About Bucharest

About the capital of Romania Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital of Romania and also the largest city in the country, cultural, industrial and financial center.

Location

Bucharest is located in southeastern Romania, between Ploiesti, in the north and Giurgiu, in the south. The city is located in the Vlăsiei Plain, which is part of the Romanian Plain. To the east is Bărăgan, in the west the Găvanu-Burdea Plain, and to the south it is delimited by the Burnaz Plain.

Geography

It is considered that Bucharest was built on seven hills. The seven hills of Bucharest are: Dealul Mitropoliei, Dealul Spirii, Dealul Cotrocenilor, Dealul Arsenalului, Dealul Filaretului, Dealul Văcărești and Colina Radu Vodă.

Bucharest has an area of ​​228 km², which means that the city occupies 0.08% of the entire territory of Romania. The altitude varies from 57.1 m in the area of ​​the bridge from Cățelu, in the southeastern part of the city, to about 93 m in Bucureștii Noi - Mogoșoaia.

The city has an approximately round shape, with the center located at the intersection of the imaginary north / south and east / west axes of the University Square. The monument for the zero kilometer of Romania is placed just south of the University Square, in front of the Church of St. George New in St. George's Square.

Climate

Bucharest has a subtropical climate but is close to continental climates. Winters in Bucharest are quite mild, with little snow and relatively high temperatures, while in recent years, summers are very hot, even hot. In general, night-day temperature variations are 34–35 ° C in winter and 20–30 ° C in summer. The volume of precipitation is around 500–600 mm annually. However, there are some differences between the center (550–600 mm / year) and the peripheral spaces (500 mm / year).

Population

With over 2.1 million inhabitants, the Municipality of Bucharest brings together approximately 9.5% of the Romanian population, and the functional urban area of ​​the Municipality of Bucharest brings together approximately 11% of the Romanian population.

Historic

Legend has it that Bucharest was founded by a shepherd named Bucur. According to another more probable variant, Bucharest was founded by Mircea cel Bătrân at the end of the 14th century.

Paleolithic and Neolithic culture is attested on the banks of Dâmbovița and Colentina. Until 1800 BC. There is some evidence of communities in the areas of Dudești, Lacul Tei and Bucureștii Noi today. Archaeological excavations show the passage of this area through a process of development from the Bronze Age to the year 100 BC. Hr., During which the areas Herăstrău, Radu Vodă, Lacul Tei, Pantelimon, Dealul Mihai Vodă, Popești-Leordeni and Popești-Novaci are populated by Indo-Europeans (more precisely Geto-Dacians). The first dwellings after the Aurelian retreat in 273 AD are attested in the III – XIII centuries, until the Middle Ages.

The settlement is documented on September 21, 1459 in an act issued by Vlad Țepeș, lord of Wallachia, which strengthens an estate of some boyars.

Until the establishment of the communist regime in Romania, the city of Bucharest was the residence of Ilfov County. At that time it was called "little Paris" due to its resemblance to the French capital, but it lost its charm during communism. Lately, real estate development has raised concerns about the fate of buildings of historical interest in the city, especially those in the historic center.

Tourist spots

Some of Romania's emblematic buildings are located here in the capital. The Parliament (hosted in the Parliament Palace or the People's House), the Government and the Presidency of Romania have their headquarters in Bucharest. Also, there are many cultural institutions, such as: Romanian Academy (founded in 1866), over 60 research institutes, University, Polytechnic Institute, Institute of Medicine, many other higher education institutes, large libraries (Academy Library, National Library, Central University Library, among others). See more details on the Sights page.