Hotel de France
A hundred years ago, Bucharest was still known as “Little Paris”, and not for nothing. The French influence was palpable throughout the city, especially in the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century. It was present everywhere: in the language, in the way people behaved and especially in the architecture. One of the buildings that stood out in Bucharest’ scenery was the French Hotel.
The building was constructed in 1881, on Calea Victoriei, between the CEC Palace and the Victoria Store of today. It had many names, being known as Hotel de France, Hotel Lafayette and the French Hotel. Its’ highlight was the French architecture (belle-epoque) and the parisian style, being one of the most sought for hotels of that time.
The hotel suffered serious damages following the 1940 earthquake, lasting only because of its’ strong wood pillars, which sustained the ground floor of the building. There was a brewery, called ”Vârful cu Dor”, and near the hotel were located the Lafayette Galleries, a commercial centre of the interwar period.
The 1977 earthquake meant the end of the French Hotel. The damages that came from the 1940 earthquake were never repaired, and the hotel lost one of its’ sides completely. Soon after, it was completely demolished, and remained a vacant land until the beginning of the 1990s, when the residence of the Bucharest Financial Plaza was built here.
The French Hotel had an ending unworthy of its’ beautifulness. The superb architecture was a reminder of the Bucharest that once was, the hotel being one of the edifices that perfectly illustrated why Bucharest was known as “Little Paris”.
