Bucharest


Bucharest is the capital and the cultural, commercial and industrial center of Romania. It is the largest city in the country and is located at its southeast, with coordinates 44 ° 25'57 "N and 26 ° 06'14" N, on the banks of the Dimbovic River, less than 70 km north of the Danube River.
Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. It became Romania's capital in 1862 and is the center of media, culture and art in Romania. Its architecture is a mixture of neoclassical, inter-war (Bauhaus and ardeco), communist and contemporary. In the period between the two World Wars, the elegant architecture of the city and its sophisticated elite gave it the nickname "Micul Paris". Although buildings and districts in the historic center of the city suffered serious damage or were destroyed by war, earthquakes, and above all Nicolas Ceausescu's "systematization" program, many have survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing economic and cultural blossoming.According to the 2011 census, 1,883,425 live within the city limits, a figure down from the 2002 census. The urban area extends beyond the main Bucharest border and has a population of about 1,931,000. Adding satellite towns around the urban area, the metropolitan area in Bucharest will be 2,27 million people. According to Eurostat, Bucharest has a larger urban area of ​​2,183,091 inhabitants. According to unofficial figures, the population is over 3,000,000. Bucharest is the 6th largest city of the European Union in a population within the city limits, after London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome and Paris.
Economically, Bucharest is the most prosperous city in Romania and one of the main industrial centers and transport hubs of Eastern Europe. the city has large conference facilities, educational institutions, cultural centers, traditional shopping centers and recreation areas.
The main city is administratively known as "Municipiul Bucureşti" and has the same administrative level as the county, further subdivided into six areas, each run by a local mayor.

Bucharest has sights of buildings and monuments. The most prominent among them is the Palace of the Parliament, built in the 1980s, on the leadership of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The largest Parliament building in the world, houses the Romanian Parliament (the House of Representatives and the Senate) as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art and has one of the largest congress centers in the world.

Another sight in Bucharest is the Arc de Triumf (Arc de Triomphe), built in its present form in 1935, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The city's newest landmark is the Renaissance Monument, a stylized marble column that was unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the victims of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 that overthrew Communism. The abstract monument sparked controversy when it was unveiled and was baptized with names such as "olive-n scobitoare", as many argued that it did not fit into its surroundings and believed that its choice was based for political reasons.
The Romanian Athenaeum building is considered a symbol of Romanian culture and since 2007 is on the list of European Heritage Sites.
The InterContinental Hotel is a five-star multi-storey hotel close to University Square and is also a city attraction. It is designed so that each room has a unique panoramic view of the city. Other cultural sites include the National Museum of Art, the Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum, the Romanian Peasant Museum, the National Historical Museum and the Military Museum.
Bucharest has Romania's largest record companies and is the home of most Romanian musicians. Romanian rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Iris and Holograf, are still popular, especially amongst middlemen, and hip-hop and rap have grown since the early 1990s. Hip-hop bands and artists from Bucharest, such as B.U.G. Mafia, Parazitii, La Familia, enjoy national and international recognition.
Pop-rock band Taxi enjoys international appreciation, as did the rock adaptation of traditional Romanian music by Spitalul de Urgenţă. While many neighborhood disco plays manele, a kind of music with Eastern and Gypsy influences, which are particularly popular in Bucharest's working districts, the city has a rich jazz and blues scene and, to an even greater extent, house music / trance scenes and heavy metal / punk. Bucharest's jazz image has been particularly upgraded since 2002, with two venues, Green Hours and Art Jazz, as well as an American presence along with the Romanians there.
There is no central nightlife zone, with entertainment centers scattered all over the city, with cores in Lipsi and Reggie. The city has some of the best electronic music clubs in Europe, such as Kristal Glam Club and Studio Martin. Other valuable sites are Gaia, Bamboo, Fratelli, Kulturhaus and Fabrica.
There are several cultural festivals in Bucharest throughout the year, but most during the summer months of June, July and August. The National Opera organizes the International Opera Festival each year in May and June, where ensembles and orchestras from all over the world participate.
The Society of Romanian Athenaeum organizes the Georges Enescu Festival in various parts of the city in September every two years (singles). The Rural Romanian Museum and the Village Museum organize events throughout the year that promote the Romanian folk art.
After 2000, Chinese cultural events took place due to the growing popularity of the Chinese community in Bucharest. The first officially organized Chinese was the Chinese New Year's Eve Festival in February 2005, which took place at the Nikita Steinscu Park and was organized by the Bucharest City Hall.
In 2005 Bucharest was the first city in Southeastern Europe to host the international CowParade, bringing dozens of decorated cow-sculptures all over the city.

In 2004, Bucharest celebrated major European film festivals with the internationally acclaimed Bucharest International Film Festival, with honorable guests from the international cinemas: Andrei Koncelovski, Danis Tanovic, Nikita Mihalkov, Rutger Hower, Gerdie Scholimovsky, Jan Chrlan, Radhu Mihileanu and many others.
Since 2005 Bucharest has its own modern Biennale.
Best time to visit
There is no better time all the seasons are beautiful. It may be considered a little more touristic place in the winter but without that it does not mean it is not beautiful in the summer.
Weather
Bucharest has a wet continental climate. Because of its position on the Romanian Plain, winters in the city can become windy, although sometimes they are mitigated by urbanization. Winter temperatures are often below 0 ° C, sometimes even at -20 ° C. In the summer, the average temperature is 23 ° C (the average for July and August), despite the fact that temperatures often reach 35-40 ° C in the middle of the city in the middle of the summer. Although the average rainfall and humidity in the summer are low, there are sporadic intense storms. In spring and autumn, daytime temperatures vary between 17 and 22 ° C and rainfall in the spring tends to be more than in the summer with rain intervals more often albeit milder.
Transportation
Bucharest's extensive public transport system is the largest in Romania and one of the largest in Europe. It is made up of Metrorex Metro Station in Bucharest, as well as by a surface transport system organized by RATB (Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti), consisting of buses, trams, trolleys and trains. In addition, there is a private taxi and small bus system.
The city has two international airports. The main railway station is Gara de Nord, but there are five other smaller ones.
Know before visiting
As reported in Mercer's international surveys on quality of life in cities in the world, Bucharest ranked 94th in 2001 and fell to 108th in 2009 and 107th in 2010. Comparing in 2010 Vienna was 1st, Budapest 73nd and Sofia 114th . Mercer Human Resource Advisers each year publish a global ranking of the most viable cities in the world based on 39 key quality of life standards. These include political stability, exchange regulations, censorship in politics and the media, housing, the environment and public safety. Mercer collects worldwide data for 215 cities.
Lei (leu) (RON), 1 EURO = 4,52 RON
Language
Romanian
Currency
Leu(RON)