Batistei area – a fragment of the old Little Paris
Dear readers,
I would like to invite you to an architectural tour focused on Batistei area, one of the most charming old corners of central Bucharest, with many of its buildings dating from from the La Belle Époque period, in a wonderful Little Paris architecture, which is still imprinting this town’s identity, a place where one can also admire other brilliant designs such as Neoromanian, Art Deco and inter-war Modernism. The walk is scheduled to take place this Saturday 14 August 2021, between 10.00h – 12.00h. This cultural excursion could be of interest to any of you visiting Romania’s capital as a tourist or on business, looking to understand the character of this metropolis through discovering its peculiar and fascinating old architecture.
The Batistei area stretches east from the National Theatre neighbourhood to the confines of the Mosilor, constituting an important part of historic Bucharest. Its name comes from that of the church around which the parish has crystalised in medieval times, which in its turn is a place name meaning in old Romanian language a “swampy lake,” a testimony of the former local natural environment that has been taken over by the town’s inexorable development. The church is also one of the very few survivors there of the original Wallachian style architecture that embellished Bucharest during the times of the Ottoman rule, until the western styles, provincially interpreted, especially the French inspired neo-rococo architecture, replaced it wholesale starting with the mid-19th century, as part of the and national emancipation process. The houses of that era, which are still in great abundance and well preserved in Batistei area, with their rich ornaments and sweets box like aspect, have imprinted the character of the town, giving it the nickname of the the “Little Paris of the Balkans”. We will also find interesting examples of Art Nouveau sprinkled among the Little Paris motifs and ornaments. The subsequent decades, after the La Belle Epoque period vanished, saw the emergence of the flamboyant, citadel-like Neoromanian style, the national architecture of this country, where on the route of this tour we will see some of its prime quality buildings. The prosperous late inter-war period is also well represented by alluring Art Deco and ahead of its time Modernist edifices. All of this enchanting architecture concentrated in Batistei area, and the captivating social and economic history behind it, is waiting for you discover as part of this cultural peregrination.
Book by emailing v.mandache@gmail.com or using the comments section of this post. You will be informed of meeting place on booking. There is a limit of seven participants to this tour, which will take place according to the Covid regulations in force on that day.
I look forward to seeing you at the tour,
Valentin Mandache, architectural historian, 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 advise you in sourcing and marketing the property, specialist research, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.
Valentin Mandache, architectural historian 