Bucharest is the capital city, but also cultural, political and economic center of Romania. It is located on the river Dimbovica in Wallachia. It was the capital of Wallachian rulers since the 17th century and the capital of the whole Republic of Romania is since 1861.
Although there are traces of settlements around Bucharest, dating back to the Paleolithic period, the city is, in fact, relatively new. Unlike many other European capitals, it can’t boast with a millennia long history. The first historical reference to the city under its name, dates back to the Middle Ages, it actually happened in 1459. It is considered unestablished before that year, when it became one of the residences of Vlad III (the Impaler), prince and ruler of Wallachia. More precise historical origin of the town is unknown.
From generation to generation, the story about the foundation of Bucharest was passed around and it said that it happened centuries before by a controversial and quite legendary shepherd named Bucur (after whom apparently the city got its name). However, it is more likely to Radu Voda (also known as Radu Negru) established it while he was the ruler of Wallachia (1290-1300). It is certain that the area in which today’s Bucharest extends was already inhabited in the ancient times.
The name of the town was mentioned in 1459 for the first time, in a document issued by the Court of Prince (more precisely Duke) Vlad the Impaler, who reportedly inspired the creation of the world - famous character of Count Dracula. It was at that time when Bucharest began to grow as an important economic and political center of Wallachia. The Old Princely Court is the most important architectural complex that reminds of those times.
However, the city was conquered for the first time in 1476, by the Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great, and later by the Turks in 1554. At the time of the uprising against the Turks in 1594, Bucharest was absolutely destroyed during the heavy fights. Up until the 1640, it hadn’t been fully restored, but that same year the Princely Court was also restored.
A few centuries after the reign of Vlad the Impaler, regardless the constantly climbing its chiefdom in the political scene of Wallachia, Bucharest fell under the Ottoman rule (it became a vassal of the empire), then under the Russian occupation, as well as under the short alternating periods of Hapsburg domination. The Lipscani Street (Strada Lipscani), which is now a historic district of Bucharest, back then was the main thoroughfare that led through the center of the old town. It could be said that the arrival of Constantine Brancoveanu on the throne of Wallachia in 1688, changed the fate of this city. His alliance with the Habsburgs and the Russians on keeping the Turks at bay, led to renaissance in the homeland. Just in time for his reign there was formed a style - a mixture of the Renaissance and the Byzantine - so popular among the city's architects that lasted for centuries after its first appearance in the city.
However, the Turks overpowered Constantine in 1714. Since they did not trust the local Wallachian princes and disbelieved that those would serve their interests, they appointed numerous Greek administrators to rule the Principality. Known as Phanariotes (came from the Greek district of Constantinople named Phanar), the Greeks ruled from 1821. During this period, the city grew in size and importance, regardless of the regular natural and artificial disasters. The first was the occupation of the city by the Austrian army from 1789 until 1791, then great earthquakes (in 1802, 1804, and 1812) and plague (1813-1814).
In 1881, Bucharest became the capital of the Principality of Romania, after the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia. The first king of Romania was Carol I (1866-1914) and during his time Bucharest visibly grew and flourished. Unfortunately, much of the medieval architectural heritage was destroyed in a great fire in 1847, but the modern era brought a new period of prosperity to the city. The strikingly modern city was being build, a landscape architecture and urban layout brought international fame to Bucharest, such that the city was even called Little Paris. The Calea Victoriei, one of the most famous avenues in Bucharest today, was often compared to the Champs - Elysees. During this period the University was founded (in 1864).
One of the darkest episodes in the early 19th century refers to the moment when the city was hit by Caradja’s plague, the epidemic which killed a quarter of the total population.
On December 01st 1918, Transylvania was united with the Principality of Romania, which was created previously. Therefore, Bucharest became the capital of the whole country, after a two-year period when the capital of the Principality was moved to Iasi because of the fact that Bucharest was under German occupation during the Second World War (in the period from 1916 until 1918).
The period between the two world wars, was extremely fortunate for Bucharest. That’s when the city reached its nadir in culture. Casa Capsa, already recognized as the major site of social, political and cultural meetings and debates continued to develop its reputation, both nationally and internationally. However, when the communist regime took over the political scene during the Second World War, the historic Bucharest largely lost its coordinates, at least architecturally speaking. The Palace of the Parliament (otherwise known as the House of the People - Casa Poporului in Romanian) best illustrates the artistic vision of the regime. The unfortunate contribution to the destruction of important archaeological and historic buildings was given by the tragic earthquake in 1977, when Bucharest suffered even greater damage, and not only in relation to the city layout and architectural heritage, but also in relation to its population. On March 04th 1977, the earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale killed 1541 residents.
The last violent historical episode which occupied in Bucharest refers to the revolution that broke out in 1989, and the subsequent political and social turbulences, known collectively as "Mineriada" (rum. "Miners"), which occurred in the early nineties of the 20th century.
At this point, Bucharest is undergoing through constant and deep urban renewals, the long-awaited reconstructions, but regardless of the reconstruction in the medieval and modern era, the legacy survived in time. Incredibly diverse images of Bucharest, in fact, are so comprehensive that they can accommodate the spectacular, awesome touch and not very interesting, grotesque nuances - and not only in architecture, but also from the point referring to the entire city (culture, customs of the population, infrastructure and others).
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