Radio România Internațional

Tag: Bucharest

  • A Coffee Shop Is Fighting Vices

    A Coffee Shop Is Fighting Vices

    Bucharest, a crowded city in which people are always on the run, saw the launch of a therapeutic coffee shop, one month ago. It is a unique concept of a cafe, with themes and events focusing on therapy forms: psychotherapy, art-therapy and occupational therapy. It is a therapeutic coffee shop where you can stop for relaxation or for a talk with the therapists there. Andreea Grigore, the manager of Therapy Coffee Shop told us how the project began:



    Andreea Grigore: “We started from the idea of creating a space where people can have a meal, a detox juice of the best quality, where music can be heard in the background, where one can work in silence, is surrounded by plants and the air is fresh. The design is simple but welcoming, it is a very bright space. The café was made by the ALIAT NGO, with European funds. It is actually someone elses dream but I joined in this project of making a café where people dont smoke or drink alcohol. There are actually two managers, my colleague Razvan Marin, who is more of an artist, and I. We complement each other, which is great.



    Adreea Grigore says that everybody asks her why the café is called therapeutic. Although the project is still developing and growing and they still dont have a list of events, people have already gone to the café for cancer therapy and also for therapy through drawing, painting, music and art. And the space is very welcoming:



    Andreea Grigore: “The Therapy Coffee Shop is located in downtown Bucharest, in a very beautiful building belonging to a lady that bought it from the Sturza family. The house has a beautiful history, and I believe it is permeated with a certain kind of energy, which everybody seems to have felt, because they just come and have a really good time here. I believe this is the kind of venues Bucharest needs. We wanted to have a cheerful space here. I had help from a friend whos been working with houseplants for 17 years now, and she brought us all the plants. She came, saw the place and returns every week with a couple of other plants. Theres no smoking or drinking here, because this is the kind of space that agrees with plants and resembles to a flower shop, to some extent. Its a constantly changing space, because plants are growing here. Some of our plants have extended all the way to the ceiling, so we will virtually have a genuine botanical garden here.



    And since the Therapy Coffee Shop is a work in progress, weve asked Andreea Grigore about her future plans:



    Andreea Grigore: “Our garden is quite big, and we will divide it in five areas. Each area will have its own specificity. One will have wild vines, another cacti; there will be five different sections, each with its own mood, shady and very quiet. The furniture will differ as well. The house is not so big, but it has three large areas. Theres the conference room, where people gather, they can hold their sessions there, write on the board, theres a space particularly devoted to this, or people can have lunch here or use the room as the venue of an event. Theres also the big room, which will serve as a dining hall. Theres a specific place in the room, filled with pillows, that people are particularly drawn to. And then theres the long room, which we will use as an exhibition area. Right now the ALIAT NGO uses the room to make dolls.



    As a social enterprise, Therapy Coffee Shop uses products from other social enterprises, without the temptation to run a regular business. The products used are Romanian made and high quality, because that is the entire point, to make things that are good to eat, to look at and listen to. As another ALIAT project, the coffee shop aims to promote a healthy lifestyle, but it is also an opportunity for people to learn about other projects of this sort.



    Andreea Grigore: “This is an area ALIAT hasnt dealt with until now. They have kindergartens, clinics, ALIAT is an acronym that stands for ‘alliance against alcohol and drug addiction, which is why we dont drink or smoke here. They built a coffee shop to socialize, people come to eat, hang out and exchange news. I have the luck of having a team of people as involved as Razvan and I are, who want to do things, such as preserves, or bread dough, which is very important. In addition to products for the bar, an excellent coffee blend, all the freshly squeezed juices imaginable, we juice every kind of fruit, the more the healthier. In the kitchen we have a convivial cook, passionate, who gets our concept, and that shows in her cooking. We have great food, with free range organic chicken.



    In addition to the great food, which can be had right there or ordered away, Therapy Coffee Shop holds all kinds of events. You can see the list of events on their Facebook page, or you can contact the organizers in case you want to attend. In any case, everyone is guaranteed to have a good time.

  • A new American ambassador to Bucharest

    A new American ambassador to Bucharest

    Several days after the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, George Cristian Maior, had presented his credentials, the new American ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm also presented his credentials to the Romanian president. Both Washington and Bucharest have expressed their mutual interest in extending political contacts in the future.



    Almost 3 years after the end of the mandate of the previous American ambassador to Bucharest, Washington sent a new representative to Romania — Hans Klemm, a career diplomat with a vast experience within the US State Department. Klemm’s nomination had been confirmed by open vote on August 5th in the American Senate, after two weeks before he had been heard in the Foreign Policy Committee when he referred to Romania as a friend and partner of the USA, a country that is not vulnerable to the Russian propaganda.



    Ambassador Klemm posted on his Facebook page a video message in which, speaking in Romanian, he said his interest in Romania had been sparked by his university professor, Matei Calinescu, the distinguished and deeply missed Romanian-born writer and literary critic. Hans Klemm went on to say that since then, he had been enchanted by Romania’s culture, language and history.



    Hans Klemm: “Today we share a vision on a whole, free Europe, which is at peace. As Ambassador my goal will be to strengthen our security partnership, support your observance of the rule of law and fight against corruption, expand two-way trade and investment, and deepen the bonds between the people of America and Romania.”



    His goals are the same as those of the previous American ambassadors to Bucharest who attached special importance to the observance of the rule of law. Actually, ahead of Hans Klemm’s arrival in Romania, the US embassy issued a press release according to which the US recognizes the important role of the independent institutions in a sound democracy governed by the rule of law, and that respecting and protecting their independence is the responsibility of all state institutions and players.



    The American embassy underscored that the legal and rule of law institutions needed to carry out their activity independently and that the principle of fair trial and the Romanian legislation should be fully observed. Romania plays an important role in ensuring prosperity in southeastern Europe and can help the continent to diversify its energy sources and transport routes, the ambassador went on to say, adding that Romania, as a strategic partner of the US, had committed to implementing new reforms for economic development and creating new opportunities for the American exports and investments.

  • 7 September, 2015

    7 September, 2015

    Prosecutors with the higher court in Bucharest have placed under preventive detention the mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, under charges of bribery. Several of his subordinates and associates have also been detained for questioning in this same case. His arrest did not come as a surprise to commentators, who had pointed out that over the last few months a number of public servants ranking high in City Hall had been convicted of corruption. Find out more after the news.



    Romanian PM Victor Ponta and Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici submit today a bill in the lower chamber of the Romanian Parliament to reform public procurement. The head of the government claims such a reform is necessary because the present regulations cause unspent moneys to accrue without the possibility of being spent. At the same time, Chamber of Deputies chairman Valeriu Zgonea is set to present the principles for absentee voting. He is in favor of the speedy passing of a bill to provide the necessary resources for the ballot to be fair and guarantee Romanians living abroad the proper exercise of this fundamental right.



    World nr. 2 in womens tennis, Simona Halep of Romania, plays in the eighth finals of the last Grand Slam this year, the US Open, against Sabine Lisicki of Germany, ranked 24th. The Romanian player leads 3-1. She will also play in the quarter finals of the mixed doubles, joining another Romanian star, Horia Tecau. The two will face off against the fourth favorite pair, Martina Hingis of Switzerland and Leander Paes of India. Tecau will also join his long time partner in the doubles, Jean-Julien Rojer, against the US pair Eric Butorac/ Scott Lipsky.



    The George Enescu International Festival continues in Bucharest. Performing today is the San Francisco Symphony, directed by Michael Tilson Thomas, part of the Great World Orchestras cycle. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen conducted by Trevor Pinnock plays as part of the Chamber Recital cycle. Through 20th of September, over 3,000 Romanian and foreign artists take part in the most prestigious music event in the country. This edition also features the London Symphony Orchestra, under Romanian conductor Ion Marins baton.



    A strategic inter-agency exercise, Histria 15, run by the Ministry of Defense will run for two weeks starting today in south eastern Romania, involving around 7,000 personnel from the ministries of defense, interior, justice, transportation, public finance, economy, health and information society, joined by employees of all the intelligence services. This is the largest such exercise ever run in Romania, aiming to prepare for organizing and executing a wide array of missions.



    Tens of thousands of protesters have set up tents in the center of Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, after Sundays widespread marches. They call for President Nicolae Timofti to step down, claiming he represents the interests of elites and does not act against corruption. In early April, Moldovas central bank announced it discovered that three institutions accounting for about a third of the countrys banking assets have granted loans worth about 15% of the GDP to undisclosed parties. Protesters also call for the removal of immunity for elected officials in order to facilitate prosecution.



    Romanian Minister of Agriculture Daniel Constantin request on Monday from European officials emergency support solutions for farmers in Romania hit by the drought, as well as for farmers hit by the dairy crisis. He attends in Brussels the meeting of the European Council for Agriculture and Fishing. The debates, chaired by Luxembourg, focus on hardships in farming across Europe. Talks will also be held at the level of commissions to identify concrete means of applying solutions.

  • Bucharest, between memory and exploration

    Bucharest, between memory and exploration


    Memory is an interactive project that launched Bucharest’s application for the title of European Cultural Capital in 2021. The project is carried out at the recently restored Gabroveni Inn and is in the form of a trilogy: Memory, Exploration and Imagining the City, in which the city functions as both a setting and a protagonist. Svetlana Carstean, the curator of the literary events held at Gabroveni Inn explains:



    The first part of the project, Memory, has just started, and will end in mid May. One of the events held at Gabroveni Inn, many of which take place over the weekend, was dedicated to literature. We selected a few authors out of many good one and asked them to speak about the city. We wanted to put them face to face with each other, in order to create some interesting tension arising from their often-contradictory views. Some say they have unconditional love for Bucharest, others say they feel estranged in this city; others say they only feel at home when they return to Bucharest, others say they could leave the city at any time. The project dedicated to literature lasted three days. One debate featured Ioana Parvulescu and Razvan Petrescu and was hosted by critic Florina Parjol. This was followed by a debate between writers Adrian Schiop and Mihai Dutescu hosted by critic Paul Cernat. All writers included in the project have an important connection to Bucharest. Another debate featured writers Gabriela Adamesteanu and Simona Sora and was hosted by literary critic and historian Andreea Rasuceanu. My intention is to have Rasuceanu give a talk all by herself, because she is an extraordinary specialist in literary geography and is now working on a book about how Bucharest is reflected in literature, from the works of Mircea Cartarescu to those or Simona Sora.



    The Memory project also included a poetry marathon with Adela Greceanu, Florin Iaru, Octavian Soviany, Miruna Vlada and Elena Vladareanu, an event hosted by Svetlana Carstean:



    Each of these writers agreed to reveal their relationship with Bucharest. Something extraordinary was born out of these encounters and I would like to continue this series of events, because I would like to hear many more writers talk about Bucharest. This was just one of the projects. Gabroveni Inn is also home to an exhibition that is very different from what I have seen in Bucharest containing a small archive of old photographs from Bucharest. Visitors can choose a photograph, have it scanned and printed and then exhibit it at a different location, accompanied by their thoughts about the photograph in question and the memories it brings back. I have seen many people doing this and we also have many such recollections from writers.



    The first part of the trilogy dedicated to Bucharest, the Memory of the City, aims at creating a cognitive and emotional map of Bucharest based on photographs and footage originating from private collections and archives. The inhabitants of the city are encouraged to contribute their own photographs and recollections capturing life in the metropolis. Curator Svetlana Carstean:



    When I joined this project, thinking about what type of events to propose and how to bring together the most interesting people, I never thought of the consequences, of the fact that I would have to reconsider my own position. The process of ‘memory’ started out with a handful of people and I think it will continue with many more others. This is in fact one of the aims of the project and one of the criteria involved in the assessment of Bucharest’s application, namely the authentic and massive activation of the community. I would like that not only the people in the artistic community would speak about how they see Bucharest, which is in itself very interesting, given that we rarely see writers come together and speak about Bucharest. It is very interesting to hear writer Andrei Schiop say that if he makes some money, he plans to buy an apartment in Ferentari. Or hear someone else say they want to get as far as possible away from Bucharest. I was not born in Bucharest, but in Botosani, and I spent the first few years of my life in the countryside, with my grandparents, so I went through two traumatic moments in my life: first, when I was seven and had to adjust to living in a town, Botosani, small, but a town nevertheless, and a second time when I arrived in the big city, the metropolis. I have been living in Bucharest since 1988, for 27 years, so I could say I am at home here, and in a sense I am. However, I don’t really feel at home here, I have not really been adopted by this city. I have seen the city go through different stages, I have lived in many places, whether apartment blocks or houses so run-down they were almost collapsing, others in good condition, others that felt like living in a ghetto. I think this project will be a permanent source of surprise and it is clear to me that I have to reconsider my own position vis-à-vis this subject.



    In 2021, there is a chance that Bucharest may join a long list of European cities that were awarded the title of European Capital of Culture. The national competition to select the city that would apply for the title on behalf of Romania was launched in December 2014. Apart from Bucharest, other Romanian cities vying to apply for the title are Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi, Craiova, Arad, Sfantu Gheorghe, Oradea, Alba Iulia, Braila and Brasov.




  • Bucharest’s Green Areas

    Bucharest’s Green Areas

    Bucharests green areas have considerably been shrinking to make way for constructions of all types and shapes. In the past 25 years, Bucharest has lost roughly half of its green areas such as parks, gardens, and forests. A Bucharester enjoys on average less than a quarter of the green space the international norms accept. The 35 hundred hectares of green areas reported in 1990 have been reduced to only 1600 hectares. The precarious situation of the green areas plus the increased deforestation in parks and gardens are the result of the Regional Town Planning of 2000, which coincided with the promulgation of law 10 of that year on returning the properties abusively seized by the communist regime.



    Under the aforementioned documents Bucharest has lost hundreds of hectares of green areas, while hundreds of hectares of green spaces in Bucharest parks are running the risk of becoming part of the ever-encroaching concrete jungle unless authorities are going to take action, conservationists have been cautioning. Dan Trifu is co-chair of EcoCivica Association, which together with the ‘Save Bucharest association has launched the largest number of legal actions against the real estate mafia operating in Bucharest.



    Dan Trifu: “It all comes down to huge surfaces of land. Just think, in Tineretului Park for instance we have lost somewhere around 28 hectares of green land after many forged documents had been introduced in the planning legislation. Lets take another example: back in Ceausescus time, the Childrens Palace premises stood at over 44 hectares while under the town planning of 2000 it had only 16 hectares left. Those were the main instruments the authorities were using in order to get a hold of all these green oases. By the year 2000, many enterprises and industrial platforms had already been privatized, so there were no more spaces left for these retrocession mobsters. 2000 was a sad year for Bucharest, particularly after a retrocession law for the properties seized by the communists had been promulgated. This real estate mafia had cunningly drawn town planning schemes allowing them to stab all sorts of ugly buildings into the capitals former green places.



    And so it happened that many green spots in Bucharest, actually genuine tree nursery areas, have overnight become building sites. Close to the Baneasa Forest, an entire 600 hectare district of villas has popped up almost overnight. They have even planned a six-lane motorway to cross the forest, but conservationists have managed to block the project. Hundreds of fruit trees have also been cut down illegally at the Baneasa Research Centre. Here is Dan Trifu again.



    Dan Trifu: “Pretty big surfaces from the Baneasa Fruit-Growing Institute have become property of some dubious individuals, who are still seeking to destroy the whole area pushing forth their own urban planning schemes. There is another commercial platform close to Baneasa, where scores of hectares of orchard belonging to the Bucharest Agronomic Institute have been turned into a concrete jungle causing severe prejudices. Romanian DN1 road used to have the most beautiful plantation of red oak trees, which was completely cut down in order to make way for a building compound. The effects of this, such as huge loss in vegetation, can be seen in the frequent traffic jams and the high pollution degree in the area.



    Over one million trees have been cut in parks and gardens in Bucharest. Half of the total number of trees, which were once lining the streets, has disappeared, Dan Trifu says.



    Dan Trifu: “We estimate some 150 hectares of green space are affected. All the constructions here were part of the Regional Town Planning in 2000. People dont know that some of the green spaces around blocks of flats and other green plots of land are not included in planning documents and here is the trick. Its some sort of a crime committed by the local authority in Bucharest, which refused to grant a special status to these areas. They included these zones either into industrial areas or among residential areas. Out of the Izvor Parks entire surface, 8 hectares are construction sites part of the Bucharests Town Planning…can you imagine that? Besides the 28 hectares weve lost in Tineretului Park, three more have been allotted for the construction of a private University. Half of the Polytechnics Institutes surface has been returned and there is a plan for the construction of three towers, each 26 stories tall…. Then there is another park Prisaca Dornei, which has lost 6 hectares out of its entire surface. Whats left today is only a shadow of the park it used to be, now being full of restaurants, terraces and villas on what was once one of the greenest regions in Bucharest. And last but not least we should mention IOR, a park now called Alexandru Ioan Cuza, because half of its surface has been returned.



    So, all the parks in Bucharest have been maimed, while some smaller ones have entirely vanished. There were parks saved by environmental agencies after sustained legal efforts. For instance the Carol Park was supposed to become the site of a huge cathedral while the garden close to the North Station was about to be turned into an underground parking lot. Bucharest has 23 square meters of green space per capita, including parks, cemeteries, green spots and forests. Environmentalists are contesting these figures arguing the authorities have also included the Baneasa Forest among the citys green assets. Conservationists believe that Bucharest has around 8.5 square meters per capita. Anyways, one thing is clear, turning the city into a permanent construction site has caused massive pollution, killing thousands of people annually.


  • The Art Safari Fair Bucharest

    The Art Safari Fair Bucharest

    IA year ago, a
    big tent in George Enescu Square in Bucharest invited people to attend the
    first edition of the Art Safari Fair. The first edition brought together over
    70 art galleries, institutions and venues in a single space in downtown
    Bucharest, specially designed for the event. This year, Art Safari will be
    hosted by the Ciclop building, the first multi-storey car park in Bucharest,
    set up in the first half of the 20th
    century. The second edition of Art Safari aims to create dynamic relations
    between art galleries, art aficionados and collectors, as well as public
    institutions. The Art Safari Fair 2015 held over May 13th-17th
    will give an overall image of contemporary and modern art. Ioana Ciocan, an
    independent curator and director of the Art Safari Fair gives us details about
    the participants in the Fair:

    We started out
    the project optimistically; however we didn’t expect so many galleries to
    confirm their participation. We also have an extremely important international
    presence: Trapez from Hungary and Larm Galleri from Denmark. I’m glad to say
    that a lot of galleries are attending the fair this year, including Plan B,
    Lateral, Baril and so on. This year, we had to turn down the offer of certain
    galleries. First and foremost, we wanted to showcase quality contemporary art
    and not to sell stands to cover the exhibition space. Such quality exists and
    we believe in it. The galleries we rejected did not comply with our curatorial
    plan meant to lend unity to the space. The first storey features heritage art,
    the second storey illustrates art from the 60s to 1995 and the upper floor
    plays host to what we call ultracontemporary art from 2015 included. Although
    it is an art fair, we believe that there must be a strong connection between
    the quality of works and their price.



    At the
    moment, the Art Safari Fair is the first professional fair in Romania and its
    organizers plan to turn it into a major fair in the region, as Silvia Rogozea,
    the cultural manager of the Art Safari project tells us:



    We
    measure up with the Istanbul Fair, which is also open to the Middle East. In
    Romania, we’d like to develop a landmark in Eastern Europe in 2016, trying to
    include galleries from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and thus develop in
    the region. The contemporary art works on the third and fourth storeys are for
    sale. Visitors can talk to gallery managers, art critics, curators and artists
    at the stands; they can interact with them, get in touch with the exhibitors.



    Since the
    organizers of the fair were very strict about the curatorial plan this year, on
    the Art Safari.ro website, there was a registration form which art galleries
    had to fill in. The form included the CV of the artist whom the gallery wanted
    to promote, a short history of the gallery and pictures of the works to be put
    on view. Art critic Ruxandra Garofeanu was in charge of selecting the works
    reflecting socialist realism:



    These
    works have a generous theme, which for the time being, is not illustrated in
    our museums; they date back to 1950-2000 and belong to great artists like
    Vintanu, Nicodim, Almasanu or Iacob, who are not exhibited anywhere, not even
    in a contemporary art museum. You’ll get to know the Socialist Realism Epoch as
    mirrored in the works of authentic artists. Works from a museum in Ramnicu
    Sarat, the Museum in Galati, the Museum in Baia Mare, the Museum in Targu
    Mures, the Museum in Pitesti are on display. I’ve found some works of an
    extraordinary freshness by Henri Catargi, which I didn’t know where they were
    exhibited in the country and which will for the first time be on show here.’



    Attending the opening of the Art Safari
    Fair, writer Horia Roman Patapievici called for a better use of the Ciclop
    Parking building, a witness of past vicissitudes that has found another
    destination now:



    This
    space in downtown Bucharest can be used in a creative manner blending the
    beauty of the past with our attempts to live in a normal present. A normal
    present means that an artist shouldn’t make a name for himself or herself only
    abroad. Heritage works are on view here brought over by national heritage
    museums since we aim to bridge the gap between the heritage art housed in
    museums, subject to forced nationalization, destroyed by private collectors, by
    the Romanian communist state, a situation that still exists, and contemporary
    art, which is very much alive, very special, an art which the state has not
    grabbed yet and which develops in full freedom. We don’t want to extend this
    gap between heritage art and contemporary art; they are brought together in
    this venue, in the Ciclop parking building.



    The Art Safari Fair 2015 is open for five days and one
    night, May 16th, Museum Night.

  • May 10, 2015

    May 10, 2015

    King’s Day is marked in Bucharest today with a marathon around Herastrau Park, a ceremony at the statue of King Carol I in the Palace Square and a special concert at the Romanian Athenaeum. Radio Romania celebrated the event on Friday with a Royal Concert and the launch of an album called “May 10th. The Royal House of Romania in radio programmes, 1930-1944”. May 10th marks three major events in Romania’s modern history. On May 10th, 1866, Prince Carol, of the German family Hohenzollern–Sigmaringen, was sworn in as ruler of Romania, founding the dynasty that King Mihai I belongs to. On May 10th, 1877, Carol I proclaimed Romania’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, and four years later he was crowned King of Romania. May 10th was Romania’s national holiday until the communists came to power in 1947, forcing Mihai I to leave the throne and the country. King Mihai returned to Romania after the December 1989 revolution, which ended the communist regime. In an interview to Radio Romania, he urged the Romanian people to have faith in the future. Last month, the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest voted that May 10 would be an official holiday in Romania.



    The US Government and private sector are determined to help Romania, a strategic and economic partner, to strengthen its defence line in the cyber sector, said Bruce Andrews, Deputy Secretary of Commerce. Between May 11 and 13, Andrews will head a trade mission of the US Department of Commerce in Bucharest, focusing on cyber security. Given Romania’s economic growth, the skilled labour force and openness to American products, the American businessmen pay growing attention to the opportunities in this country, the US official said in a news release. During the mission, representatives of 20 air companies, some of them operating in Romania for decades already, will analyse business opportunities with current and prospective Romanian partners, and with members of governmental agencies. The mission overlaps a regional cyber security summit held in Bucharest and organised jointly by the governments of Romania and of the USA, with 11 countries in the region taking part.



    The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold talks in Moscow on Sunday, on the crisis in Ukraine and a possible relaunch of bilateral relations, which are at their lowest in the post-Soviet period. Russia’s trade with its main European economic partner dropped last year by 6.5%, because of the international sanctions on Moscow for its involvement in the Ukrainian crisis. The Radio Romania correspondent in Moscow mentioned that, like many other Western leaders, the Chancellor of Germany boycotted yesterday’s parade in Moscow marking 70 years since the Allies’ victory in World War II.



    Poland is voting today in the first round of a presidential election. The incumbent president, the right-of-center Bronislaw Komorowski, was in the lead in polls, with 35% to 40%, whereas Andrzej Duda, running for the Law and Justice Party, in opposition, looks likely to get 27-29% of the votes. Pawel Kukiz, a 51-year old rock musician, who intends to change the current political system, was ranking third, with 15% – a significant increase from the 6% in early April polls. Another eight candidates, including five anti-EU right-wing populists, are also in the race. According to all polls, Bronislaw Komorowski and Andrzej Duda will face each other in the runoff scheduled for May 24th.



    The Romanian-Indian pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna are playing on Sunday in the doubles final of the Madrid tennis tournament, worth 4.2 million euros. They defeated the all-Spanish pair Marcel Grannollers and Marc Lopez in three sets. Mergea and Bopanna are playing against Marcin Matkowski (Poland) / Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia).

  • Sector 3 of Bucharest, the City within a City

    Sector 3 of Bucharest, the City within a City

    Bucharest was first documented on 20 September 1459, in a document issued by Vlad the Impaler’s Chancery. In 1862, Bucharest was declared the capital of the United Romanian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. It developed as a major culture and arts center, and in the early 20th century, as the Bucharest elites modeled themselves after Western ones, mostly French, Bucharest came to be known as Little Paris, mainly due to its architecture, a moniker it would keep in the interwar period too. Unfortunately, the communist regime had a brutal effect on its architecture and infrastructure. Many historical monuments were outright destroyed, especially in the 1980s, some of them to make room for industrial neighborhoods. Right now, Bucharest is divided into six administrative sectors, which radiate from the center like slices of a pie.



    Historian Emanuel Badescu spoke to us about the birth of the Romanian capital city: “Bucharest’s core was the Princely Court, or Princely Palace, and a village that evolved to become the oldest neighborhood, developed around the Old St. George Church. This is the so-called Popescu Quarter. This neighborhood extended beyond Delea Veche and Delea Noua, up until it almost reached Marcuta Monastery, east of Bucharest. Lt-col. Papazoglu, 19th century Romanian historian, archeologist and geographer, claims that the second neighborhood he moved to, after living in Ban Ghika’s houses by Mihai Voda bridge, Dobroteasa Quarter, was the birth place of the city, according to his studies. He was wrong by only a few hundred meters, since the core was right by Old St. George Church.”



    Sector 3 of the capital city comprises the most significant part of the historic center of the city. This interesting mixture of old buildings, representative of Bucharest, and new quarters, Sector 3 stretches from University Square to the eastern edge of Bucharest. It has 34 sq km, and is the most densely populated sector in Bucharest, with a population of 342,000, according to the 2011 census. It is seen as a city within a city, which has undergone many changes and transformations along its history, some better known than others.



    Back with details is Emanuel Badescu: “This city within a city is the place that was the worst affected by the Great Fire of March 23 1847. If we look at the Papazoglu map, we can see that the fire had its flashpoint in the courtyard of the Filipescu household, across from St. Dimitrius Church, then spread beyond St. Stephen Church to what is now Calarasi Street, which used to be Podul Vergului. Basically, this great fire engulfed the whole of what is now Sector 3 of modern Bucharest. This sector was also the first which, as a result of the fire, issued the first building and zoning regulations, proposed by both Prince Gheorghe Bibescu and his brother, Prince Barbu Stirbey. These norms are still in place when building private homes. I don’t know if the conflagration was an accident or if it was arson. I am thinking of the fact that some areas did not burn, which is suspicious. For instance, the old Town Hall, built by Xavier Villacrosse in 1843, escaped the fire miraculously. The building was later demolished, once the river Dambovita was built an artificial bed around 1880.”



    The University of Bucharest as it stands now, one of the most important buildings in the city, lying on the line between sectors 1 and 3 of Bucharest, is built on what was St. Sava Monastery. In the 18th century, that monastery, which was a center of education, was turned into the Princely Academy. In 1918, Gheorghe Lazar created here the University as we see it now, laying the foundation of Romanian modern university education. Among the monuments that withstood the vicissitudes of the communist regime are the National Bank of Romania, the Postal Service Palace, which now houses the National History Museum of Romania, Manuc Inn and the old Stavropoleos, Coltea, Annunciation and Russian Churches.



    Unfortunately, not the same can be said about many other historic buildings, as Emanuel Badescu told us: “Historians look in pain to the widespread destruction of 1981 to 1986. This sector had much more to suffer than the other five sectors. We are talking mainly about the destruction of the oldest traditional neighborhood in Bucharest, Popescu Quarter, which was the old core, between Old St. George Church and St. Vineri Church, which were wiped off the face of the earth. The new apartment buildings reached the intersection Calea Calarasi- Mihai Bravu Blvd. We can see how the old part of this quarter, which it shared with the entire capital, was mutilated. Beyond Calea Mosilor we have left the church built by Marshall Ion Antonescu, which has preserved his bust.”



    The communist idea of cramming an industrial population into massive tall buildings is now a thing of the past. The biggest threat right now to historic monuments is modern real estate development, which can be unpredictable.

  • 5 renowned radio symphony orchestras at the second edition of RadiRo!

    5 renowned radio symphony orchestras at the second edition of RadiRo!

    For an entire week, at the end of September, the concert hall and the ‘sound podium’ will join together at the RadiRo Festival, a unique musical event in Europe, which will bring in Bucharest 5 radio orchestras, along with internationally renowned soloists and conductors!


    The Festival is organized by Radio Romania, a friend and devoted supporter of classical music, who, ever since 1928, when the first radio signal has been sent into ether, continues to provide to its listeners both musical jewels broadcast on radio waves and live musical productions performed at the Romanian Radio Hall.



    And if the National Radio has brought to the Romanians’ houses, across decades, the magic baton of Herbert von Karajan, the violin of Yehudi Menuhin or live broadcasts from George Enescu International Festival or from various first-rate European musical events, RadiRo is pleased to invite you, at its 2nd edition, to step into the concert hall and listen live to outstanding orchestras and musicians whom the Romanian public has mostly had the privilege to listen only on the radio by now.



    In 2012, the first edition of RadiRo has brought on the Romanian musical stage prestigious symphony ensembles such as BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.


    This year, at its 2nd edition, the 8 days of Festival will see performing in Bucharest the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France and the Romanian Radio National Orchestra, under the baton of world acclaimed conductors: Joshua Weilerstein, Ondrej Lenárd, Stéphane Denève, Case Scaglione, Vassily Sinaisky, Tiberiu Soare and Cristian Mandeal.



    Virtuosos of a refined artistic sensibility will perform during the RadiRo evenings: pianist Jonathan Biss, soprano Katarina Jovanovic, pianist Jan Simon, together with violinists Nikolaj Znaider and Vadim Gluzman, mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose, pianist Horia Mihail, and violinist Alexandru Tomescu.


    The remarkable personality of the honorary artistic director of the Festival, conductor Cristian Mandeal, brings about a substantial added value and prestige to the RadiRo Festival. With hundreds of concerts conducted in 35 countries across 4 continents, performing in the company of the most reputed contemporary artists, Cristian Mandeal is today among the great Romanian conductors who belong not only to Romania, but to the entire world. With a peerless refinement and artistic generosity, Cristian Mandeal sparks off in the concerts he conducts — and the audience promptly feels it every time! — a true communication ‘chemistry’ both with the orchestra and the public.



    It is precisely the same energy flow that RadiRo Festival aims to convey, so that music may travel freely in the vivid space of the concert hall! You are therefore invited to make a step forward in the journey we’ve started two years ago, so as to enjoy together an event which celebrates the harmony, extraordinary vitality and timeless verity of classical music!



    Cristian Mandeal, Honorary Artistic Director of RadiRo 2014: “Now at its second edition, RadiRo — The International Festival of Radio Orchestras has won fast a well deserved reputation in the local cultural landscape. Equally welcome is the international dimension of the event, hosting from one edition to another renowned European orchestras, with the same specific profile and the same educational and promotional aims, which are brought together in a single space and time so as to give their best, bring an outstanding original approach and engender new evaluations, comparisons and competitions, like true barometers of a higher artistic European climate from where the competitive fair play spirit cannot miss by any means.”



    Jan Simon, pianist, director of the Czech Radio ensembles, festivals and competitions: “I think that the organization of this Festival is a splendid idea. We have tried a similar project in Prague 5 years ago at the Radio Autumn Festival. We have invited at that time the radio symphony orchestras from Leipzig, Hilversum and Budapest. But we were not able to earn a sponsorship for the second edition. I am glad that Radio Romania is continuing this idea and especially at such a level! The second edition of RadiRo International Festival will see performing in Bucharest Orchestre National de France, Vassily Sinaisky and Nikolaj Znaider. You have organized an exceptional festival!”



    Oltea Şerban — Pârâu, Director Radio Romania Media Cultural Centre: “What makes this Festival unique is that it hosts exclusively radio orchestras and not philharmonic, opera or other kinds of symphony orchestras. It is important because the public radio has generated a musical movement and all across Europe public radio broadcasters hold still this double mission, a media and a cultural one, which is highly supported by their orchestras and choirs. Romania takes pride in having a powerful radio component in this field, with a symphony and a chamber orchestra, an academic choir, a childrens choir, a jazz and a folk orchestra, therefore we are very well represented among the other European public radio broadcasters.”



    Producer and organizer: Radio Romania


    Co-producer: TVR


    Under the patronage of the Romanian Government


    Sponsors: Vodafone


    Official transport: Dacia


    With the support of: Banca Transilvania, Borsec, ARCUB, Catering Romania, Librăriile Cărtureşti



    Media partners:


    Adevărul, Dilema Veche, Observator Cultural, Caţavencii, Şapte Seri, Business Review, Suplimentul de cultură, Agenţia de carte, Ziare.com, Actualitatea Muzicală, Ziarul Metropolis, Librăriile Humanitas



    *For further details about the program and guests of this edition of the Festival please visit the Festivals web page: www.radirofestival.ro and the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/radiro.festival.


    *Tickets to RadiRo 2014 are available on www.bilete.ro, at all offices of the Romanian Post Company, in the Inmedio Stores bearing the Bilete.ro logo, in the Germanos stores as well as at the Romanian Radio Hall Box Office.

  • The Flamanda Slum in Bucharest

    The Flamanda Slum in Bucharest

    Romanians use the Turkish word mahala to describe slums, the dirty and poor areas that could be found in every city in the past. Slums marked a historical stage in the development of many Romanian cities. Bucharest was no exception, as the city itself was initially made up of several slums, that is small urban communities very much like the rural ones. One of Bucharest’s first slums, infamous for the abject poverty of its inhabitants, was suggestively called Flamanda, which means hungry in Romanian. It was located in the area of today’s Union Square, near the Metropolitan Cathedral Hill. The emergence of this slum is closely connected with the life and role of the church within community, as Edmond Niculusca, head of the Romanian Association for Culture, Education and Normality explains:



    “The Flamanda Slum is tightly linked to the Metropolitan Cathedral Hill. This slum had formed, just like many others, around a church, in this case, the Flamanda Church, which still exists today. The church was erected in 1766, by a man named Dumitru. Its construction it’s believed to have taken a long time, although the church is very small. Starting 1782, the church was rebuilt, this time of stone, and construction works were completed only around 1800, with the help of the tailors’ guild in Bucharest, who then settled on the eastern side of the slum. A map of Bucharest in 1770 shows without a doubt that beyond the eastern side of the Metropolitan Cathedral Hill there was nothing more than vineyards and gardens. The land was the property of the Hungarian-Wallachian Bishopric, as it was called at the time, and it was home to a large number of Gipsy slaves, who worked for the church. So there was no mention of Flamanda Slum on the oldest map of Bucharest. In spite of the fact that it was set up in 1766, it was only much later that Flamanda Slum was mentioned by documents as an established community. In 1800 there were around 59 houses in the area.”



    Edmond Niculusca tells us more about the name given to this slum:



    “Some historians say that both the slum and its church had been extremely poor. There were only 59 houses, and very few families. There are also historians who say that it was mostly beggars and people suffering from chronic diseases that were sent to the Flamanda church to ask for food and money. There was a strict hierarchy within every slum. The main road usually boasted the church and the bar, and also the houses of the community’s elite, such as the priest and his family, the policeman and, in some cases — if the slum was not the poorest one — some civil servants. “



    In time, the social structure of Flamanda slum changed and after 1920 even the administrative term of ‘slum’ had disappeared. And this was not the only change. Edmond Niculusca explains:



    “By mid-19th century, when Bucharest began to expand, the Flamanda area became part of the city centre. Beautiful houses, some of which can still be seen today, were erected. One of them was built by the architect of the Peles Castle, who had received a plot of land there. The house is impressive and tells of the city’s historical identity. Unfortunately, it is now bordered on each side by large boulevards that have suffocated the city and changed its identity. And I’m talking about the communist times, especially the 1980s, when new buildings and boulevards were erected in this area to isolate the slum.”



    The Flamanda slum continues to be an identity oasis of Bucharest, miraculously saved from communist destruction. A whole district full of historical streets and buildings was demolished in the 1980s to make room for monstrous communist buildings. Behind them, however, the Flamanda slum continues to exist.

  • June 25, 2014 UPDATE

    June 25, 2014 UPDATE

    BUCHAREST– Romania’s Parliament on Wednesday passed a declaration calling on President Traian Basescu to resign, following his brother’s involvement in a file of influence peddling and corruption. The document, passed with 344 yeas, in the absence of the MPs of the Liberal Democratic Party (in opposition) and of the pro-presidential People’s Movement Party (also in opposition), says that Traian Basescu is no longer entitled to ensure the presidency’s prestige, moral integrity and legitimacy. The MPs of the left majority made up of the Social-Democratic Party, the Conservative Party and the National Union for the Progress of Romania, as well as those of the populist Dan Diaconescu Party of the People and of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, stood for the president’s resignation. The declaration passed by Parliament has no legal value. Prior to the parliamentary session, President Basescu said he would not resign since he had not intervened in his brother’s file and was not responsible for his deeds. The initiators have sent the declaration to the EU heads of state and government, who will meet Basescu at the community summit in Brussels on Thursday.



    SEECP– Bucharest on Wednesday hosted the Summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process states, whose rotating presidency is currently held by Romania. European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule attended the summit alongside representatives of the 12 member countries in the region. Romania aims to synchronize the actions carried out within that structure with the efforts of South-East European states for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.



    BUCHAREST- The vice-president of the Social Democratic Party, Ioan Rus, on Wednesday evening became the new transport minister in the Ponta cabinet. Former interior minister 10 years ago, Rus is replacing Dan Sova, who stepped down on Tuesday, to lead the Social Democrats’ campaign for the presidential election due in autumn. Opinion polls credit Prime Minister Victor Ponta with the highest chances of success, although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.



    MOLDOVA-The pro-western government in Chishinau on Wednesday decided to set up a company with responsibilities in administering the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline which will convey natural gas from Romania to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has announced the pipeline will become operational on August 27th, one year since the start of the construction works and on the day when Chishinau celebrates 23 years since it proclaimed its independence from Moscow. The pipeline is meant to reduce Moldova’s dependence on Russian gas. We recall that on Friday in Brussels, the Republic of Moldova will sign the EU Association and Free Trade Agreements.



    NATO MEETING– NATO has decided not to resume military cooperation with Russia, which it interrupted in April, following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced in Brussels on Wednesday. He went on to say that Moscow had broken rules and shattered the allies’ confidence, but he underlined that NATO leaves the doors open for a diplomatic dialogue with Moscow. Rasmussen made these statements at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, the last of its kind before the NATO Summit due in Great Britain in September. Romania was represented by the line minister, Titus Corlatean, who reiterated the Romanian government’s commitment to gradually increase budget allocations for defence, so as to reach the envisaged level of 2% of the GDP in 2017.



    UKRAINE– Ukrainian defence minister, Mihail Koval, on Wednesday announced that 142 Ukrainian military have been killed since the spring of 2014, when uprisings broke out in the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Koval said the death toll includes only members of the armed forces which have been killed since March, when Russia annexed Crimea, until now, when the Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine are ravaged by a separatist uprising. In Moscow, the Federation Council on Wednesday cancelled its resolution of March 1st 2014 allowing President Vladimir Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory. The voting took place after President Putin had called on the Federation Council to do that so as to contribute to settling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The Russian leader has also called for the ceasefire enacted by Ukraine expiring on Friday morning to be extended and to be used for negotiations on the matter between the rulers in Kiev and pro-Russian leaders in Eastern Ukraine.



    IRAQ-The first American military advisers of the 300 meant to aid the Iraqi government troops fight against Sunni insurgents have started their mission in Baghdad, the Pentagon has announced. Their main task is to assess the Iraqi troops, without however fighting with the rebels, who have mounted a quick offensive in the North in the last couple of weeks. According to the UN, over 1,000 people were killed in Iraq over June 5th-22nd. Sunni insurgents led by the radical “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” have mounted a vast offensive seizing several cities, including the second largest city of Mosul.



    TENNIS- The pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Czech Klara Koukalova has qualified for the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles, after defeating Romanian Raluca Olaru- Austrian Sandra Klemenschits 6-1, 6-4. In the Wimbledon’s Gentlemen’s Doubles, the pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified for the next stage, after defeating the Finnish pair Henri Kontinen-Jarkko Nieminen in three sets 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4). In the next round, Tecau and Rojer will meet the pair made up of Spaniard Feliciano Lopez and Austrian Jurgen Melzer. In exchange, the pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Croat Marin Draganja got eliminated from the first round of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after being defeated in 5 sets, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, by Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. In the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles, 3rd seeded Simona Halep has qualified for the second round, after defeating Brazilian Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2. She will meet in the second round Ukrainian Lesia Turenko. Romanian Irina Begu has also qualified for the second round, after defeating French Virginie Razzano 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. She will meet German Andrea Petkovic in the next round.

  • European Defence Discussed in Bucharest

    Romania is a very important strategic player, particularly in the current regional security situation, the chief executive of the European Defence Agency Claude-France Arnauld said in Bucharest on Tuesday. This is the first visit to Romania by a top-level European security and defence official in a long time, the Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa said. The two officials discussed, among other things, the support given by the EDA to EU member states, Romania included, for upgrading their defence industries.



    Arnauld said the Agency wanted to be able to rely on a strong defence industry involving all Member States, which is why the EDA supports and develops all relevant research and development projects. On the other hand, she mentioned the need to resume an upward trend as regards the defence budgets of European countries. Minister Dusa told the European official that Romania intends its defence budget to reach 2% of the GDP by 2016. He announced the Defence Ministry would receive additional funding as early as the second half of this year, so that it may carry on its army upgrade programmes. Dusa also said that Bucharest would like the national defence industry to be included in the European programmes run by EDA.



    Mircea Dusa: “Europe will have to strengthen its defence industry, and we would like to have Romanian enterprises specialising in this field included in the building of the European military capabilities.”



    The issue of increased military budgets for EU member states was also tackled by the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at a conference in Brussels on Tuesday. He expressed his hope that, at the NATO Summit scheduled to take place in September, the leaders of NATO countries would endorse a statement reaffirming, on the one hand, the American commitment to Europe’s security, and on the other hand the European commitment to a fair distribution of expenses and responsibilities.



    According to NATO data, over the past five years Russia has increased its military spending by 50%, whereas NATO countries have reduced it by 20%. Last year, only the US, UK, Greece and Estonia earmarked at least 2% of their GDP to defence, as required by their NATO membership. Romania, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia announced they would boost their defence budgets.

  • US Vice-president in Romania

    US Vice-president in Romania

    Few European countries witness such strong pro-American sentiment shared by both politicians and the general public as Romania does. A NATO member, tied to Washington through a strategic partnership, host to military bases and elements of the American missile defence system, Romania may, in its turn, count on the unconditional support of the USA. This was the message conveyed in Bucharest by the US Vice-president Joe Biden.



    This is not Biden’s first visit to Romania, but this time around he came to Bucharest specifically to reiterate the USA’s commitment to the security of its east-European allies, who are concerned with the developments in neighbouring Ukraine. Americans, Biden said, both in his own and in President Barack Obama’s behalf, see their support for Romanians and for NATO as an obligation.



    Biden’s address in Bucharest targeted not only the host country, but Moscow as well. More than two decades after the collapse of what was being called the Evil Empire, Western capitals are shocked to see the forceful comeback of Cold-War rhetoric and Stalinist annexation practices. The borders of Europe must not be changed again through armed force, this is why we condemn Russia’s occupation of Crimea, the US Vice-president said.



    The President of Romania, Traian Basescu, hailed the USA’s swift response to the annexation of Crimea. The surge in the American air, sea and land troops in the region discourages Russia’s push to restore the Soviet Union, the Romanian President bluntly put it. According to the Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, Joe Biden’s visit to Romania is a very important political signal, expressing support for a loyal ally, a strategic partner of the US, at a difficult moment on NATO’s eastern border. In turn, PM Victor Ponta said Romania expected American support not only for guaranteeing its territorial security, but also for ensuring the country’s energy independence from Russia.



    Preceded by the visit made on Friday by the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Biden’s trip to Bucharest confirms Rasmussen’s message that Romania does not stand alone in the face of regional threats. In fact, Rasmussen hailed Bucharest’s decision to be not only a consumer, but also a provider of security, and to increase its defence budget to 2% of the GDP by 2017. Romania will thus be a model for other NATO member states, Rasmussen added.