Lipscani is a street and a district of

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 ...

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

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

. 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 ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was List of princes of Wallachia, 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 States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

(''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 extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. All trades were found in the area, including

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

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 '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...

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 territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

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 Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

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 eclectic, baroque, brâncovenesc, general modern, and bits of brutalism all play together to form a cohesive old town that truly feels old despite the modernity. 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 ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

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 (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