Bucharest's history alternated periods of development and decline from the early settlements of the
Antiquity and until its consolidation as capital of
Romania late in the
19th century.
First mentioned as "the
Citadel of
Bucureşti" in 1459, it became a residence of the
Wallachian prince Vlad III the Impaler. The Old Princely
Court (
Curtea Veche) was built by
Mircea Ciobanul, and during following rules, Bucharest was established as the summer residence of the court, competing with
Târgovişte for the status of capital after an increase in the importance of southern Muntenia brought about by the demands of the suzerain power, the
Ottoman Empire.
Burned down by the
Ottomans and briefly discarded by princes at the start of the
17th century, Bucharest was restored and continued to grow in size and prosperity. Its centre was around the street "Uliţa
Mare", which starting 1589 was known as
Lipscani. Before the 1700s, it became the most important trade centre of
Wallachia and became a permanent location for the Wallachian court after 1698 (starting with the reign of
Constantin Brâncoveanu).
Partly destroyed by natural disasters and rebuilt several times during the following
200 years, hit by
Caragea's plague in 18131814, 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 1828 and the
Crimean War, with an interlude during the Bucharest-centred
1848 Wallachian revolution, and an
Austrian garrison took possession after the Russian departure (remaining in the city until March
1857). Additionally, on March 23, 1847, a fire consumed about 2,
000 buildings of Bucharest, destroying a third of the city. The social divide between rich and poor was described at the time by
Ferdinand Lassalle as making the city "a savage hotchpotch".
In 1861, when Wallachia and
Moldavia were united to form the
Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation's capital; in 1881, it became the political centre of the newly-proclaimed
Kingdom of Romania. During the second half of the 19th century, due to its new status, the city's population increased dramatically, and a new period of urban development began. The extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture of this period won Bucharest the nickname of "The
Paris of the East" (or "
Little Paris",
Micul Paris), with
Calea Victoriei as its Champs-Élysées or
Fifth Avenue.
Between
December 6,
1916 and
November 1918, it was occupied by
German forces, the legitimate capital being moved to
Iaşi. After
World War I, Bucharest became the capital of
Greater Romania. In
January 1941 it was the place of
Legionnaires' rebellion and Bucharest pogrom. As the capital of an
Axis country, Bucharest suffered heavy losses during
World War II, due to
Allied bombings, and, on August 23,
1944, saw the royal coup which brought Romania into the anti-German camp, suffering a short but destructive period of
Luftwaffe bombings in reprisal.
During
Nicolae Ceauşescu's leadership (1965-1989), most of the historic part of the city was destroyed and replaced with Communist-style buildings, particularly high-rise apartment buildings. The best example of this is the development called
Centrul Civic (the
Civic Centre), including the
Palace of the Parliament, where an entire historic quarter was razed to make way for
Ceauşescu's megalomaniac constructions. In
1977, a strong 7.4 on the Richter-scale earthquake claimed 1,
500 lives and destroyed many old buildings.
Nevertheless, some historic neighbourhoods did survive to this day.
The Romanian Revolution of
1989 began with mass anti-Ceauşescu protests in
Timişoara (
Temesvár) in
December 1989 and continued in Bucharest, leading to the overthrow of the
Communist regime. Dissatisfied with the post-revolutionary leadership of the
National Salvation Front, student leagues and opposition groups organized large-scale protests continued in
1990 (the Golaniad), which were violently stopped by the miners of
Valea Jiului (the Mineriad). Several other Mineriads followed, the results of which included a government change.
After the year
2000, due to the advent of Romania's economic boom, the city has modernised and is currently undergoing a period of urban renewal.
Various residential and commercial developments are underway, particularly in the northern districts, while Bucharest's historic centre is currently undergoing restoration.
Music:
Breaking Benjamin -
Blow Me Away
- published: 16 Oct 2009
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