Bucharest Travel Guide
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About Bucharest
Bucharest (Romanian: București [bukuˈreʃtʲ] ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.71 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 2.33 million residents, which makes Bucharest the fifteenth-largest city in Europe. The city has an area of 239 km2 (92 sq mi), while the metropolitan area covers 1,803 km2 (696 sq mi). The city proper is administratively known as the "Municipality of Bucharest" (Romanian: Municipiul București), and has the same administrative level as that of a national county, being further subdivided into six sectors, each governed by a local mayor. Bucharest is a major cultural, political and economic hub, the country's seat of government, and the capital of the Muntenia region. It is an enclave completely surrounded by Ilfov County. Bucharest was first mentioned in 1459, and became a centre of Wallachian commerce and governance in the 16th and 17th centuries. The city became the capital of the Romanian United Principalities in 1862, and boomed after the 1881 founding of the Romanian Kingdom. In the following decades, the city became known for its cosmopolitanism and eclectic architecture, being nicknamed "Paris of the East".
Bucharest fun facts
- Bucharest's Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building on Earth, weighing over 700,000 tons.
- The underground tunnel system beneath Bucharest is said to be haunted by communist-era prisoners who never left.
- The Antim Monastery claims to have holy water that cures headaches when drunk at midnight.
- The 'traditional' Romanian restaurants in Lipscani charge tourists €30 for meals that cost locals €8.