Bucharest renews its Old Town

01/09/2006

Bucharest's Old Town, which managed to survive communist reforms with its character still intact, is set to undergo renovations that will modernise utilities, but maintain the architecture and personality of the area.

By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest -- 01/09/06

The programme aims to restore Old Bucharest. [Paul Ciocoiu]

After having fallen into oblivion for decades, Bucharest's Old Town -- the central area that escaped late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's modernisation plans -- will finally be restored. The restoration process will see its debut this fall and will become an important tourist attraction.

The restoration of the Old Town is the core objective of the project "A Beautiful Bucharest", initiated by the UN Programme in Romania, in partnership with Bucharest City Hall and the Romanian government. The project aims to rehabilitate over 300 historical buildings and conduct an archaeological study of the main streets. The project will also organise construction courses for the disabled, orphans and the Roma in order to provide temporary jobs during the restoration process.

Funding was provided by a number of supporters. The government allocated 6m euros, the EBRD provided a loan of 8m euros, the Dutch government gave a 1.8m-euro grant and the Bucharest City Hall supplied the rest.

Two foreign companies have submitted tenders for the construction contract -- Sedesa Obrasy Servicios SA from Spain and OPCA from Portugal. Both have said the project would be completed in 18 months.

At the kick-off ceremony, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu emphasised the need for the old buildings to regain their functionality and maintain their original look. "These buildings will contribute to Bucharest's redefinition as a capital with both a past and a present. We have to think of recreating and rebuilding the past, but also of building today's Bucharest," he said.

Old Town, or Lipscani, hosts invaluable historical vestiges that have defied time and communist urbanisation plans. The Princely court was the largest medieval ensemble in Walachica, and right next to it is Saint Anthony's church, built by Mircea Ciobanul in the mid-1500's. Other architectural monuments include the National Bank (built between 1883-1885), Stavropoleos Church (built in 1724), the Palace of the Savings Bank (1864), the famous restaurant The Beer Cart (1879) and the richly decorated building of the Fashion House (1881).