Bucharest Bucharest (population 2.3 million, Romanian: Bucureşti) is the capital city and industrial and commercial centre of Romania, located in the southeast of the country, on the Dâmboviţa river. Bucharest Bucureşti http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Bucuresti-stema.png Seal of Bucharest Location of Bucharest in Romania Area & nbsp;- Metropolitan  - Total  - Water 228 km2 1,521 km2 ? km2 Population  - Total (2002)  - Density 2,354,510 1,548/km2 Mayor Traian Băsescu Time zone Eastern Europe: GMT+2 Latitude Longitude 44° 25' N; 26° 06'E Geography Along a small tributary of Dâmboviţa, named Colentina, several lakes stretch across the city, the most important being Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei and Lake Colentina. In addition, in the center of the capital there is a small artificial lake - Lake Cişmigiu. Surrounded by gardens and parks, it has a rich history, as it was frequented by famous poets and writers. The city has a total surface of 226 km2 and it is divised in 6 administrative sectors. Until recently, the regions surrounding Bucharest were largely rural areas, but after 1989, new suburbs were started to be build around Bucharest, in the Ilfov county. History Main article: History of Bucharest The legend says that Bucharest was founded by a shepherd named Bucur, another variant, more likely, is that it was established by Mircea cel Bătrân in the 14th century after a victory won over the Turks (bucurie means joy in Romanian, for this reason Bucharest is often called "The City of Joy."). Like most ancient cities of Romania, its foundation has also been ascribed to the first Walachian prince, the half-mythical Radu Negru (1290-1314). More modern historians declare that it was originally a fortress, erected on the site of some Daco-Roman settlements, then it was used to command the approaches to Târgovişte, formerly the capital of Walachia. Ateneul Român Bucharest is first mentioned under its present name as a residence in 1459 of the Walachian prince Vlad Ţepeş (Vlad the Impaler). It soon became the summer residence of the court. In 1595 it was burned by the Turks; but, after its restoration, continued to grow in size and prosperity, until, in 1698, Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu chose it for his capital and of the united provinces of Walachia and Moldavia from February 1859 (renamed Romania in December 1861 while still nominally subject to the Ottoman Empire). During the 18th century the possession of Bucharest was frequently disputed by the Turks, Austrians and Russians. In 1812 it gave its name to the treaty by which Bessarabia and a third of Moldavia were ceded to Russia. In the war of 1828 it was occupied by the Russians, who made it over to the prince of Walachia in the following year. A rebellion against Prince Bibescu in 1848 brought both Turkish and Russian interference, and the city was again held by Russian troops in 1853-1854. On their departure an Austrian garrison took possession and remained till March 1857. In 1858 the international congress for the organization of the Danubian principalities was held in the city; and when, in 1861, the union of Walachia and Moldavia was proclaimed, Bucharest became the Romanian capital. Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the first ruler of the united provinces, was driven from his throne by an insurrection in Bucharest in 1866. In the second half of the 19th century, the population of the city increased dramatically. The extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture of this period won Bucharest the nickname of The Paris of the East (or Little Paris, "Micul Paris"), with Calea Victoriei as its Champs Elysées or Fifth Avenue, but the social divide between rich and poor was described at the time by Ferdinand Lassalle as "a savage hotchpotch." Bucharest - Centrul Civic On December 6 1916 the city was occupied by the German forces, the capital being moved to Iaşi, but it was liberated in November 1918, becoming the capital of the new united Kingdom of Romania. Bucharest suffered heavy loses during WWII due to the English and American bombardments. On November 8 1945, the king's day, the communists suppressed pro-monarchist rallies. During Nicolae Ceauşescu's leadership, most of the historical part of the city, including old churches, was destroyed, to be replaced with the grandomanic socialist buildings of the Centru Civic, notably the Palace of the Parliament. Some historic districts remain, but many argue whether Bucharest is really the Paris of the East today. After the year 2000, due to the advent of Romania's economic boom, the city has modernised and many historical areas have been restored to their former glory. Treaties signed in Bucharest May 28 1812, at the end of the Russian-Turkish war, Romania losses Bessarabia March 3 1886, at the end of the war between Serbia and Bulgaria August 10 1913, at the end of the Second Balkan War (see: Treaty of Bucharest, 1913) August 4 1916, the treaty of alliance between Romania and Entente (France, England, Russia and Italy) May 6 1918, the treaty between Romania and the Central Powers, which was never ratified (see: Treaty of Bucharest, 1918) Population The population greatly increased in the last two centuries with Bucharest growing importance, partialy due to urbanization of Romanians, who, until the 19th century were mostly farmers, predominantly living in rural areas. 1800: 32,000 1859: 122,000 1900: 282,000 1918: 383,000 1930: 639,000 1966: 1,452,000 2000: 2,300,000 The life expectancy of Bucharest in 2000-2002 was 73.1 years, around 2 years higher than the Romanian average. Economy Although it accounts for around 9% of Romania's population, Bucharest produces around 21% of the country's GDP, being obviously the most developed area and industrialized area of Romania. The weak status of the Romanian leu in international exchange rates makes it difficult to compare economic product of Bucharest to that of the European Union countries. Based on local purchasing power, Bucharest has per capita GDP about about 50% that of the EU, nearly twice the Romanian average (but still very close to other urban areas in the rest of Romania). http://www.anchete.ro/articol.php?limba=ro&ID_articol=627. Based on the fact that Bucharest produces around 21% of Romanian GDP for a population of around 2 milion, the GDP (PPP) per capita would be US$16,300. http://www.erionet.org/JIM%20Romania.htm Transport Bucharest boasts the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in the Central and Eastern Europe region. Transport can be divided into three major fields: A metro (subway) system, run by Metrorex A surface transport system run by RATB that is made up of buses, trams and trolleybuses A private taxi system Bucharest Metro Main article: Bucharest Metro The subway system consists of four lines: M1, M2, M3 and M4. In total, the network is 63km long and has 45 stations, with 1.5km average distance between stops. Lines M1: Pantelimon-Dristor-Piaţa Unirii-Dristor M2: Pipera-Piaţa Unirii-IMGB 2 M3: Industriilor-Piaţa Unirii-Pantelimon M4: Gara de Nord-1 Mai Future Development The Bucharest Metro is currently in a period of renewal, mainly due to Romania's economic boom and increased foreign investment. In 2002, new high-quality trainsets were introduced, manufactured by Canadian maker Bombardier. They are air-conditioned and very modern in a technical sense. Metrorex, the operator of the Bucharest metro, plans to phase out all old vehicles by 2006, when the metro system will run entirely using these new Bombadier trainsets. Also, lines are being extended. Line M4 was opened as recently as 2000, and it is currently in the process of extension from 1 Mai to Pajura, in the city's north. Also, in 2004, a branch to Line M1 will be opened from Nicolae Grigorescu to Linia de Centură via Policolor. This will extend the network to 50 stations with 70.8 kilometres length. There is also a plan for line M5, which will run to the large district Drumul Taberei in the city's southwest from the city centre. Constructions on the line will start in 2006. As well as this, in the future, the Metro might be extended to the Henri Coandă International Airport, in the town of Otopeni and Băneasa Airport, which is currently only serviced by RATB bus. If you are travelling to Bucharest and would like a trip planner for the Metro, please visit http://nanika.net/metro and download the MetrO program by Patrice Bernard, along with the Bucharest city file. This excellent program will find the quickest way between two stations. RATB Surface Transport Despite many comments in the 1990s about the poor state of Bucharest's transport system, RATB is a reasonably efficient and a very frequent way to get around Bucharest. As with the Metro, the system is going under a period of renewal, making it one of the most modern and comfortable in Eastern Europe, especially with the introduction of new acoustic station announcement in the trolleybuses and the new Light Rail Service (41). RATB is the fourth biggest ground transportation network in Europe operating about 1.700.000 fares a day on 30 tram lines, 20 trolleybus lines and 101 bus lines. RATB operates buses on all major streets and avenues of Bucharest, its adverisment saying that you cannot be more than 5 minutes away from a bus stop. The system usually gets extremely crowded during peak hours, so if you plan to travel by RATB be prepared. Taxis Taxis, which are run by a variety of companies, are cheap and affordable and service all parts of the city. However, there are also a large number of less reliable taxi companies. Make sure your taxi has a posted rate per kilometer. CFR Trains Bucharest is served by a commuter railway network operated by CFR, the Romanian national railways. Although commuter trains no longer serve national routes, commuter train services are bad to say the least. "Personal" commuter trains are extremely slow (a 60 km route is completed in 2 hours), uncomfortable, sometimes filthy, and hard to come by for a foreigner. They are meant to service major factories and industrial platforms with workers, thus arriving at small obscure stations. Commuter trains currently run to Oltenita, Giurgiu, Urziceni, Lehliu Gara and Titu. These are not meant to be used for travelling for the whole route, but only from a close-by village to the city. There are also weekend trains from Bucharest to Snagov. There are no urban trains (similar to RER lines in Paris) in Bucharest. See also Căile Ferate Române Getting to and from Bucharest Air TAROM, the national air carrier, has good flights from a large variety of world cities, including Paris, Madrid, Munich and Rome, to Otopeni, the main international airport. Also, Angel Airlines, the new Romanian private airline, has domestic flights of good quality from Băneasa airport. See also TAROM, Angel Airlines, Henri Coanda Airport, Băneasa Train Main article:Căile Ferate Române Train services into and out of Romania are of very high quality, especially those trains that are operated by Romanian railways, Hungarian railways or Polish railways. There are quality EuroCity and EuroNight trains to Budapest via Arad, as well as to Belgrade via Timişoara.Quality Intercity and Rapid trains service all major cities in Romania. Tickets are inexpensive by Western standards. In contrast to these are the daily commuters trains (Personal) that are very slow, crowded and inconfortable. Avoid these at all cost. Sights & Landmarks Palatul Parlamentului The Palace of the Parliament was built by the communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu (then known as the Palace of the People) and it is the second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon. Palatul Parlamentului A House in Bucharest's Village Museum The Village Museum Established in 1936, the Village Museum is an open air ethnographical museum, extended on 10 hectares, containing 272 authentic buildings and peasant farms from all over Romania. Arcul de Triumf The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (1878), so that the victorious troops could march under it. Another temporary arch was built on the same site, after World War I. The current arch was built in 1935. Cişmigiu Gardens The Cişmigiu Gardens were built as a public garden in the center of Bucharest in 1847 after the plans of the German architect Carl F.W. Meyer. National Museum of Art See main article National Museum of Art of Romania. Located in the former royal palace, the museum features notable collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, as well as the international collection assembled by the Romanian royal family. The modern Romanian collection features sculptures by Constantin Brâncuşi and Dimitrie Paciurea. Museum of the Romanian Peasant See main article Museum of the Romanian Peasant A beautifully displayed collection of textiles (especially costumes), icons, ceramics, and other artifacts of Romanian peasant life. This institution received the "European Museum of the Year 1996" prize. Other landmarks The Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneu Român) The Museum of Romanian History The Museum of Art Collections Herăstrău Park, site of the Village Museum Botanical Garden University Square Lipscani area, including Manuc's Inn (Hanul lui Manuc) and the Old Court (Curtea Veche) Zambaccian Museum Theodor Pallady Museum Kretzulescu Palace Cotroceni Palace Obor Market (Piaţa Obor) See also a more comprehensive list of buildings in Bucharest. Shopping Supermarket chains Shopping in Bucharest is very affordable and of a considerably high quality. For food and necessities shopping, see Supermarkets in Romania. Shopping centers The biggest shopping centers in Bucharest are Cora http://www.cora.ro, Carrefour, Bucharest Mall and Unirea shopping center. Ethnic artifacts The Museum of the Romanian Peasant has a very notable store, offering artifacts such as textiles, musical instruments, and painted eggs. Education The first Romanian higher education institution was opened in 1694 (the Academy of Saint Sava), and in 1864 the Bucharest University was established; today there are 21 higher education institutes with nearly 100,000 students in the capital. Colleges and Universities Academia de Studii Economice Universitatea Bucureşti Universitatea Politehnica Bucureşti Sports Teams Football (soccer) FC Rapid FC Naţional FC Steaua FC Dinamo Sportul Studenţesc Notable Natives Mircea Albulescu Tudor Arghezi Vera Atkins Nicolae Balcescu Nicolae Cajal Henri Coandă Ion Duca Mircea Eliade Mircea Geoana John Houseman Panait Istrati Marin Karmitz Alex Kozinski Dinu Lipatti Gherasim Luca Gheorghe Marinescu Maia Morgenstern Adrian Nastase Ilie Năstase Nicolae Paulescu Edward G. Robinson George Toparceanu Corneliu Vadim Tudor Richard Wurmbrand Portrayal in film and fiction The American-produced Romanian-language documentary Children Underground (2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264476/ portrays the lives of homeless children in Bucharest. The Romanian-language film Filantropica ("Philanthropy", 2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314067/ gives a satiric portrayal of the city and of many strata of its life. The English-language film The Wild Dogs (2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290930/ gives a more uniformly bleak portrait of the city. External links Official sites Bucharest: Official administration site RATB (Public Transport Company) website City guides Travel information on Bucharest at Wikitravel In Your Pocket guide (also a downloadable PDF guide) Bucharest Travel Guide - locations tested and recommended FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucharest