Queen Elisabeta Boulevard, București

The Queen Elisabeta Boulevard is located in the 5th sector of Bucharest and links University Square with the Mihail Kogălniceanu Square. The avenue was built at the request of Queen Elisabeta, who wanted a direct route between the Cotroceni Palace and Cișmigiu Gardens. Traffic was opened in 1870, and the boulevard was named Elisabeta Doamna (Mrs). Actually, the boulevard has had 4 different names throughout its’ history>

• 1870 – 1948: Elisabeta Doamna (or the Academy Boulevard)
• 1948 – 1956: Boulevard “6^th March”
• 1965 – 1990: Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej Boulevard
• 1990 – Present day: Queen Elisabeta Boulevard

Here was inaugurated, on 8^th November 1871, the statue of the ruler Mihai Viteazul, which quickly becomes a very popular place for business or romantic meetings.

At the end of the year 1894, the first electric tramway, with the number 14, passes through the boulevard. The lighting made with neon lamps comes on the boulevard in 1957. The first electric traffic light in the Capital has also been inaugurated here, 30 years ago. At that time, it only had 2 lights: red and green.

According to historians, the Sarindar Monastery, which was sat on the place that is currently occupied by the Military National Circle, was demolished in order to make way for the boulevard.

Between 1855 and 1867, a hotel was built, at the crossroads of Boulevard Elisabeta with Calea Victoriei, and named Hotel Boulevard. It was built following the plans of Alexandru Orăscu, who was also responsible for the project of the University of Bucharest.

The Boulevard also had a waste ground, called “Maidanul lui Duca” (the area of Cișmigiu today). In 19^th century, this plot was used by street photographers and people who sold wine and grills. This plot disappears at the beginning of the 20^th century, the ground being used for the construction of the City Hall Palace.

After the First World War, Elisabeta Boulevard started to look like the one that we can see today, and even got called “The Broadway of Bucharest”, because of the amount of cinemas that were there. Today, however, most of these cinemas have been closed, and the boulevard lost its’ cultural appeal. There are still a lot of very important buildings that can be found on this boulevard like the University of Bucharest, the Palace of the National Military Circle, Gheorghe Lazăr Highschool and Cișmigiu Hotel.