Breathtaking Photography: Get to Know Bucharest in 40 Photos

Breathtaking Photography: Get to Know Bucharest in 40 Photos

[pixel77_quote type=”2″ quote='”Cities produce love and yet feel none. A strange thing when you think about it, but perhaps fitting. Cities need that love more than most of us care to imagine. Cities, after all, for all their massiveness, all their there-ness, are acutely vulnerable.”‘ author=”Junot Diaz”]
Bucharest, as some of you may know, is the capital city of Romania, and has been so for just over 150 years, but the city itself is quite a bit older than that.

First mentioned in 1459 when it became Vlad the Impaler’s residence, Prince of what was then known as Wallachia, the city started competing for the title of capital city, after subsequent rulers made it their court’s summer residence. It finally achieved its status as capital city after Wallachia and Moldavia united to form the Principality of Romania, in 1862.

During the late 18th and early 19th century, the city saw a surge in population and the beginning of massive urban development, which eventually lead to it being known as “Little Paris”, for its extravagant architecture and its cosmopolitan upper-class.

After briefly being occupied by German forces during the First World War, Bucharest continued growing in the interwar period, on average over 30,000 people becoming “Bucharesters” each year. It was during these years that some of the city’s most well-known landmarks were built, like the Arch of Triumph or the Telephone Palace.

Although the rise of Communism in Romania brought with it the tearing down of many old historic buildings, it did bring with it its landmarks, most notably the Palace of the Parliament, or the People’s Palace as it was known during Ceaușescu’s regime. Now, aside from being home to both chambers of Parliament, it also houses the National Museum of Contemporary Art and is currently under debate if it should house the Museum of Totalitarianism and Social Realism.

Another important landmark that Communism left behind is the InterContinetal Bucharest, the tallest hotel in Bucharest and, at one point, the tallest building in the entire city, towering at 77 meters tall, with 25 floors and 283 guestrooms.

After the fall of Communism, Bucharest developed a very lively nightlife, the center of which being its Historic Quarter. Packed with pubs and clubs, the Old Center, as it is also known, offers visitors to blow off some steam after a full day of sight-seeing through the city.

One lesser known landmark and rather an unlikely landmark is the Văcărești Natural Park. It is a spontaneous ecosystem that sprung up in Văcărești, in an abandoned industrial building area. The massive 190-hectare area is now a home to 90 species of birds, amphibians and fish, many of which are even protected by law. This has gained it the title of “Văcărești Delta”, after the Danube Delta.

The Văcărești Natural Park is, however, by no means the only notable park in Bucharest. Herăstrău Park is the largest one, at 1.1 square kilometers, and has been so since 1939 when it was originally opened. Most notably, the park houses the National Village Museum, which is an open air museum that showcases old peasant houses, so you can get a feel of how life was like before electricity was a thing.

Other notable parks include Carol Park, which is also the home of the Dimitrie Leonida Technical Museum; the Botanical Garden, with its thousands of rare and exotic plant species; Tineretului, or Youth’s Park, that includes the venue Sala Polivalentă; and Cișmigiu Gardens, the oldest park in Bucharest, which now features pheasants and swans.

Now, we’re going to show you some lovely pictures of this vibrant city, taken by Igu split into three categories. Sit back and enjoy!

Buildings

Here we will be showing pictures of the buildings you will be seeing when walking down Bucharest’s streets, so you can get a feel for just how lovely it is to get “lost” through the city, why it was once known as Little Paris, and how amazing it is to see such diverse architecture all in one place.

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Cloudy Weather

Any city is beautiful during clear weather. What we are going to show you is just how gorgeous Bucharest can be during even when the sun isn’t shining. Any season has its charm, of course. But it takes a real special city to wear gray with dignity.

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People

A city is nothing without the people that live in it. You could say people have a symbiotic relationship with the town they live in. As much as we change our cities, our towns change us, and that is why, if you want to see a city, you have to see the people that live there, too.

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We hope that these pictures made you want to see this absolutely marvelous city. It has lost its status of “Little Paris”, but that is only because it grew up. It has personality, it has heart and, most of all, it most definitely is alive.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2014 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

About

Claudia Radau is passionate about marketing and photography. Loves to travel and has a soft spot for dogs. She handles PR for Pixel77.com and Inkydeals.com. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and/or Google+.

53 Comments on “Breathtaking Photography: Get to Know Bucharest in 40 Photos

  1. SU-PER-BE! Dar as vrea sa te intreb unde sunt cladirile din prima si a zecea fotografie? Multumesc oricum, pentru cum ne-ai aratat orasul acesta minunat.

  2. A zecea fotografie este făcută pe Strada Dimitrie Racoviță. Este vorba despre o construcție relativ nouă, excelent realizată în spiritul Jugend.

    • M-am nascut pe str. D. Racovita acum mai bine de 60 de ani, iar casa a fost acolo mereu tot acest timp. Mai mult, am avut o colega de clasa, Rodica, care a locuit in aceasta casa. Dar, e adevarat, infatisarea de ‘art nouveau’ si-a capatat-o relativ recent si cu relativa lentoare… De altfel, nici acum nu mi se pare total finalizata fatada… Insa ma bucur s-o vad de fiecare data cand revin in Bucuresti !

  3. Merci! Nu pot sa cred ca intre cladirile recente se mai afla si altceva decat niste boxes vopsite in portocaliu si in verde fluorescent!
    Iar pe mine ma doare cu atat mai mult cu cat am cunoscut si inima orasului acesta bland si drag. Centrul Istoric distrus in 84-86 de catre Ceausescu. De cate ori vad fotografii de acolo le simt ca pe rani deschise.

  4. Deși în peisajul arhitecturii locale contemporane predomină cutiile într-o realizare deseori ieftină și proastă a conceptului lui Le Corbusier (concept genial dealtfel), există și proiecte foarte interesante, acesta nefiind nici pe departe unicul. Pe Strada Emanoil Porumbaru bunăoară există un bloculeț, modest ca amploare, e drept, de inspirație gaudíană, pe Strada Venezuela a fost ridicat un imobil modernist de birouri ce respectă vecinătatea prin stil și paletă coloristică, iar la Mogoșoaia, în noianul de cotețe colorate și sugrumate de bare cromate sunt câteva case noi in spiritul lui Lloyd Wright, cu note brâncovenești sau de factură rustică. Desigur, există un haos imobiliar deseori sufocant, însă în egală măsură există și proiecte interesante, la fel cum sunt numeroase părți ale orașului vechi ce s-au păstrat, și nu mă refer aici doar la perimetrul gravitând în jurul Lipscanilor. Nu trebuie decât să avem pingele de tocit și ochi de deschis, orașul există și ne așteaptă să îl descoperim, deși și eu îmi amintesc cu nostalgie de plimbările pe care le făceam între Piața Unirii și Dudești de pildă.

    • Va recomand calduros sa va luati o bicicleta..Eu am descoperit orasul pe bicicleta si acum il cunosc si il iubesc…din masina nu il vezi, chiar nu bagi de seama mai nimic..nu dadeam doi bani pe el pana sa-l amusinez cu bicicleta…

      • am avut o prietena cu care ma plimbam pe jos, in fiecare duminica prin Bucuresti, spuneam ca suntem turisti in orasul nostru… bucurestiul are un farmec extraordinar :) acum ma plimb cu bicicleta pe strazi si prin ganguri pe care nu le stiam desi m-am nascut aici.. e formidabil

  5. Cat sa schimbat orasul…. Nu l-am vizitat de ceva vreme. Mi-l amintesc frumos din studentie pare si mai frumos acum. Foarte interesante fotografiile.

  6. Multumesc pentru fotografiile cu adevarat minunate; pastrez in amintire imaginea multor asemenea cladiri din Dudesti- Calea Vacaresti- Calea Traian- Piata Unirii. Ma bucur sa vad ca unele dainuiesc si sper sa le vad cindva renovate.

  7. Foarte frumos articolul. Sunt in Paris in momentul de fata si iti jur ca unele poze par facute aici. Pe de alta parte, cred ca s-a exagerat cu corectarea pozelor (saturatie, contrast) si cu efectul HDR, unele nu mai arata natural. Ia ca exemplu pozele … 1, 7, 10. Felicitari si mai astept articole.

  8. Absolutely wonderful photos. Writings are informative. Thank you for sharing this collection with us. I’m in America and love to travel even when enjoying my life at home. These article’s are most appreciated ,the time and journey you traveled makes me feel as though I’m there beside you.

  9. stiu ca pozele sunt cele mai importante in acest articol (Felicitari pentru poze, btw!), dar as fi apeciat mai mult daca articolul era scris intr-o engleza corecta. Sunt cateva greseli recurente, care sunt destul de grave. Its architecture, its people etc, si nu it’s.
    In rest, bravo! Am invatat o gramada de lucruri noi.

  10. Sa nu uitam ca aceste frumuseti vin la pachet cu un premier plagiator, cu galeriile cluburilor de fotbal, cu aurolacii din canale, cu hotii de buzunare din autobuze, cu cainii vagabonzi, cu cei care te claxoneaza la semafor cand acorzi prioritate, cu facturile de intretinere echivalent cu venitul pe intreaga luna, cu gropile din asfalt, cu blocurile ceausiste, cu mafia taxiurilor, cu carnea stricata distribuita prin scoli, cu un limbaj care nu are nimic in comun cu bucurestiul de altadata, pe care cu adevarat il regret, dar el nu mai exista.
    P.S. Da, de la 12 mii de km, pare frumos in poze.

    • Bucurestiul are inca destule lucruri frumoase, de invidiat as spune. E suficient sa deschizi ochii, urechile, celelalte simturi si sa îi absorbi farmecul. Despre caini, premier, intretinere, gropi so on DA, exista, apartin tarii azi (nu numai Bucurestiului). Asta nu insemana ca Bucurestiul nu are enorm de multe mucruri care il face deosebit (in sensul pozitiv) de alte orase.

    • Serios, articolul asta este despre cat de frumos este orasul acesta care, in haosul de cladiri pestrite, a reusit sa faca “ordine” una ciudata si misterioasa! De ce sa politizam un asemenea articol cu discutii despre ce premier si cine face ce. Aurolaci sunt peste tot, iar noi nu suntem singura tara cu galerii huliganice…. isi aminteste cineva…. Anglia?

    • Este minunat atunci cand este DEPARTE si este si mai minunat atunci CAND NU L-AI VAZUT DEMULT.
      Eu unul nu-i duc lipsa desi l-am parasit de 30 de ani…..multumescu-ti Tie Doamne, ca m-ai ajutat!
      (sper ca am scris corect, dar nu sunt sigur,, astept nerabdator criticile in care noi romani excelam….cand este vorba de ce fac altii!!!)
      Una din case este casa George Enescu, normal ca ea s-a chemat altfel inainte de comunisti si absolut toate conacele acestea vechi au denumirea lor originala, unele daca nu ma insel se numesc chiar palate. Normal ca se simte aerul Parisului, arhitectii ce le-au facut erau toti cu scoala facuta la Paris si de acolo s-au inspirat si si-au facut lucrarile lor in timpul facultatii. Nicaieri in lume nu m-am simtit mai acasa si mai orientat in spatiu cum m-am simtit in Paris, din cauza ca …parca, parca il cunosteam de undeva….
      Da, ai mare dreptate, RobertF.
      Numai bine!
      Doru Capraru

  11. Poza cu monumentul in forma de cruce de unde este? As vrea sa descopar mai mult din Bucuresti, Mereu am fost fascinata de “apusurile sale toxice” impletite atat de bine cu freamatul zilelor agitate.

  12. Ce poze de tot cacatul. Ca sa nu mai spun ca autoarea acestui post nici macar nu a fost in stare sa precizeze locatiile in care imaginile au fost realizate. Halal “PR-ist”!

  13. Cladirea din foto 7 este Biblioteca Nationala ( cea noua ) situata in apropierea Pietei Unirii , la cca. 200 de metri distanta, pe cheiul Dambovitei , spre Piata Alba Iulia .

  14. Frumoasa perspectiva, iar adevarul, pana la urma, sta in frumos…numai sa nu mascam chiar totul.

  15. Foarte frumoase pozele, imi amintesc de tinerete. Bucurestiul va ramine intotdeauna un oras iubit de toti cei care l-au vizitat. De fiecare data revin cu emotie acasa. Va multumesc.

  16. Astea sunt exact cum sunt pozele din anuturile cu vacante exotice … in poze arata de zici ca te duci in paradis, cand ajungi esti cazat in mijlocul molozului.
    Sper sa nu se pacaleasca vreun nefericit si sa faca gresala sa viziteze bucurestiul crezand ca e cine stie ce frumusete.

    • Bucurestiul este un oras frumos! :) Pacat ca dumneavoastra nu ii puteti vedea frumusetea.

  17. Ar fi genial daca ai putea adauga numele cladirilor, sau macar adresa, in asa fel incat sa ne imbii pe toti sa fim si mai activi in descoperirea Bucurestiului.
    Si daca in primul paragraf cu bold te referi la perioada 1862-1914, atunci este vorba de sfarsitul secolului 19 – inceputul secolului 20.
    Multumesc mult pentru aceasta postare minunata.

  18. You were Bucharested! E orasul meu, cosmopolist, art-deco, neo-brancovenesc si-l ador! E orasul copalariei, e orasul unde am iesit din pantece, e cea mai frumoasa capitala, pacat ca nu o pastram curata!

  19. Buna. Nu mi se par emblematice in nici un fel pozele pt Bucuresti. Nu fac decat sa creeze o imagine falsa, care ulteror va dezamagi profund turistii ajunsi acolo. Inclusiv personajele din poze nu sunt reprezentative, nici pt Bucuresti, nici pt Romania. Numai bine!

  20. Rapid am facut o lista cu imaginile pe care le-am recunoscut:
    1. – ?
    2. – ?
    3. – Palatul Crețulescu (Kretzulescu) langa Cismigiu – bd. Stirbei Voda
    4. – BCU (Biblioteca Central Universitara), statuie Carol I si Ateneu – in Piata Revolutiei pe bd. Calea Victoriei
    5. – Imobil pe str. Gabroveni sau Covaci – Centrul Vechi
    6. – Imobil str. Eugeniu Carada inspre str. Doamnei
    7. – Biblioteca Noua – bd. Unirii inspre piata Alba Iulia
    8. – Tower Center International – înălțime de 106,3 de metri[1],
    9. – Vila D.Ionescu – Palat str. Tuberozelor – Ghe. Bratianu zona Kiseleff – de arh. Toma T. Socolescu – seamana cu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_Cova din Milano
    10. – Imobil Strada Dimitrie Racoviță 18
    11. – Imobil Crystal Tower – bd. Iancu de Hunedoara – sediul central ING
    12. – ?
    13. – Palatul de Justiție de pe splaiul Independentei
    14. – Muzeul Georghe Enescu – Palatul Cantacuzino – bd. Calea Victoriei nr. 141
    15. – ?
    16. – Parc Cismigiu
    17. – Manastirea Stavropoleos str. Stavropoleos – Centrul Vechi
    18. – Manastirea Stavropoleos str. Stavropoleos – Centrul Vechi
    19. – Str. Lipscani
    20. – Str. Domnita Anastasia nr 15
    21. – ?
    22. – Str. Selari – Smardan – Centrul Vechi
    23. – Str. Stavropoleos – Centrul Vechi
    24. – Vedere de sus – Mitropolie
    25. – ?
    26. – ?
    27. – ?
    28. – People …

    Pentru cei care doresc sa cunoasca mai bine Bucurestiul le recomand traseul de pe bucurestiulintrozi.ro

  21. Ciao,

    Frumoase poze. Ceva mai recunosc dupa multi ani de cand n-am mai fost pe acolo. Interesant tipul cu bicicleta. Urari de bine,
    Carmen

  22. Extraordinara ideea. Astfel, putem arata si altceva, nu numai, degradarea Bucurestilor…Orasul acesta nu este iubit , de aceea nu vedem vechile case superbe, ascunse sau nu, dar, aproape intotdeauna cu o mica broderie in lemnul ferestrei sau in lucratura zidului si intrarii, fiecare proprietar, parca vrand sa lase peste ani ceva din sufletul sau…Da, trebuie mers pe jos, pe stradutele din spatele marilor bulevarde…asa cum facem cand vizitam orasele Europei.Calea Mosilor, Stefan cel Mare, Gradina Icoanei, Sincai, Pantelimon, Bucurestii Noi, Cheiul Damvovitei…Am copilarit pe o astfel de straduta,Precupetii Vechi…Bucurestii dragi asteapta sa fie redescoperit si iubit.De noi , toti, depinde sa fie frumos si curat.Mizerie am vazut, din belsug, chiar si la Paris, dar, niciun francez n-ar spune ceva urat…

  23. Foarte frumos si interesant. Ne este necesara mai multa bunavointa sa descoperim “frumosul” in Bucuresti.

  24. Catre administratorul forumului : puteti, va rog sa “faceti curat” un pic prin mesajele de mai sus? Sunt unii care lasa comentarii in care incearca doar sa insulte si sa provoace, si nu e deloc placut, cred, pentru nimeni, sa citeasca asa ceva. Multumesc!

  25. excellent article My culoeagle suggested I’ll possibly such because this web the internet website. The person employed simply being entirely the best option. This a little bit like post for example created my own day time. You cann’t presume how so lengthy I’d set up

  26. Informative suggestions – I was fascinated by the facts , Does someone know where my business could grab a blank a form copy to type on ?

  27. BEAUTIFUL PLACES AND BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BUT AS I AM A TOURIST, I WOULD LIKE WHICH PLACES/BUILDINGS ARE IN THE PICTURES AND THE ADRESS!
    THANKS

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