Fig. 5b
The Palace Hall square.
(Courtesy of the Arhitectura
magazine image archive, Union
of Architects of Romania)
The importance of railroads workers in promoting socialist and communist
thinking is acknowledged by the importance given to the entire ensemble
around the North railway station (Gara de Nord) and Calea Griviței.^13 This
long boulevard is divided into several different sections, in order to achieve
the desired diversity, without losing homogeneity. During this period, as
the industrial standardization was not yet spread, the façades towards the
boulevard compose a dynamic image. As technological progress was made
and industrialization was applied more and more, the generalized use of
prefabricated panels diminished the variety and the façades of boulevards built
later on, fall into dull repetition.The thoughts on the importance of Dâmbovița in the city are somehow
tempered and there is no mention of navigability, but important educational,
research and cultural amenities would be placed on the riverbanks such as the
Polytechnic Institute (part of the Bucharest University), research institutes, a
sports hall, a park etc. The apparition of the subway is also envisioned, though
it would take a long time to implement - it was inaugurated in 1979.At the end of this period an important political event overlaped the finalization
of the sexennial plan and that is the death of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and
Nicolae Ceauşescu’s ascension to power. Unexpectedly, this was not a
shattering event and, though political changes were obvious, when it comes to
architecture and urban planning, things seem to continue unabated for a while.
Ceau şescu was a prominent figure even before becoming general secretary
and was involved in decisions regarding systematization. It is rather surprising
to notice the common sense he showed in approaching the matters of urbanBucharest’s urban planning instruments during the communist regime:
systematization sketches, plans, projects and interventions