Bucharest is the capital of Romania. It is sometimes called The Paris of The East because of its grand buildings, arts and long, wide boulevards. Layered over its grandeur from the “belle-epoch”, the decades-long Communist period under hard line ruler Nicolae Ceaușescu saw the addition of architecture from the Socialist Realist style.
Ceaușescu had grand plans to turn Bucharest into a Socialist showpiece, in the vein of North Korea, and buildings like the Palace of the Parliament are part of the vision. Have a look at our story from our few days here to see what all of this looks like today.
Bucharest, Romania
January 2023
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2 Comments
A wonderfully enlightening sway as always. When you were doing your guided tour of the palace, did they say how Ceausescu is viewed within a modern context? Is it with hatred? (There was clearly plenty directed his way in 1989, with good reason). Is he viewed as a madman? (His opulence reflects a Nero-like craze). Is it with a detached indifference? (“It was 35 years ago – we’ve moved on!”)
It’s hard to get a good insight into current attitudes to that era from such a fleeting visit. People certainly aren’t indifferent, but there is a sense of detachment. 35 years means that a whole new generation has no direct experience of Communism.
What does come through brings to mind Orwell’s line about Communism in Animal Farm, where everyone one is equal, except some are more equal than others. Our guides on the tours of the Palace of the Parliament and the Villa each made remarks about the entire thing being the product of Ceausescu’s narcissism and the predilection of Communist regimes for displays of grandeur to demonstrate the superiority of their system. When we were at the King’s Lodge, I said to one of the Romanian guests that Bucharest has a lot of long, wide boulevards, and they replied that “the Communists loved their parades”.