Radio România Internațional

Tag: Palace

  • The Romanian Royal Family and its interesting past

    The Romanian Royal Family and its interesting past


    The Hohenzollern dynasty put Romania on the map of modernization, ever since Carol arrived in the Romanian Principalities in 1866. The remarkable domestic feats of success, such as the Constitution of 1866, or the exploits at foreign level, such as Romania’s gaining its state independence in 1878, the proclamation of the Romanian Kingdom in 1881 and the country’s connection to the European economic system, all that laid the foundation of the new kingdom’s progress. Tourism was one of the economic sectors that saw a tremendous progress at that time. The construction of the Pelisor or Peles castles literally meant the birth and the development of the town of Sinaia and of the mountain resorts on the Prahova River Valley. We should also note, though, that the Romanian royal family had a crucial contribution to the development of tourism on the Black Sea coast. Dobrogea became part of Romania in 1878. The region literally provided Romania’s opening to the Black Sea, also whetting Romanians’ appetite for seafaring journeys.

    The historian Delia Roxana Cornea is the author of The Royal residences on the Black Sea Coast. The Romanian Queens’ Dream Homes. The volume provides a detailed account of the Romanian sovereigns’ four residences on the Black Sea Coast. The Royal Palace was one such residence. With details on that, here is the author herself.



    Delia Roxana Cornea:

    It was built between 1905 and 1907, and was designed by architect Pierre Louis Blanc. The residence became operational in the autumn of 1907, when, for the first time ever, Dobrogea saw military maneuvers taking place, under King Carol the 1st’s command and coordination. Shortly afterwards, the city dwellers of Constanta, through Anghel Saligny, at the suggestion of King Carol I, offered Queen Elizabeth, the poet Carmen Sylva, a small pavilion built on the port dam, the so-called Queen Elizabeth’s pavilion, later the Queen’s nest, a venue where, at least until 1914, the city’s entire intellectual elite convened and where lots of literary evenings took place, presided by the queen herself.



    They say walls have a memory of their own. We can also say that about the royal palace, which welcomed great guests within its walls.

    istorian Delia Roxana Cornea :

    The two residences were the witnesses of an event that was very special in the history of the city, they played host to Tsar Nicholas the 2nd’s one-day visit. The photos of the two families are very popular, the Russian imperial family and the Romanian royal family, reunited in the pavilion lying on the Constanta port dam. Unfortunately, the trying times of World War One and especially the Bulgarian-German occupation of Constanta and Dobrogea between 1916 and 1918 caused a lot of damage to both royal residences.



    After 1918, when everything would change, the old royal palace also had a different destination. This time around, its destination had the Romanian monarchy’s coat-of-arms at the center, paying homage to the visionary policy of the two Romanian sovereigns, Ferdinand and Marie, the iconic personalities of then the new Romanian world.



    Delia Roxana Cornea:

    After the war, the old Royal Palace became the Court of Appeal of the Constanta city. The municipality of Constanta offered King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, just as it was specified in the title of the donation, in remembrance of the difficult years of the occupation and on behalf of the forefathers of the motherland, a plot of land made of a several hectares, at the heart of Mamaia resort. It was the very moment when, in effect, the resort of Mamaia was put on the map of tourism. In the following years, almost all families of the well-to-do class wanted to have a holiday house in Mamaia. The royal residence in Mamaia was built between 1924 and 1927 and was made of two separate buildings. We’re speaking about the Royal palace and a small pavilion that was built at the suggestion of Queen Marie, who intended to offer it to Michael. Unfortunately, King Ferdinand never got round to being accommodated in that residence because the construction works were completed in the spring of 1927, and the King died the same year, in the summer.



    The inauguration of the new palace took place on August 22, 1927, with the little, six-year-old king Michael attending the event. In the following period of time, the palace was visited by the royal family and their guests, among whom there was the Greek royal family, to whom the Romanian one was related. But the history of the building would change. With details on that, here is the historian Delia Roxana Cornea once again.



    Unfortunately, the history of that royal residence was changed because of its selling, in 1932, according to a deal the mother-princess, Helen, had with her former husband, King Carol I. From that moment on, the Royal Palace became, in turn, the marine aviation base in Mamaia, then, later, during the communist year, it was turned into a holiday residence for the workers’ class, while in the 1970s the communist authorities redesigned the entire building and turned ii into a Neckermann Club, exclusively destined to German tourists. Just as it was stipulated in the supporting memorandum, it was intended to bring in hard currency, while at that time the one-place nightly accommodation fee at the former Royal Palace stood at 13 USD.



    After 1989, the story of the Royal Palace in Mamaia went on, but those who officially took possession of the palace did not provide appropriate maintenance. The building became derelict and then it was abandoned. However, the building’s upgrading ongoing campaign is a promising one and, in the long run, the city dwellers of Constanta hope to yet again see the palace in its initial grandeur.(EN)




  • The Savings’ Bank Palace in Bucharest

    The Savings’ Bank Palace in Bucharest

    The ascension to the throne by Carol I, in mid 19th century, brought along not only a fast paced modernisation of society but also the transformation of several towns, Bucharest in particular. In only a few decades, until WWI, tall, imposing buildings emerged in Bucharest, most of them works by foreign and Romanian architects who had studied abroad, embracing the prevailing trends and styles of the time, imposed mainly by the Parisian chic taste.



    One of the emblematic buildings of the time, which make you think of Paris, is the Savings Bank Palace, a landmark building of Bucharest, which still serves its initial function, that of housing the first Romanian bank. Situated on Calea Victoriei (Victory Road), close to the commercial centre near Lipscani Street, and the Dambovita River, the palace was built on an important site for the inhabitants of Bucharest, says historian Dan Falcan:



    Dan Falcan: “This imposing palace was built on the site of the Sf Ioan cel Mare monastery. Construction works started officially on June 8, 1897, with King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth attending the event. It was a 300 years old church. A first church having St John as its patron saint was attested in documents as early as the 17th century, but it was restored by ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu between 1703 and 1705. It was a very beautiful church and today, fragments of it are put on show at the ‘Curtea Veche Museum. Unfortunately, after the restoration of 1705, the church started degrading and subsequently had to be demolished in 1875. The ‘Sf. Ioan cel Mare monastery and church owned large properties, stretching from Dambovitas Bank to todays ‘Cercul Militar building.



    Since 1864, a wing of the monastery had been housing the Savings Bank, actually the first bank of the Romanian Principalities. It was set up under a decree issued by ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The banks headquarters were later moved to the current Palace, on the initial site of the monastery. The project drawn up by architect Paul Gottereau was chosen for the building. Historian Dan Falcan has further details:



    Dan Falcan: “Paul Gottereau was one of the official architects of the time. Many buildings in Bucharest were designed by him, and only the construction engineers differed. In the case of the Savings Bank Palace, the builder was Ion Socolescu. Among others, Paul Gottereau contributed to the refurbishment of the Royal Palace and the Cotroceni Palace. He was one of the foreign architects, mostly French, who came to Romania in the second half of the 19th century, alongside Theophile Bradeau, Albert Galleron and Swiss Louis Blanck. It is to them that Bucharest owes, at least to a certain extent, the nickname ‘Little Paris, as they came here and designed buildings just like they had been taught in the French capital city. Furthermore, all the Romanian architects active during that period of time, had studied in Paris and consequently built in the style they had learnt there. Due to that, Bucharest was called Little Paris, as the buildings erected between 1880 and 1914 were influenced by French architecture. Actually, the Savings Bank Palace is also reminiscent of Le Petit Palais in Paris. Paul Gottereau started its construction in 1897 and completed it in 1900. It is an imposing building, with an amazing semicircular fronton, above the entrance. It is supported by four pillars, and is built in the eclectic style. The two lateral cupolas were built in the Renaissance style. Although imposing, the palace is harmoniously built, being perfectly integrated in the environment. Opposite the Savings Bank Palace, there is the former Post Palace, which is now housing the national history museum, built in the same period, by architect Alexandru Săvulescu.



    The interior of the Savings Bank Palace is just as spectacular, with a huge and richly decorated hall housing the counters. In 2005, the Savings Bank Museum was set up inside the building of the Savings Bank, designed by Paul Gottereau. The museum has a collection of objects which mark the evolution of that bank along the years: original documents of financial-banking transaction made in the early years of the bank, banking products since 1880 to the present day, “deposits and safes from the inter-war period, as well as promotional items used by the bank along the years- stamps, commemorative medals, badges, postal cards.