest
the nickname of "Little Paris" (Micul Paris).[9] Although buildings and districts
in the historic city centre were heavily damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes,
and above all Nicolae Ceau?escu's program of systematization, many survived. In
recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom.[10] In
2016, the historical city centre was listed as "endangered" by the World Monuments
Watch.[11]

According to the 2011 census, 1,883,425 inhabitants live within the city limits,[6]
a decrease from the 2002 census.[3] Adding the satellite towns around the urban
area, the proposed metropolitan area of Bucharest would have a population of 2.27
million people.[12] According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a functional urban area of
2,412,530 residents (as of 2015).[5] Bucharest is the sixth-largest city in the
European Union by population within city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid,
Rome, and Paris.

Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania[13] and is one of

the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. The city has
big convention facilities, educational institutes, cultural venues, traditional
"shopping arcades", and recreational areas.

The city proper is administratively known as the "Municipality of Bucharest"

(Municipiul Bucure?ti), and has the same administrative level as that of a national
county, being further subdivided into six sectors, each governed by a local mayor.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Treaties signed in Bucharest
3 Geography
3.1 General
3.2 Climate
4 Law and government
4.1 Administration
4.2 Justice system
4.3 Crime
5 Quality of life
6 Demographics
7 Economy
8 Transport
8.1 Public transport
8.2 Railways
8.3 Air
8.4 Roads
8.5 Water
9 Culture
9.1 Landmarks
9.2 Visual arts
9.3 Performing arts
9.4 Music and nightlife
9.5 Cultural events and festivals
9.6 Traditional culture
9.7 Religion
10 Architecture
10.1 Historical architecture
10.2 Communist architecture
10.3 Contemporary architecture
11 Education
12 Telecommunications and media
13 Healthcare
14 Sports
15 Natives
16 Twin towns and sister cities
17 See also
18 References
19 Further reading
20 External links
Etymology[edit]
The Romanian name Bucure?ti has an uncertain origin. Tradition connects the
founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur, who was a prince, an outlaw, a
fisherman, a shepherd, or a hunter, according to different legends. In Romanian,
the word stem bucurie means "joy" ("happiness"),[14] and it is believed to be of
Dacian origin.[15]

Other etymologies are given by early scholars, including the one of an Ottoman
traveler, Evliya elebi, who said that Bucharest was named after a certain "Abu-
Kari?", from the tribe of "Bani-Kurei?". In 1781, Austrian historian Franz Sulzer
claimed that it was related to bucurie (joy), bucuros (joyful), or a se bucura (to
become joyful), while an early 19th-century book published in Vienna assumed its
name has been derived from "Bukovie", a beech forest.[16]

A native or resident of Bucharest is called a "Bucharester" (Romanian: bucure?

tean).

History[edit]
Main articles: History of Bucharest and Timeline of Bucharest
Bucharest's history alternated periods of development and decline from the early
settlements in antiquity until its consolidation as the national capital of Romania
late in the 19th century.

Early 18th-century woodcut (1717)

First mentioned as the "Citadel of Bucure?ti" in 1459, it became the residence of
the famous Wallachian prince Vlad III the Impaler.[17]:23

The Ottomans appointed Greek administrators (Phanariotes) to run the town from the
18th century. A short-lived revolt initiated by Tudor Vladimirescu in 1821 led to
the end of the rule of Constantinople Greeks in Bucharest.[18]

The Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche) was erected by Mircea Ciobanul in the mid-
16th century. Under subsequent rulers, Bucharest was established as the summer
residence of the royal court. During the years to come, it competed with Trgovi?te
on the status of capital city after an increase in the importance of southern
Muntenia brought about by the demands of the suzerain power the Ottoman Empire.

Bucharest finally became the permanent location of the Wallachian court after 1698
(starting with the reign of Constantin Brncoveanu).

Partly destroyed by natural disasters and rebuilt several times during the
following 200 years, and hit by Caragea's plague in 181314, the city was wrested
from Ottoman control and occupied at several intervals by the Habsburg Monarchy
(1716, 1737, 1789) and Imperial Russia (three times between 1768 and 1806). It was
placed under Russian administration between
interlude during the Bucharest-centred 1848
Austrian garrison took possession after the
city until March 1857). On 23 March 1847, a
destroying a third of the city.
1828 and the Crimean War, with an
Wallachian revolution. Later, an
Russian departure (remaining in the
fire consumed about 2,000 buildings,

Ottoman massacre of Greek irregulars in Bucharest (August 1821)

In 1862, after Wallachia and Moldavia were united to form the Principality of
Romania, Bucharest became the new nation's capital city. In 1881, it became the
political centre of the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Romania under King Carol I.
During the second half of the 19th century, the city's population increased
dramatically, and a new period of urban development began. During this period, gas
lighting, horse-drawn trams, and limited electrification were introduced.[19] The
Dmbovi?a River was also massively channelled in 1883, thus putting a stop to
previously endemic floods like the 1865 flooding of Bucharest.[20] The
Fortifications of Bucharest were built. The extravagant architecture and
cosmopolitan high culture of this period won Bucharest the nickname of "Little
Paris" (Micul Paris) of the east, with Calea Victoriei as its Champs-lyses.

I.C. Bratianu Boulevard in the 1930s

Between 6 December 1916 and November 1918, the city was occupied by German forces
as a result of the Battle of Bucharest, with the official capital temporarily moved
to Ia?i, in the Moldavia region. After World War I, Bucharest became the capital of
Greater Romania. In the interwar years, Bucharest's urban development continued,
with the city gaining an average of 30,000 new residents each year. Also, some of
the city's main landmarks were built in this period, i