Lipscani is a street and a district of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

, which from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century was the most important commercial area of the city and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

. It is located near the ruins of the old Princely Court built by

Vlad III the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...

History

It was named after

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

(''Lipsca'' in 17th century Romanian), as that was the origin of many of the wares that could be found on the main street. The word ''lipscan'' (singular of ''lipscani'') meant trader who brought his wares from

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. All trades were found in the area, including

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

s, hatters,

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

s, tanners, saddlemakers, etc., many

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

s (or ''isnafuri'') having their own street: even nowadays, the nearby streets bear the name of a trade (''Blănari'' = ''Furriers'' street, ''Șelari'' = ''Saddlemakers'' street, etc.). During the Communist period, the whole area was scheduled to be demolished, but this never came to fruition. The district became neglected, but nowadays is the most attractive area for tourists of all Bucharest. As of 2013, many of the buildings were restored. In the early 21st century, much of the district has been transformed into a pedestrian zone. Known mainly for its restaurants and bars, including the Caru' cu Bere, a few shops, that feel out of place such as H&M, Adidas and Yves Rocher, have begun to appear in the area, slowly turning Lipscani into a commercial shopping district as well. One should pay attention to the architecture, the mix of neglected buildings and coquette facades but also to the uneven pavement. Even without high heels one risks to trip. File:Flickr - fusion-of-horizons - Stavropoleos (254).jpg, Carul cu Bere and Stavropoleos Church in the distance File:Curtea Veche 1.jpg, Monument to

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most im ...

inside the Old Court File:RO B Manuc Inn inside.jpg, Manuc's Inn File:RO B - Banca Națională a României, corp vechi.jpg,

National Bank of Romania The National Bank of Romania ( ro, Banca Națională a României, BNR) is the central bank of Romania and was established in April 1880. Its headquarters are located in the capital city of Bucharest. The National Bank of Romania is responsible ...

(old building) File:Bucuresti, Romania, Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse (3); B-II-a-A-19837.JPG, Macca-Villacrosse Passage File:Strada Covaci.jpg, Covaci Street

References

Districts of Bucharest Streets in Bucharest Historic monuments in Bucharest Pedestrian malls Lipscani {{Romania-road-stub

History

See also

References