2013-10-04-Bucharest, Romania-Monastery, The Old Town...

2013-10-04-Bucharest, Romania-Monastery, The Old Town and the Philharmonic

By ThomasCarroll235
Oct 23, 2014
192 Photos

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ThomasCarroll235

2013-10-04-Bucharest, Romania-Monastery, The Old Town and the Philharmonic

Oct 23, 2014
192 Photos

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Approaching Snagov Monastery

Fruit trees surrounding Snagov Monastery

The woman who tends the monastery's livestock

This friendly turkey followed us around the monastery grounds

Snagov Monastery Gate

Snagov Monastery

Learning from our guide-Snagov Manastery

Snagov Monastery Church

Snagov Monastery Church-Orthodox Cross

Snagov Monastery Grounds

Snagov Monastery-Rich wood Orthodox Cross (It is interesting that this Romanian Orthodox Church has a Russian Orthodox motif. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, the lower beam of the cross is slanted: the side to Christ's right is usually higher. This is because the footrest slants upward toward penitent thief St. Dismas, who was crucified on Jesus' right, and downward toward impenitent thief Gestas. The earliest version of a slanted footstool can be found in Jerusalem, but throughout the Eastern Christian world until the 17th century, the footstool is slanted the other way, pointing upwards rather than downwards, making the downward footstool a Russian innovation. In the Greek and most other Orthodox Churches, the footrest remains straight.)

Kids on a field trip-Snagov Monastery grounds

Detail-Snagov Monastery Church

Detail-Snagov Monastery Church (The brickwork was likely once covered with paster and frescoes)

Snagov Monastery Grounds

Chatting with our guide on the monastery grounds

Snagov Monastery Church

Check the little dude with the red hat

Snagov Monastery Church

Snagov Monastery Gate

Autumn colors at Snagov Monastery

Snagov Monastery Grounds

Boathouses on Lake Snagov

Lake Snagov (A very large lake about 25–30 km from Bucharest, with a maximum length of 16 kilometers and maximum width of 600 meters.)

Snagov Lake Boathouses

The pedestrian causeway to the island home of Snagov Monastery (The gypsies hate this because before its construction they'd shake down tourists for large fees for boat rides to the island.)

The Arc de Triomphe (1936), Bucharest (On Kiseleff Boulevard, the main access route to Bucharest, the visitor encounters a meaningful monument, the Bucharest Arc de Triomphe. It was erected in 1922 to celebrate the Romanian army’s victories in WWI and the Great Unification of 1918. King Ferdinand and Queen Maria of Romania, accompanied by General Berthelot and the suite, were enthusiastically received by the people while they made their triumphal entry in Bucharest a day after the coronation ceremony as King and Queen of Reunited Romania took place at Alba Iulia (Transylvania), passing beneath the Arc. Temporarily, the arch was made of wood and stucco, and a few years later it was replaced by the stone arch we can see today. On the South façade there are two bronze medallions featuring King Ferdinand and Queen Maria.)

Detail-The Arc de Triomphe, Bucharest

Detail-The Arc de Triomphe (1936), Bucharest

King Carol I University Foundation Library (The statue of King Carol I stands proudly in the middle of the Palace Square, in front of the beautiful building bearing on the frontispiece the King’s name: “Fundatiunea Universitara Carol I”, “Carol I University Foundation”. Preoccupied with increasing the quality of education at all levels, in 1891, with the occasion of 25 years of his reign, King Carol I decided to create a library to be used by university students. “Choosing Ourselves the place of the future building, We wanted it to rise close to Our residence, under Our eyes and protection” The King and the Queen personally donated a large part of the initial book endowment of the library.)

King Carol I University Foundation Library

Old Town, Bucharest

Laurie and Georgia at large in Bucharest

Shopping arcade, Bucharest

Shopping arcade, Bucharest

Shopping arcade, Bucharest

Egyptian curios shop, Bucharest

The National Bank of Romania

The National Bank of Romania (The National Bank of Romania (Romanian: Banca Națională a României, BNR) is the central bank of Romania and was established in April 1880. Its headquarters are located in the capital city of Bucharest.

The National Bank of Romania is responsible for the issue of the Romanian leu and as such it sets the monetary policy, holds the currency reserves and manages the exchange rate.)

National Bank of Romania (The head office of the National Bank of Romania with the view of Lipscani Street is one of the most imposing and massive bank edifices in Romania, nowadays a historic, art monument, and protected as such. It was erected on the former site of the inn built by Șerban Cantacuzino (1678-1688).

On 26 February 1882, architects Cassien Bernard and Albert Galleron were assigned the task to blueprint the BNR Palace. The construction of the building in the eclectic style of the late 19th century, with some neo-classical elements, proceeded between 12 July 1884 (when the foundation stone was laid) and June 1890 under the direction of the architect engineer Nicolae Cerchez assisted by architect E. Băicoianu.)

Detail-National Bank of Romania

Old town, Bucharest

Restoration needed-Old Town, Bucharest

Man Hole Cover, Old Town, Bucharest

With our guide in Old Town

Old Town-Gradually being restored

Old Town resident

The Old Court Princely Church (1554) (The Old Court Church (1554) was part of the adjacent Princely Court, to which it was connected by a vaulted passage, and served for coronation ceremonies as well as worship place for Wallachian Princes for two hundred years. Fires and earthquakes, and invasions of Turks and Tatars struck many times the Princely Court and the surrounding area. Still The Old Court church survived, being considered the oldest one preserved in its original form in Bucharest.)

The Old Court Princely Church (1554) (The church is among the few remaining examples of the old Wallachian ecclesiastical architecture of Byzantine origin (see also Mihai Voda church), whose essential features, specific to the Balkan region, are small dimensions, three-apsed plan, tall and slender towers, simple exterior contrasting with the rich frescoed decoration of the interior, stone carved window frames. The decoration of the façade is typically provided by white and red strips made of visible bricks alternating with plaster. It is remarkable the decorative effect full of refinement achieved through simple means such as the alternation of the colors and the arrangement of the bricks.)

Hanul lui Manuc – Manuc’s Inn (1802) (The inn was built by the Armenian Emanuel Mârzaian, nicknamed by Turks “Manuc Bey”, a grain merchant, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Balkans in his times. Very clever and intelligent, speaking a dozen languages to perfection, Manuc was involved in both political and love intrigues being a real novel character. The ambitious merchant bought a piece of land that had been part of the Princely Court and decided to build a large inn that he wanted to differ from the existing ones, which were much more austere in appearance. Particularly distinguishing Manuc’s Inn, and conferring it the open and welcoming look, are the arcaded open galleries running around the courtyard on both levels. The arched arcades supported by carved wooden pillars originate in the rural Wallachian domestic architecture, and where quite common in Bucharest up to the half of the 19th century.)

Hanul lui Manuc – Manuc’s Inn (1802) (Once inside the large courtyard, one can easily imagine the tilt carts and the “mixture of costumes, merchants arrived from everywhere, townspeople, clergy, peasants and gypsies, all moving around, talking, negotiating, dealing, arguing“.)

Hanul lui Manuc – Manuc’s Inn (1802) (The glazed veranda above the entry gate, an architectural element widely spread in the Balkan-Ottoman influence area, is the finest of such original structures in the city. Manuc’s Inn is the only shingle-roofed building in central Bucharest -once very common, this type of roof was forbidden by the City Hall after the Big Fire of 1847.

Re-opened and brightly refurbished, Manuc’s Inn is considered “the last caravansary of South Eastern Europe”.)

Hanul lui Manuc – Manuc’s Inn

A Romanian woman

The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Interior-The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Interior-The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Interior-The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Interior-The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Interior-The Old Court Princely Church (1554)

Mosaic Detail-The Old Court Princely Church

Ornate Brickwork Detail-The Old Court Princely Church

Detail-The Old Court Princely Church

Remains of the Old Princely Court

The Old Princely Court (The Princely Court and its surroundings represent the original heart of the city. The settlement of the Prince and his court in the citadel on the banks of the Dambovita river triggered population growth and caused by the presence of the Prince and his family, the accompanying boyars and their families and attendants. (A boyars was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes from the 10th century to the 17th century). Consequently, merchants and craftsmen settled nearby, and thus the Princely Court became the nucleus around which Bucharest grew and developed.)

The Old Princely Court-Bust of Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476/77), was a member of the House of Drăculești, a branch of the House of Basarab, also known, using his patronymic, as (Vlad) Drăculea or (Vlad) Dracula. He was posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. His father, Vlad II Dracul, was a member of the Order of the Dragon, which was founded to protect Christianity in Eastern Europe. Vlad III is revered as a folk hero in Romania as well as other parts of Europe for his protection of the Romanian population both south and north of the Danube. A significant number of Romanian and Bulgarian common folk and remaining boyars (nobles) moved north of the Danube to Wallachia, recognized his leadership and settled there following his raids on the Ottomans.)

Old Town Bucharest-Buildings under renovation

The Old Princely Court (The oldest princely residence in Bucharest was most probably founded in the late 14th century, but the first recorded document about a fortress (or a princely palace) in this place is dated September 20, 1459, issued by Prince Vlad III Dracula -the terrible prince commonly referred to as Tepes, “The Impaler”, whose bust today watches over the vestiges of his palace.)

Vagabonds at the Old Princely Court (Due to frequent changes of Princes, and to the preference shown by some of them to the former voivodal residence Targoviste, the princely palace of Bucharest remained rather neglected until the reign of Matei Basarab, who at the mid 17th century rebuilt it entirely, transforming it into “an amazingly elegant building with a delightful aspect”. Prince Constantin Brancoveanu later repaired and embellished it, paying a special attention to the gardens. The Court, which included the palace, the church, princely chancelleries, treasury, reception halls and famous gardens, stretched over a much larger area, eastward reaching as far as Calea Mosilor and Baratiei street.)

The Old Court Princely Church

Lunch at the Elephant Pub, Old Town Bucharest

Lunch at the Elephant Pub, Old Town Bucharest

Elephant Pub, Old Town, Bucharest

Lunch at the Elephant Pub, Old Town Bucharest

Street harpist, Bucharest

Communist era apartment building, Bucharest

Museum of the History of the Romanian Jewish Communities (The Museum of the Romanian Jewish Communities is housed in a former worship place, “The Holy Union” (“Unirea Sfanta”) Temple, previously the Taylors’ Great Synagogue, built a century and a half ago and rebuilt in the first decade of the 20th century. Set up as a museum of Jewish communities in Romania in 1978, in the “dark period” of the communist totalitarian regime, the building was spared the fate of the neighbourhood, which was much damaged during the 1980s demolitions. The numerous exhibits largely reflect the life and culture of the Romanian Jewish communities, while highlighting their contribution to modern Romania’s economy and culture. On display are objects of synagogal art (Torah ornaments, candlesticks, Hanukkah candle holders, textiles) and ritual artifacts, models of old synagogues, some of them vanished, archive photos, valuable paintings and drawings. This museum is the sole history museum of an ethnic minority in Bucharest.)

The former Holy Union (“Unirea Sfanta”) Temple (We hustled over to visit this museum of Jewish culture in Romania but, sadly, it was closed and locked and we could only view the exterior.)

Museum of the History of the Romanian Jewish Communities

Detail-Museum of the History of the Romanian Jewish Communities

Detail-Museum of the History of the Romanian Jewish Communities

Old apartment building, Bucharest

Florist, Bucharest

Orthodox Church, Bucharest

Bărăția Catholic Church, Bucharest (A Catholic church was mentioned by in documents ever since 1578. In 1637, Voyevode Matei Basarab contributed to the building of a Catholic church in Bucharest, at a time when religious wars flourished in Europe. The church was destroyed by subsequent fires and earthquakes, but it was always rebuilt and restored. Bărăția Tower was built in 1813, with a square shape reminding of Gothic church steeples. In 1833, on the site of the old church, a Franciscan monastery was built. Both the church and the tower were restored after the great earthquake of 1847. The current appearance of the church dates to a 1930's restoration while the tower took its current appearance from an 1860s restoration.)

Tower-Bărăția Catholic Church, Bucharest

Tower-Bărăția Catholic Church, Bucharest

Old Town, Bucharest

Sparks flying in Old Town, Bucharest

Old Town, Bucharest

Georgia, Old Town

Looks a bit like Vlad the Impaler

The Savings Bank Palace (1900)

Religious Icon Store

Pedestrian in Old Town

Followed by her loyal hound

At large in Bucharest

At large in Bucharest

The Officers’ Circle Palace (1911-1923) (The Officers’ Circle Palace is today the central cultural institution of the Romanian army. The sumptuous interiors are currently used for various cultural events, book launches, painting exhibitions, art auctions and for representation and protocol purposes.)

The Officers’ Circle Palace (1911-1923) (The Officers’ Circle Palace is today the central cultural institution of the Romanian army. The sumptuous interiors are currently used for various cultural events, book launches, painting exhibitions, art auctions and for representation and protocol purposes.)

Romanian Policeman

On patrol in Bucharest

The Odeon Theater (The Odeon Theatre theatre in Bucharest, Romania, located on Calea Victoriei, and is one of the best-known performing arts venues in Bucharest. In 1990, after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the theatre changed its name from Giuleşti to Odeon. In 1993, it won the Romanian Theatre of the Year Award.

The theatre was built in 1911, and previously housed the Comedy Theatre of the Romanian National Theatre.)

Ataturk, Father of Modern Turkey

Revolution Square, Bucharest

Carol I Royal Foundation Palace (1891-1893, enlarged 1914) (The statue of King Carol I stands proudly in the middle of the Palace Square, in front of the beautiful building bearing on the frontispiece the King’s name: “Fundatiunea Universitara Carol I”, “Carol I University Foundation”. Preoccupied with increasing the quality of education at all levels, in 1891, with the occasion of 25 years of his reign, King Carol I decided to create a library to be used by university students. “Choosing ourselves the place of the future building, We wanted it to rise close to our residence, under our eyes and protection” The King revealed in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister.The King and the Queen personally donated a large part of the initial book endowment of the library.

The Library was heavily damaged during the events of the December 1989 Revolution, when the roof was engulfed by fire.)

Equestrian statue of King Carol I

Carol I Royal Foundation Palace (1891-1893, enlarged 1914)

Unusual structure, Bucharest

Detail-Romanian Atheneum (Philharmonic Hall)

Detail-Romanian Atheneum

Honoring our countryman-Romanian Atheneum

Detail-Romanian Atheneum

Detail-Romanian Atheneum-Vlad the Jmpaler

Detail-Romanian Atheneum -King Carol I

George Enescu (George Enescu (19 August 1881 – 4 May 1955) was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, and teacher, regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and Romania's most important musician.)

Old Apartment Building near the Atheneum

Old Apartment Building near the Atheneum

Getting ready for the evening concert at the Atheneum

Buying tickets for the evening concert at the Atheneum

Buying tickets for the evening concert at the Atheneum

Paul banished to the corner with a woolen dunce cap

Paul being Paul

Ticket purchase at the Atheneum

Musicians gather outside the Atheneum

Outside the Atheneum

Revolution Square, Bucharest

The library of the University of Bucharest

Tasty Romanian Soups-Elephant Pub, Old Town, Bucharest

Lunch at the Elephant Pub, Old Town Bucharest

Lunch at the Elephant Pub, Old Town Bucharest

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail-Romanian Ateheum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Historical mural-Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Attending a concert at the Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail- Romanian Atheneum

Interior-Romanian Atheneum

Historical mural-Romanian Atheneum

The Philharmonica George Enescu (The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra is a musical institution located in Bucharest, Romania. Founded in 1868, under the supervision of Eduard Wachman, the Romanian Philharmonic Society had as its purpose the creation of a permanent symphonic orchestra in Bucharest. By December of the same year, its first concert took place. After the palace of the Romanian Athenaeum was inaugurated on March 5, 1889, the concerts of the society started to take place in that location, as they do to this day.)

The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra

Interior detail-Romanian Ateheum

The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra at the Romanian Atheneum

Interior detail-Romanian Ateheum

Maestro Yuri Simonov of Russia, guest conductor of today's performance (Yuri Ivanovich Simonov (born March 4, 1941 in Saratov, Soviet Union) is a Russian conductor.
He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory under Nikolai Rabinovich. He is currently director of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, where his witty and virtuosic technique has captured wide attention.)

Maestro Yuri Simonov of Russia, guest conductor of today's performance

The Radison Atrium

The evening ends at the Radison's Blue Bar

The evening ends at the Radison's Blue Bar

The evening ends at the Radison's Blue Bar

The evening ends at the Radison's Blue Bar

Bob is riveted as Paul holds court at the Blue Bar

Romanian firewater

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