The CEC Palace () in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, built between 8 June 1897 and 1900, and situated on
Calea Victoriei
Calea Victoriei (''Victory Avenue'') is a major avenue in central Bucharest. Situated in Sector 1, and having a length of , it leads from (which runs parallel to the Dâmbovița River) to the north and then northwest up to Piața Victoriei, w ...
opposite the
National Museum of Romanian History, is the headquarters of
CEC Bank.
History
Before the construction of the palace, the location was occupied by the ruins of a monastery (''Saint John the Great'') and an adjoining inn. The 16th-century church was renovated by
Constantin Brâncoveanu between 1702 and 1703, but later deteriorated and was demolished in 1875.
The palace was built as a new headquarters for Romania's oldest bank, the public savings institution ''
Casa de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie'', later known as ''C.E.C.'' (
Romanian: ''Casa de Economii și Consemnațiuni''), and nowadays CEC Bank. The land was bought and the building constructed with the institution's own funds. Work started on June 8, 1897 and was completed in 1900. The project was designed by the architect
Paul Gottereau, a graduate of the
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...
in Paris; construction was supervised by the Romanian architect
Ion Socolescu.
In 2009, it was the venue for the 60th birthday celebrations of
Crown Princess Margareta of Romania, and in 2015 it was also the venue for the 25th anniversary of the celebration of Crown Princess Margareta's charity (''FPMR'').
Architecture
Built in eclectic style, the palace is topped by a glass and metal dome. The entrance features an arch supported by two pairs of columns in composite style. The four corners are decorated with gables and coats of arms and ending in Renaissance domes.
Cladirea CEC.jpg
Bucarest, palazzo della cassa di risparmio, 01.JPG
Palatul Casei de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie Bucuresti.jpg
See also
*
List of palaces
References
* Silvia Colfescu, ''București - ghid turistic, istoric, artistic'', ed. Vremea, 2006
* Dan Berindei, Sebastian Bonifaciu - ''București Ghid turistic'', Ed. Sport-Turism, București,1980
External links
Map of Historical Monuments in Bucharest
{{Palaces and castles in Romania
Palaces in Bucharest
Commercial buildings completed in 1900
Historic monuments in Bucharest
Calea Victoriei
Lipscani