Bucharest - visitor's guide

Bucharest is the administrative, economic and cultural center of Romania with material remains dating back to the Paleolithic Era. Although it has suffered along the years from invasions, floods or earthquakes, the fury of a dictator but most of all from the indifference of the people, the city once known as the Little Paris, still has a lot to offer to visitors from abroad or from the province.

Landmarks of Bucharest

• The Parliament Palace, also known as the People's House lies in the center of the city, close to Union Plazza and is not only the most impressive landmark of Bucharest, but also one of the largest constructions of this type in the entire World and the biggest administrative building in Europe, enclosing hundreds of offices, conference rooms and special social and cultural events areas.
• The Old Center includes old buildings that let the visitor take a glimpse in the past of what was once one of the poshiest cities in Europe . Small streets with buildings more than a hundred years old take you back in time to an era of noblesse and exclusivity.

Churches and monasteries

• Curtea Veche Church - The Old Court was built in the middle of the 16 th century and is the oldest spiritual edifice in Bucharest . This historical monument was used to host the royal events of the princes of Wallachia and now is one of the most valuable pieces of religious architecture of the feudal times in Romania .
• Stavropoleos Church built around the year 1722 is one of the most beautiful monuments in the city, with exterior painting and sculpture that emphasizes its decorative grace.
• The Arc of Triumph first erected in 1922 and then rebuilt in 1935-1936 in stone and marble celebrates the victory of the Romanian army in the First World War. The façade is sculpted and engraved with bas-reliefs, medals, royal insignia and commemorative inscriptions of King Ferdinand and Queen Mary.

Museums in Bucharest

• The village museum contains hundreds of traditional Romanian buildings illustrating medieval rural life. First instituted in the year 1934, the most famous museum in Bucharest includes old style workshop, churches or common village houses complete with pieces of furniture and decoration that depict Romanian customs and traditions.
• "Grigore Antipa" Natural History Museum offers visitors the chance of a fascinating journey through time from the beginning of the Universe to modern times, illustrating the birth of our Planet and the origin, evolution and diversity of life on Earth. The 4.5 meter high skeleton of a dinosaur extinct millions of years ago is just one of more than three hundred thousand remarkable pieces of the collection.
• Cotroceni Palace Museum , at first the permanent residence of Prince Ferdinand, is presently the residence of the state presidents and a welcoming place to foreign dignitaries. Built in the year 1893 after the designs of French architect this landmark is located across the Botanical Garden, on the Cotroceni Hill and contains a collection of items that once belonged to the royal family.