University Square, București

University Square is probably the best-known square in the entire country, being the “zero Kilometer” of entire network of roads of Romania. Situated in the center of Bucharest, it is probably the most representative location of the Capital, being realized in a style that encourages urban modernization and having some strong Parisian influences.

The square is built in a way that it delimits the north-south and east-west axis of the city, following the hausmannian model. The square’s origins go as far back as the 15^th century, when here laid the northern margin of the fair of Bucharest. Two hundred years passed by until the Square was contained in the perimeter of the city, and around it lots of shops or buildings with a commercial profile have appeared. It even became the most important cultural point in the city, because of the founding of Școala Domnească by Șerban Cantacuzino. Afterwards, it was transformed into Academia Domnească and, in 1818, received a new name – The National School from Sf. Sava.

In 1857, the construction for the University building starts, under the supervision of the architect Alexandru Orescu. The building is inaugurated 12 years later and new blocks will be added to it, in 1912 and 1926.

For a long time, University Square served as a walking spot for the citizens of Bucharest, and in its’ center was a monument dedicated to I.C. Brătianu, who even gave the name to the square for a good amount of time. Actually, another name of the University Square is December 21^st 1989 Square, as a reminder of the victims from the Revolution of that year. This is the reason why this square is so well-known throughout Romania: it represents a symbol of democracy, of the liberation of our country form the communist regime and it is seen as one of the places that resemble the most, in architecture and its aspect, western countries.

There are a lot of historical monuments and representative buildings of Bucharest in or nearby University Square: The National Theatre ”Ion Luca Caragiale”, the University of Bucharest, Suțu Palace, the statue of Mihai Viteazul, the Intercontinental Hotel or the BCR building.

In 2010, the construction of an underground parking lot started here. However, as the digging went on, the constructors had the surprise to find fragments of walls and human bones, parts of the building of Academia Domnească, founded here in 1694 by Constantin Brâncoveanu.

University Square is the place that could show you the purest representation of Bucharest – then and now. The imposing buildings, the people rushing everywhere, the architecture, and the modern look of the place: they all come together to form the image of a capital that longs to be close with its’ Western brothers and sisters, without losing its’ identity.