Tour in Calea Calarasi area

Dear readers,

This is an invitation to an architectural walking tour in Calea Calarasi historic area of Bucharest, open to all of you who would like to accompany me, the author of the Historic Houses of Romania blog, this Sunday 24 April 2016, for two hours, between 11.30h – 13.30h.

I will be your guide through this quaint Bucharest quarter, reminiscent of its heydays as the Little Paris of the Balkans, but also containing a multitude of fine Neoromanian, Art Deco and vernacular architectures. Apart from those designs, there are also a few old houses from the Ottoman era displaying forms and motifs encountered in the wider region, from the Balkans to Anatolia. Calea Calarasi area is located in the centre-east part of the old Bucharest, which took off as a commercial quarter in the first part of the c19th, when Bucharest was still firmly within the orbit of the Ottoman Empire’s economy and the city was expanding along the road that went toward the then Turkish ports of the maritime Danube and the Black Sea. There are many hidden architectural gems that speak of the social history and tastes of those bygone ages. Most of the edifices are domestic buildings, a fact which adds to the discreet charm of their architecture. Among the few commercial edifices is the “Trajan” market hall, a remarkable wrought and cast iron Victorian industrial architecture structure, built in 1896 after a design by the Italian architect Giulio Magni, one of the then city hall chief architects. Calea Calarasi used to be a cosmopolitan place, with a large Jewish population and other ethnic communities, an open encyclopaedia of Bucharest’s social and architectural history in its most intimate setting, that of the old families that can trace their roots to the small traders of the past eras. All of that enchanting architecture is waiting for you to discover and photograph as part of this Historic Houses of Romania experience!

Book by emailing v.mandache@gmail.com or using the comments section of this post. You will be informed of meeting place on booking.

I look forward to seeing you at the tour,

Valentin Mandache, expert in Romania’s historic houses (tel: 0040 (0)728323272)

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I endeavour through this series of periodic articles to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural history and heritage.

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If you plan acquiring or selling a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in sourcing and transacting the property, specialist research, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contactpage of this weblog.