Bucharest’s beginning as a capital of the Romanian province of Wallachia dates
back precisely 355 years, in 1659. Romanian provinces were autonomous, but
had rulers imposed and overseen by the Ottoman Empire. Their changing every
five years or so, gave little chance of consistency with regards to city planning
and strategy. Therefore, Bucharest grew quietly and organically as an oversized
village up until the 1800s. The brief shift from the Ottoman to Russian Empire
rule, as warranty to the latter’s winning, brought about the setting of urban
hygienic and beautifying regulations and committees, as well as the tracing of
Bucharest’s first boulevards and parks, and the marking of the edges of the
inner city, its checkpoints and markets.Bucharest’s urbanized planning was first thoroughly documented in 1846, by
the Borroczyn plan. According to it, by 1846 the only already established public
plaza, among the five chosen to analyse, was the Large Market (current Unirii).
Set in the centre of the inner town, it shaped along the neck of the Dambovita
River. Due to its commercial function, and position, it acted as joint between
the two banks of the river, attracting and serving inhabitants all around.Fig. 1
The Large Market, set inside the
Dambovita River neck, 1846. In
black, the market’s buildings.
(Duda)