Historical Timeline of Bucharest

There is evidence as early as the Palaeolithic Age that man appeared on the banks of Colentina and Dimboviţa. In the Neolithic there was a passing from the “house dug under the ground ” towards the surface one, made of wood and clay.

Until 1800 B.C.: the existence of man was noticed in a few places known today as neighborhoods Dudeşti, Lacul Tei, Bucureştii-Noi, Giulesti-Sarbi, Mihai-Voda etc

1800-800 B.C.: Diggings in the Lacul Tei neighborhood attest the traces of certain settlements, supposed to belong to the Bronze Era.

800-100 B.C.: Traces of several Getto-Dac settlements were found in the neighborhoods Herastrau, Radu-Voda, Damaroaia, Lacul Tei, Pantelimon, Dealul, Mihai-Voda and a supposed residence of Burebista in Popesti-Leordeni and Popesti-Novaci.

III-X centuries: A fee Dac, even Daco-Roman settlements discovered in Bucureştii Noi, Tei, Militari, as well as some tools, ceramic, adornment objects, coins found in Crangasi, Fundenii Doamnei, Baneasa, Straulesti prove that population existed here even after 271, that is after the retreat of the Roman administration and armies from Dacia.

X-XIII centuries: Vestiges from this period of crystallization of the feudal society were found in Curtea Veche, Baneasa, Ciurel, Damaroaia, Colentina.

20 September 1459: Vlad the Impaler, ruler of the Romanian Country, mentions the name Bucharest for the first time in an act confirming the property of certain noblemen.

14 October 1465: Radu the Handsome decides Bucharest will be one of the rulers’ residences in the Romanian Country.

1558-1559: At Curtea Veche the Ruler’s Church is built. This building of ruler Mircea Ciobanu is the oldest religious building in Bucharest which was kept in its original form.

1659: During the rule of Gheorghe Ghica, Bucharest becomes the capital of the Romanian Country.

1661: A first attempt to pave the streets with river rock is made on a segment of the Tirgului de Afara street (Calea Mosilor today).

1694: The Ruler’s Academy at Saint Sava is founded, as the first superior school in the Romanian Country.

1702: Constantin Brincoveanu builds, on the land of widow Mogos, the Mogosoaia palace, building of great architectural value. Today the Museum of Brincoveanu’s Feudal Art is hosted here.

1704: Mihai Cantacuzino builds the Coltea Hospital, the oldest building of this kind in Bucharest. After being damaged by a fire and an earthquake, it will be demolished and built again (The present building was built after 1888).

1720-1722: The great chancellor Iordache Cretulescu and his wife, Safta (one of ruler Brinconveanu’s daughters) build the Cretulescu Church

1724: The Stavropoleos Church, considered to be a jewel of religious architecture, is built.

1760-1782: Professional branches are attested for tailors, boot makers, “cavafi” (shoe and boot makers, who make inferior quality shoes), furriers, drapers, “salvaragii” (makers of broad, Turkish trousers, called “salvari”), “zabunari” (tailors who make “zabune”, long man coats, with or without sleeves, of wool or cotton, adorned with seams), “ilicari” (tailors who make “ilice”, that is singlets, usually of red or black clothing).

1765-1766: The first manufacture enterprises are founded, producing paper at Fundeni and drape at Pociovaliste.

1779: The first public water pumps are built in the city.

1798: 6,006 houses and 30,030 inhabitants are registered in the census.

1808: Manuc’s Inn is built. In 1812 The Bucharest Treaty between Russia and Turkey will be signed here.

1831: 10,000 houses and 60,587 inhabitants are registered in the census.

31 December 1852: The inaugural show of the recently built National Theatre takes place. It can host 1,000 spectators.

1854: The Cismigiu Garden is inaugurated, about which the German Ferdinand Lasalle wrote that: ”surpasses by far anything that Germany could show”.

1857: The first city in the world to introduce lamp gas illuminating. (This innovation will be introduced in Vienna as late as 1859)

1859: In February, after the unification of the two Principates, A.I. Cuza enters Bucharest, which will become the capital of the two unified Principates. The ruler establishes his residence in the Palcae at the Mogosoaia Bridge.

1859: The “Serban Voda” (Bellu) cemetery is founded. Great literature representatives rest here: Mihai Eminescu, George Cosbuc, Panait Cerna, Stefan Octavian Iosif, Panait Istrati, Petre Ispirescu, Emil Garleanu, Liviu Rebreanu, Mihail Sadoveanu, Nicolae Labis, Marin Preda, Nichita Stanescu, but also pilot Traian Vuia, constructor of the first plane in the world.

1860: Pavement of the streets begins with cubic rock instead of river rocks.

1866: The Academic Society is founded.

1868: The first concert of the Bucharest Philharmonic Society takes place.

1868: The Capsa House opens a restaurant and a confectionery, then in 1881 – among the first in Europe – and a coffee shop, all three places loved by Bucharest inhabitants.

1869: The Bucharest – Giurgiu railway is inaugurated, as well as Filaret Railway Station, the first railway in the capital (to become a motor coach station starting with 1960)

1869 (December): The Bucharest University is founded. At a previous stage, the building also hosts other institutions: The Senate, The Romanian Academy, The Central Library, The Fine Arts School etc.

1872: The first horse tramways (“tramcar”) track is put in use. It circulates between Gara de Nord / The Northern Railway Station – Calea Grivitei – Strada Luterana – The National Theatre – Piata Sfantul Gheorghe / The Saint George Square (after many decades of exploitation the last tramcars retire from circulation in 1929).

25 September 1872: Gara de Nord / The Northern Railway Station is founded (“Gara Tirgovistii” at that time), and the railway track Bucharest – Ploiesti is put in use.

1873: “Grand Hotel du Boulevard” (“Bulevard Hotel” today) opens. It is one of the oldest hotels in Bucharest.

1877: City population increases to 177,302.

1878: There are 31,303 houses in Bucharest. The frequency of the colors used is as follows: black, blue, yellow, green, red.

1880-1883: Dimboviţa’s course is arranged, its riverbed is deepened, its meadow is drained, so that a vast sewers network is put up to drain domestic and rain waters.

1882: Electric light is introduced: the first installation functions at the Royal Palace in Calea Victoriei, also feeding the Cotroceni Palace, the National Theatre and the Cismigiu Garden.

1884: The Universul newspaper is printed, the first big Romanian daily newspaper

1884: The first telephone exchange is installed with a number of 5 subscribers, ensuring the connection between the Parliament and the ministries.

1889: There are 12 bridges over Dimboviţa, out of which 7 made of rock and 5 made of iron.

1893: The Cotroceni Palace is built, surrounded by a park with rich vegetation. Today the Cotroceni National Museum also functions inside the palace.

1893: Foisorul de Foc (“The Fire Tower”) starts functioning. With a height of 30 meters, it is used as firemen post and regulating tank for the water-feeding network of the city. It functions as the National Firemen Museum since 1963.

1894: The first electric tramway starts functioning on the route Cotroceni Blvd – Obor, among the first in Europe.

1895: At the same time, two monumental buildings open their gates: The Palace of Justice – on Dimbovita’s bank and the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains – near the Coltea Hospital.

1900: The Post Office Palace opens at the end of this year. Today it is Romania’s National History Museum.

1906: Rome gives Bucharest the monument “Rome’s Bitch Wolf”, to be found today in Romana Square.

1908: The new building of the Natural History Museum “Grigore Antipa” opens officially. It still functions there presently.

1909: The first electric car with accumulators (made in Germany) is brought to Bucharest and it is used in goods transportation.

1909: Volta Cinema opens, with the first theatre arranged for cinematographic representations.

1914: The National Military Museum is founded. After successive moves, it establishes itself in the present building in 1986.

1925: The first bus line is inaugurated between Bariera Calarasi – Piata Sfantul Gheorghe.

1927: The automatic telephone exchange is put in use with a number of 3,000 subscribers.

1928: The Radio Broadcasting Station starts transmitting regularly on medium waves, and then later on short waves. Today, the Radio Station has a concert hall of 600 seats.

1933: An American company builds the Telephone palace in Calea Victoriei.

1935 – 1936: The Triumphant Arch is built of ferro-concrete and granite. It had been initially built of wood and stucco in 1922. The monument (27 meters high) is dedicated to the victories of the Romanian armies during World War I.

1936: Sociologist Dimitrie Gusti founds The Village Museum, one of the first ethnographic museum s in the world.

1936: The Herastrau Park is arranged. It has 187 hectares, a lake of 77 hectares, where aquatic sports can be practiced (The Village Museum is also inside the park). There is also a theatre park here with 2,800 seats, sports clubs and entertainment places for children.

1937: The construction of the Royal Palace is finished (it had started in 1930). The National Art Museum functions here today, including the national gallery, the universal gallery with the feudal art sections, graphics and the restoration workshop.

8 June 1938: The Television Pavilion opens in the National Park Carol II (Herastrau today), at the entrance from the Triumphant Arch. Broadcasts start at 19.00 hrs. Any visitor is allowed to transmit his/her voice and image on a screen, if they pay a certain fee. The equipment brought by Philips is “the most modern TV broadcast station in the world”.

1939: The Military Academy is inaugurated, with numerous rooms, an amphitheatre with 450 seats, a library etc.

1948: The Baneasa Airport begins its activity. The building has a characteristic ferro-concrete cupola and a very large made of glass hall, pointed towards the tracks, thus the taking off s and the passengers may see landings.

1949: The first trolley-bus railway connects The Victoriei Square to the Baneasa Race Course (today, here one finds the Free Press Building).

1950: The first cinematographic studio appears: Buftea, which was to be considered the largest and best equipped in all southeastern Europe. Its activity tightens it to the Capital.

1951: The Dinamo Stadium is inaugurated, with a 20,000 seat capacity.

1953: The “23 August “ Sports Grounds materializes. Today it is known as Lia Manoliu National Stadium and it provides: stalls for 80,000 spectators, a turf field, a running track, 21training fields, a lake , 2 swimming pools etc.

1954: The Romanian Opera opens. The house has a capacity of 1,200 seats. It is the most important lyrical theatre in the country, with an ample repertoire which includes the masterpieces of some of the greatest composers such as Verdi, Wagner, Enescu.

1955: The first Romanian bus is built in the Vulcan factories.

1956: The Popular Astronomic Observatory is inaugurated. Today it is known as “Amiral Vasile Urseanu“ Astronomic Observatory.

31 December 1956: The first black and white broadcasting in a country is made on the New Year’s Eve.

1957: The construction works to Casa Scânteii (began in 1952) were finished. Today it is known as the Free Press Building and hosts plenty publishing houses, editorial offices. Here used to be the largest printing industry in the country, which is now called “Coresi “S.A. National Printing Company.

1957: The Romanian Literature Museum offers the visitors a reach fund of manuscripts, documents, photographs, craftsmanship and memorial objects which illustrate the most meaningful moments in the history of Romanian Literature from its origins until now. In 1970 the museum was moved in its current building known as “Casa Scarlat Cretulescu“.

1960: Sala Palatului / The Palace Hall is inaugurated. The big hall has 3,000 seats (3,000 loudspeakers are installed on the back of the seats), and a modern, large stage.

1961: The biggest circus in the country, Globus Circus, starts its activity. It has a capacity of 2,500 seats and appendages for menagerie which is open to visitors.

1961: The first Romanian black and white television sets, ”Electronica “, are manufactured.

1964: The Cinematographic Studio “Animafilm“, specialized in animation pictures is founded.

1965: A transformed cinema theatre becomes the Tandarica Theatre on Victoriei Boulevard.

1967: Following the death of the great poet Tudor Arghezi, the house from Martisor Street becomes the “Tudor Arghezi” Memorial Museum.

1970: The Otopeni International Airport is founded at 17 km from Bucharest.

1970: The “Intercontinental” Hotel is built. It is the highest building in the capital, with 25 floors. It has 420 rooms and a huge underground garage.

1973: The National Theatre “I.L. Caragiale” is built. A fire (on the night of 16 / 17 August) completely destroys the Big Hall of the theatre, and so it needs rehabilitation works. The outside of the building is transformed between 1983-1984. The Big Hall (1,186 seats) has the best equipped stage in the country. The Amfiteatru Hall (400 seats) and the Atelier Hall (200-250 seats) offer various acting possibilities. The “Ion Dacian” Operetta functions in the Small Hall.

1974: The Palace of Sports and Culture (The Polyvalent Sports Hall) is put in use. It is the most important sports hall in the capital. There are 6,000 seats for sports competition, but on the occasion of some concerts the capacity can be increased to 8,000 seats.

1976: The Universal Store “Unirea” opens a line of modern stores.

1977: The Universal Store “Bucur Obor” opens, as the biggest commercial complex in the country at that time.

1979: The first subway line is inaugurated between the “Semanatoarea” and “ Timpuri Noi” factories.

1981-1988: More than 40,000 constructions, houses, administrative edifices, art and culture monuments, monasteries and churches, representing great values are demolished for the building of the new administrative centre (with the People’s House). The demolished area equals that of Venice.

1990: The Romanian Peasant’s Museum is founded in February. The result of museum preoccupations of over one century, it has approximately 150,000 documents and objects.

1991: The Cotroceni National Museum opens its gates in December. Besides the cellars and the mediaeval cells, there are also a few furnished rooms that can be visited, in the 19^th century style (The Royal Bedroom, The Norwegian Saloon etc), or rooms representing the pre-war period (the German living room, the Hunting Saloon, the Flowers’ Saloon, The Great Reception Saloon etc)

1994: The Bucharest City Hall establishes a new escutcheon.

1998: The capital’s area: 228 square kilometers, population:2,029,899 inhabitants.