Romanian Athenaeum

Meet one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest. This prestigious concert hall is home of George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and George Enescu Festival, one of the most important cultural events in Europe.

Opened in 1888, the building was designed by the famous French architect Albert Galleron and assisted by a group of Romanian specialists.

The architecture of the building with its dome and the columns located at the entrance reminds of the famous greek temples. The same architect, Albert Galleron, designed the building of the National Bank of Romania, located in the Old Center which is a must see place, when you visit Bucharest.

The total height of the building is 41 meters and the diameter of the dome is 29.16 meters.

The interior of the building is even more impressive with its winding stairs and decorative sculptures. Inside the auditorium there is a 75 meters long and 3 meters wide fresco illustrating the most important moments in the Romanian history. The auditorium has 600 seats, 52 seats in loggias and an outstanding acoustic.

The birth of the Romanian Athenaeum is very interesting. A very large part of the project was finished by a public raise where every person was asked to donate one leu (romanian currency) for the construction of the building. In 1992 there were conducted some works of restoration and painting which saved the building from damages.

In 2007 the Romanian Athenaeum received the European Heritage Label. If you would like to fully discover this amazing building you must go there to a concert.

In front of the Romanian Athenaeum there is a small park and a statue representing Mihai Eminescu, the greatest Romanian poet of all times. In the same area there are: National Museum of Art of Romania, KretzulescuChurch, and CismigiuPark.

Photo source of the interiors - http://www.fge.org.ro/ro/ateneul-roman.html