Dear readers,
I would like to invite you to an architectural walk in the picturesque Plantelor Street area, located just east of Mantuleasa. It has an alluring residential character, with well presented historic buildings of architectural value, many surrounded by efflorescent gardens. Plantelor area is a sample of how pleasant and stimulative for artistic creativity this town has been in the La Belle Époque and the interwar periods.
The tour is scheduled to take place this Saturday 19 November 2022, between 13.00h – 15.00h. 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 name “Plantelor” (Engl. for “Plants”) given to this iconic street, is an echo of the La Belle Époque times, when Bucharest’s houses of its famous Little Paris and also Art Nouveau architecture were provided with gardens and orchards, and the windows were sporting jardinieres full of multicoloured flowers. The local environment was considered healthier than the rest of the town, which made possible the establishment of a sanatorium, where the national poet of Romania, Mihai Eminescu, spent his last days, in the summer of 1889. That verdurous character is still very much around, also imprinting the personality of the Neoromanian, and Art Deco and Modernist dwellings erected mainly in the interwar period, being a hallmark of the whole area. Here we will find palpable architectural records of a most authentic Bucharest, in its domestic incarnation, giving us an idea of how the town would have looked like if the upheavals and destructions of the communist and post-communist periods would have left it unscathed. A series of houses have on their facade name tablets of the architects and builders that created them. There is a pleiad of names, such as Baruch Zilberman, Marcel Locar or Ion Davidescu to cite just a few, giving us an opportunity to discuss about their architectural talent and skill. The streets are straight and aligned with threes, the height of the houses are mostly on the human scale, making the tour an enjoyable experience. All of this enchanting architecture concentrated in Plantelor area is waiting for you discover as part of this cultural walk.
Book by emailing v.mandache@gmail.com or using the comments section of this post. You will be informed of meeting place after I receive the booking. Minimum number of participants, three, maximum ten.
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 transacting 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 