I only spent 21 hours in Bucharest on my last trip, but there were several things I appreciated about the city that warrant a future visit. I’ve compiled the photo essay below from my walk around Bucharest.
Bucharest, Romania Photo Essay
Walking through Bucharest, you see at least three distinct forms of architecture, often side-by-side. While perhaps an imprecise distinction, you see classical, Soviet, and modern styles packed into a dense city with a rich history dating back to 1459.
The city is dotted with cafés and restaurants and government ministries and museums rise up around apartment buildings and places of work. There are some rough edges: graffiti and crumbling buildings, but there is also the sights and sounds of new construction just about everywhere you look.
What struck me most was a tribute to the Holocaust. It was not just Nazis who implemented pogroms to destroy Jews: Romania has blood on its hand. But Romania does not hide from it, as Turkey hides from its systematic attempts to wipe out the Armenian population. And that is refreshing, even while absolutely sobering at the same time.
I wanted to visit the Museum of Communism in Bucharest, but it is closed on Wednesdays, the day I was there. Next time in Bucharest, I certainly want to visit this museum, as this period of Romanian history I find most interesting.
In short, a day does not do this city justice. I’ll need to return.
In your next visit don’t forget to add a stop to Sighet Prison. It will complement the tour of Museum of Communism.
You need to invest in a real camera or at least use a mobile phone camera capable of shooting in raw format and then correcting for things like perspective distortion. Also, keeping your camera level would improve some of those shots. You have a good eye, but your technique needs improvement.
For years I toted around a Canon DSLR with a pair of nice lenses…but it’s too much trouble and a bigger camera arouses suspicion on airplanes. I know my pictures are amateur, but I’m going to stick to the iPhone.
I’ve been to Romania a few times and always enjoyed myself, but I’ve never been to Bucharest. The city really doesn’t have a great reputation. While I generally enjoy your photo essays, this one really didn’t change my perception of Bucharest. What makes you speak so highly of the city? I seem to be missing it.
That just sounds like a you problem mate
The Romanian kingdom ended up taken over by the fascist Iron Guard and Marshal Antonescu and they signed up the country to be part of the Axis and one with the Nazis in every despicable way possible. The treasonous right wing in the country were — whether they knew it or not — also selling the country out to Russia/the Soviets over the longer term. But they were all in on doing to Romanian Jews, Roma and other minorities that which would make them indistinguishable from the Nazis at the time.
I messed that up. The Iron Guard was a thorn to Antonescu, but both the Iron Guard and Antonescu were backed by Nazi Germany at the same time.
My suggestion….don’t just stay in Bucharest. There is so much more to see in all parts of Romania. After almost 20 yrs I still have not found all of Romanias treasures