Fig. 2
The University with the boulevard in front of it.
1869, photography by Franz Dushek.
(The Romanian Academy Library)In time, new regulations were adopted, which were
aiming at a unified and coherent image of the city, by
imposing restrictions for the minimum height of the
buildings, the alignment, etc. For example, in 1897
a distinct regulation for the boulevards and quays
was introduced (Condiţii pentru construcţiunile de pe
bulevarde şi splaiuri) which aimed at differentiating
the boulevards from the rest of the city. The
regulation was establishing a minimum height for
the buildings and minimal front lengths, in order
to generate a continuous built landscape. This fact
indicates that, for the first time, the buildings were
considered as part of an ensemble, contributing to
the creation of the image of the city.
The interventions for the first boulevard began
in 1857. At the time, given its short length, it was
rather a square and was associated with the first
public institution to be built – the Academy, which
nowadays is the University.^9 Later on, the boulevard
was extended, becoming the east-west axis of the city,
followed by the north-south one. Their intersections
were envisioned to mark the new city centre, similar
to the Parisian “grande croisée”^10.
During this time, other main boulevards were created, justified by the creation
of new urban facilities: the Queen Maria Boulevard, leading to the Filaret train
station, the Boulevard of Mărăşeşti, leading to the Gas Factory, the Ferdinand
and Dinicu Golescu boulevards which were connecting the city centre with the
east, respectively the north, train station, the Dacia Boulevard, etc. Another
important trigger of the modernisation was the sanitation of the River
Dâmbovița and the design of its quays. This intervention limited the periodical
floods which were affecting a large part of its surroundings, and therefore
permitted the development of the adjacent area.
The Romanian national style in architectureAnother aspect contributing to the changing of the public space’s image was
the architectural style used and the erection of monumental buildings. They
hosted the new state institutions, linked to the new function of Bucharest
which became the political and administrative centre. After the Kingdom’s
proclamation in 1882, a law was promulgated to establish new public
constructions. This determined the erection of an important number of
buildings, part of them remaining representative landmarks of the city to the
present day. The architecture of these new institutions followed the French
model^11 , adopting the eclectic or neoclassical style. They were realized by
Monica Sebestyen