Recently I had the nice surprise to be contacted by the iPhone software developer GPSmyCity.com, who develops city walking tours apps. They have over 2,000 walking tours available, spanning over 180 cities worldwide, being the largest such travel portal. I was delighted to hear that they have now developed such a tour guide app for the city of Bucharest. GPSmyCity.com has asked me to feature on the Historic Houses of Romania blog a very interesting and engaging quiz contest on Bucharest’s history and character, which I am very pleased to do. The readers who correctly answer most of its questions, will win three (3) city walk iPhone app for cities of your choice developed by GPSmyCity.com! To find out more information about the application, click the iPhone screen-shot bellow, displaying the fist page of the newly developed Bucharest walking tour app. Good luck!
The answers have to be sent to the following email: quiz@gpsmycity.com The email subject will be something like “Bucharest quiz” and the message will contain the list of your answers, something like “Question 1 – Answer x, question 2 – Answer y, …” etc.
Here are the Bucharest Quiz questions:
1.
Issuing from the etymology of its name, “Bucharest” means:
1. City of Joy
2. Rainbow City
3. City on a Hill
2.
In 1936, Bucharest’s mayor requested King Carol II to close the Capşa House, because of the discussions that always took place there. With much humour, Carol refused to have the House closed, even though many thought that the House truly was:
A. the place of all evil
B. haunted by ghosts
C. the headquarters of a secret society
3.
Most of the representatives of this guild gathered on top of the Metropoliei Hill, who played a great role in the election of Alexandru Ion Cuza, were:
A. Musicians
B. Tanners
C. Courtesans
4.
In 1858, Bucharest was the first city in the world to:
A. Hold an international magicians’ contest
B. Have public illumination with kerosene
C. Organize hot air balloon races
5.
The first road in Bucharest (Calea Victoriei) was paved with:
A. Rectangular metal plates
B. Asphalt made from pig manure
C. Logs
6.
Using an ingenuous method of “fishing” ladies fur hats, the thieves’ favorite place in all Bucharest to endulge in their illegal activities was:
A. Stavropoleos Monastery
B. Central Fish Market
C. Bellu Cemetery
7.
The communists dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu disposed the errection of his would-be future residence – the Palace of the Parliament, also known as:
A. The most secure governmental building in Europe
B. The second-largest building in the world
C. The best preserved architectural momument of the communist era
8.
The name of one of Bucharest’s neighborhoods – Balta Albă (The White Swamp) was initially the place of a calcareous pit where:
A. in the times of plague, bodies were melted
B. nature sculpted a great calcareous swan
C. scientists discovered the formula of modern toothpaste
9.
Carul cu Bere (The Cart with Beer), has as symbol an old man, Moş Ghiţă, who even today watches over the place from the right banister. Mos Ghita was:
A. The place’s first owner, who had a secret brewing formula
B. A notorious customer which always left the place drunk on Sundays
C. A cellerman who worked here a couple of decades
10.
The tallest building in Bucharest until the 70s of the past century, errected after the model of the american skyscrapers was:
A. Bucharest Telephone Palace
B. The CEC Palace
C. The Royal Palace and the Athenaeum
Valentin Mandache, architectural historian 