ROMANIAN ATHENAEUM

HOUSE OF ENESCU FESTIVAL IN

BUCHAREST

HOW THE ROMANIAN ATHENAEUM WAS BUILT

Romanian Athenaeum is one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest and cultural center and also host for GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL. Learn more about ENESCU FESTIVAL 2019 TICKETS HERE! In 1873 there was a Society called The Romanian Cultural Society Athenaeum whose members decided they needed a headquarters. Thus, there had been a public subscription under the motto Give one leu for the Athenaeum.

HISTORY OF THE ROMANIAN ATHENAEUM

In 1886, authorities bought the land where the future Athenaeum was to be built. This is how the history of the Romanian Athenaeum begins.  The French architect Albert Galleron and the Romanian architects Grigore Cerchez, Alexandru Orascu, Ion Mincu and I.N. Socolescu started the project. Works began in 1886 and were finished in 1889. It was built in neoclassical style, it has a Greek temple elements but also French decorations from the end of the 19th century. A circus was on the land of the nowadays Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. The entrance has 6 Greek columns, the dome is Baroque style, 41 meters high.

THE ATHENAEUM AT WAR

The interior of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest includes exhibits rooms, concert halls and conferences halls. 12 Greek columns sustain one of the main halls, the Rotonda. 4 monumental stairs start from here, imitating Carrara marble, made by the famous architect, Carol Stork. The honor stairs also starts from here. The great circular hall is 16 meters high, 28,50 meters in diameter and 784 seats capacity. There is also an ensemble of 75 meters long and 3 meters high of paintings, made in al fresco style, representing 25 scenes from Romania’s history. In 1944, during the war the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest was devastated by German and American bombs but it was rebuilt in 1945.

EVENTS HOUSED BY THE ATHENAEUM

The Romanian Athanaeum housed the ratification of the Great Unification in December 1st, 1919 by the first Parliament of Great Romania, and amazing concerts. Musicians like George Enescu, Dinu Lipatti, Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel, Yehudi Menuhin held concerts here. Was also witness to Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime ending in 1989 in REVOLUTION SQUARE nearby. Historians, politicians, writers, even Nobel Prize winners held conferences in the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, like Orhan Pamuk, in 2008, or Herta Muller in 2010. Other great concerts can be found at the OPERA. One ought not to miss events housed here.
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