The Royal Palace () 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 o ...

, known as Palace of the Republic ( ro, Palatul Republicii, links=no, label=) between 1948 and 1990, is a monumental building situated in the capital of

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

, on

Calea Victoriei CALEA may refer to: *Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, an act by the US Congress to facilitate wiretapping of U.S. domestic telephone and Internet traffic *Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a private accredit ...

. The palace in its various incarnations served as official residence for the

kings of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

until 1947, when the communist regime was installed after Michael I of Romania's forced abdication. Since 1950 the palace hosts the National Museum of Art of Romania. The

Romanian royal family The Romanian royal family ( ro, Familia regală a României) was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Romania, a constitutional monarchy in Central-Eastern Europe. The kingdom existed from 1881, when Carol I of Romania was proclaimed king, unti ...

currently uses Elisabeta Palace as its official residence in Bucharest. Nowadays, the palace is used by the Romanian royal family just for different occasions. The palace is the largest and most significant royal residence in the country, containing emblematic official spaces such as the ''Throne Hall'', the ''Royal Dining Hall'' and the monumental ''Voivodes' Staircase''. An equestrian statue of the first king of Romania,

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

stands in the center of a large square in front of it, traditionally known as the "Palace Square" ( ro, Piața Palatului, links=no), but renamed "Revolution Square" after the

Romanian revolution of 1989 The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred ...

History

The old Royal Palace – Golescu Mansion (1812–1937)

Palatul Domnesc-Casa Golescu, 1866, JR Huber

Between 1812 and 1815, the Golescu Mansion was built at the place of the present Royal Palace. It belonged to

stolnic ''Stolnic'' was a ''boier'' (Romanian nobility) rank and the position at the court in the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The title approximately corresponds to seneschal and is borrowed from the Slavic title ''stolnik'' (from ...

Dinicu Golescu Dinicu Golescu (usual rendition of Constantin Radovici Golescu; 7 February 1777 – 5 October 1830), a member of the Golescu family of boyars, was a Wallachian Romanian man of letters, mostly noted for his travel writings and journalism. B ...

, a high-ranking aristocrat (

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, and later Romania, Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. Boyars were ...

). The house was built in

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

and had 25 rooms, a quite large house for the Bucharest of that era. In 1837, the Golescu Mansion became the official residence of Prince ('' Hospodar'') of

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 ...

, Alexandru II Ghica. From 1859 to 1866, the Prince (styled ''

Domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian word "''domn'' ...

'' after 1862) of the United Principalities of

and

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, used the Golescu Mansion as his official residence. In February 1866, Cuza was removed from the throne by a political coalition of Liberals and Conservatives (see " Monstrous coalition") and the German Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (who would rule as

) was invited to become ''Domnitor'' of the country, by then officially known as Romania. On 10 May 1866, Prince Carol arrived in

for the first time and the aristocrats offered him the Golescu Mansion as state residence. During his reign, King Carol somehow enlarged and optimised the Golescu Mansion, that was neither large enough, nor presented the appropriate spaces or the required monumentality for official royal duties. After gaining its independence from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

in the Russo-Turkish War, Romania was proclaimed a kingdom in 1881, with the mansion now serving as Royal Palace. In 1926, a fire destroyed the main building of the old Royal Palace. The royal family then used Cotroceni Palace as its official residence in Bucharest (Cotroceni was built by King Carol I as a residence for the young couple Ferdinand and Maria, during their tenure as Crown Princes). Since a total renovation was necessary, the remains of the old palace were demolished during the ample reconstruction performed in 1936–1937.

The new Royal Palace (1937–47)

The new Royal Palace, as it stands today, was erected in 1936–1937 under the direct supervision of Queen Marie and her son, King Carol II. The architect of the building was Nicolae Nenciulescu. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a complete rebuild of the palace's place was planned, in order to underline the Royal Palace's full monumentality, but this architectural project was never completed. Until 24 August 1944, a villa, called '' Casa Nouă'' ("The New House"), existed behind the Royal Palace, on the site occupied nowadays by the

Sala Palatului ''Sala Palatului'' (Palace Hall) in Bucharest, Romania is a conference centre and concert hall immediately behind the National Museum of Art of Romania, the former royal palace in the heart of the city. It was built between 1959 and 1960, during ...

concert hall. This was the house in which the royal family actually lived, since the new Royal Palace contained mainly official, large spaces. An alley existed between ''Casa Nouă'' and the palace, requiring visitors to go outdoor when passing from one to the other. It is this villa where the arrest of Marshall

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who mad ...

took place in the afternoon of 23 August 1944, during the coup led by King Michael that overthrew the pro-Nazi regime of Antonescu and resulted in Romania's switching sides to the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. The following day, a retaliation bombardment performed by the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

completely destroyed ''Casa Nouă'' and seriously affected the Royal Palace. After 24 August 1944, with the Royal Palace made uninhabitable by the German bombardment and Cotroceni Palace still not recovered after the disastrous earthquake on 10 November 1940, the Romanian royal family missed again a functional Bucharest residence. King Michael asked his aunt, Princess Elisabeta of Romania, former Queen Consort of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, to allow the court to use her villa in Herăstrău Park (nowadays known as the Elisabeta Palace). The Elisabeta Palace would serve as the residence of the royal family until 1947, when Michael I was forced to abdicate and left in exile, and again after 1997, when the family was returned several former properties. In 1945, the Throne Hall in the Royal Palace was superficially repaired, in a hurry, to host the ceremony of decoration for King Michael I, by the Soviets. They awarded the King the

Order of Victory The Order of Victory (russian: Орден «Победа», translit=Orden "Pobeda") was the highest military decoration awarded for World War II service in the Soviet Union, and one of the rarest orders in the world. The order was awarded only ...

, their highest military decoration, for his merit in the 1944 coup. For the same reason, the King was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

at highest degree (Chief Commander) by U.S. president Harry S. Truman, a year later.

The Royal Palace during the Communist regime (1947–89)

During communist rule, the Royal Palace in Bucharest was used to host the National Museum of Art of Romania. The Throne Hall in the palace was renamed as "Sala Consiliului de Stat" ("The Hall of the State's Council") and used by subsequent leaders of Romania – such as

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He ...

– for various political events. During that era, all symbols reminding of the monarchy, such as the throne armchair itself, the great royal coat of arms on the walls and others, were removed. In 1965, the Hall of the State's Council was used for the lying-in-state of deceased leader

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (; 8 November 1901 – 19 March 1965) was a Romanian communist politician and electrician. He was the first Communist leader of Romania from 1947 to 1965, serving as first secretary of the Romanian Communist Part ...

, with Romanian people encouraged to pay the last respects.

The Royal Palace after the Romanian Revolution of 1989

After its anti-Communist Revolution of 1989, Romania remained under a

republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

an government and the former Royal Palace continued to host the National Museum of Art. During the events in December 1989, with violent armed confrontations on the streets, the palace was again seriously damaged and partially burnt, the art works of the National Museum inside it being put at great risk. The main halls in the Royal Palace were generally restored after the regime change – with the most ample restoration work completed in 2013 – and are now opened to tourists, on periodic appointments. After the Romanian Revolution, former King Michael and his wife, Anne, were allowed for a first visit in the country in April 1992 (despite their attempts to do that immediately after the events). The two-day visit was a historical event, with the monarchist press claiming more than one million people were cheering the King in the streets. After that, the Romanian post-Communist authorities denied him a second visit – until 1997; then, a newly installed government under Victor Ciorbea abolished the Communist decree which banned the King's Romanian citizenship, effectively allowing him to regain ID documents and free pass throughout the country. In August 2016, the coffin of Anne, King Michael's spouse, was laid in the Throne Hall for two days, before her burial in

Curtea de Argeș Curtea de Argeș () is a municipality in Romania on the left bank of the river Argeș, where it flows through a valley of the Southern Carpathians (the Făgăraș Mountains), on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part ...

, with thousands of Romanians paying homages.

Image gallery

File:Palatul Domnesc-Casa Golescu, 1866, JR Huber.jpg, The Golescu Mansion. File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F016198-04, Bukarest, Königsschloss.jpg, The Royal Palace in

during the summer of 1941. In front of the palace stands the King Carol I equestrian statue, by

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

n sculptor Ivan Meštrović. File:Muzeul National de Arta, Bucuresti.jpg, The Royal Palace in

. File:Bucharest - Palace before dawn 01.jpg, The façade of the Royal Palace in Bucharest (left wing, near Athenee Palace Hilton Hotel), photographed before dawn. File:Bucuresti, Romania, Palatul Regal (Muzeul National de Arta al Romaniei - Pavilionul Sala Tronului - Sala Tronului interior 1 ); B-II-m-A-19856.JPG, The Throne Hall, restored after 1989. The Royal Coat of Arms of Romania, middle version, is seen at center, with pictures of

King Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

(left) and King Ferdinand I (right). File:Bucuresti, Romania, Palatul Regal (Muzeul National de Arta al Romaniei - Pavilionul Sala Tronului - Sala Tronului - interior 7 - plafon ); B-II-m-A-19856.JPG, Ceiling details in the Throne Hall. File:Bucuresti, Romania, Palatul Regal (Muzeul National de Arta al Romaniei - Pavilionul Sala Tronului - interior 21 ); B-II-m-A-19856.JPG, Entering The Voivodes' Staircase at first floor. File:Bucuresti, Romania, Palatul Regal (Muzeul National de Arta al Romaniei - Pavilionul Sala Tronului - interior 2 ); B-II-m-A-19856.JPG, The Royal Dining Room, ground floor. File:A plaque on the wall of Royal Palace of Bucharest - detail.jpg File:A plaque on the wall of Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The porch roof of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The gate of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The Romanian Royal Coat of Arms, medium variant, at the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:A latch of one of the entrances in the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The pavement in the courtyard of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The main façade of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg File:The Royal Cypher of King Carol II of Romania on the porch roof of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg

External references

The official site of the Royal Family of Romania
(Romanian)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Palace of Bucharest Palaces in Bucharest Royal residences in Romania Calea Victoriei Buildings and structures in Bucharest Historic monuments in Bucharest