The Romanian Athenaeum () is a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

in the center 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 ...

, and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's most prestigious concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu Festival.

History

In 1865, cultural and scientific personalities such as Constantin Esarcu, V. A. Urechia, and Nicolae Crețulescu founded the Romanian Athenaeum Cultural Society. To serve its purposes, the Romanian Athenaeum, a building dedicated to art and science, would be erected in Bucharest. The building was designed by the French architect Albert Galleron, built on a property that had belonged to the Văcărescu family and inaugurated in 1888, although work continued until 1897. A portion of the construction funds was raised by public subscription in a 28-year-long effort, of which the slogan is still remembered today: "Donate one '' leu'' for the ''Ateneu''!" ( Romanian ''"Dați un leu pentru Ateneu!"''). On December 29, 1919, the Athenaeum was the site of the conference of leading Romanians who voted to ratify the unification of Bessarabia,

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, and Bukovina with the Romanian Old Kingdom to constitute Greater Romania. Extensive reconstruction and restoration work has been conducted in 1992 by a Romanian construction company and restoration painter Silviu Petrescu, saving the building from collapse. The nine million Euro required were contributed in equal shares by the government and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

Building and facilities

The overall style is neoclassical, with some more romantic touches. In front of the building there is a small park and a statue of Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu. Inside, the ground floor hosts an ornate conference hall as large as the auditorium above; in the auditorium there are 600 seats in the stalls, the rest of the seats being placed in 52 loges. A fresco by Costin Petrescu decorates the inside of the circular wall of the concert hall. Painted using the ''al fresco'' technique, the piece depicts the most important moments of Romanian history, starting with the conquest of

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

by Roman emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

and ending with the realization of Greater Romania in 1918. Recognized as a symbol of Romanian culture, the building has been inscribed in 2007 on the list of the Label of European Heritage sites.Romanian Athenaeum awarded Label of European Heritage
Romania's Permanent Delegation to NATO

Gallery

File:Ateneul Roman binnenkant.jpg File:Flickr - fusion-of-horizons - Ateneul Român (4).jpg File:Ateneul Român - Interior Sala.jpg File:Ateneul Român stage.jpg File:Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest Romania.jpg File:Ateneul Român Facade night.jpg

References

{{Authority control Athenaeum Music venues completed in 1888 Historic monuments in Bucharest 1865 establishments in Romania Tourist attractions in Bucharest Concert halls in Bucharest Calea Victoriei Historiography of Romania Neoclassical architecture in Romania 19th-century architecture in Romania

History

Building and facilities

Gallery

See also

References