National Bank of Romania

Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse is a fork-shaped, yellow glass covered arcaded street in central Bucharest, Romania. Câmpineanu Inn (Romanian: Hanul Câmpineanu) once stood in the place nowadays occupied by the passage. The old Inn was bought by Petros Seraphim, who gifted it to two of his daughters as dowries. Daughter Polixena married in 1843 Xavier Vilacrosse, Chief Architect of Bucharest, 1840–1848, the Inn renamed after him. Daughter Anastasia married Mihalache Macca, who built luxury shops on their part. In the late 1880s, the city decided to buy the sites to build a Western style passage to relieve congestion. It was designed by architect Felix Xenopol, and opened in 1891. Because the central part of the site was occupied by the Pesht Hotel, which the owner refused to sell, the passage was executed as a two-tined, fork-like shape with two wings around the two sides of the hotel. The narrow streets were covered with a glass roof, allowing the entry of natural light while providing shelter from the rain. The ground floor was meant for shops, while the rooms on the first floor were for rent. One branch of the passage was called Vilacrosse, while the other one was called Macca, after the old owners. The two-tined end opens onto Calea Victoriei, one of Bucharest's main avenues; the other end opens toward the National Bank in the historic Lipscani district. Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse hosted the first Stock Exchange House of Bucharest, before a larger and more appropriate structure was built. Between 1950 and 1990 the passage was called Pasajul Bijuteria ("Jewelry Store Passage"), but the initial name was restored afterwards. Today it hosts several indoor/outdoor eating establishments, including an Egyptian-themed bar/restaurant, the Blues Cafe, a bistro, a Chinese restaurant and a wine bar.

Stavropoleos Monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Stavropoleos), also known as Stavropoleos Church (Romanian: Biserica Stavropoleos) during the last century when the monastery was dissolved, is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for nuns in central Bucharest, Romania. Its church is built in Brâncovenesc style. The patrons of the church (the saints to whom the church is dedicated) are St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The name Stavropoleos is the genitive case of Stavropolis (Greek, "The city of the Cross"). One of the monastery's constant interests is Byzantine music, expressed through its choir and the largest collection of Byzantine music books in Romania.

Caru' cu Bere (aka Carul cu Bere; "the beer wagon") is a bar and restaurant on Stavropoleos Street in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. The business was originally opened as a brewery in 1879 by Ioan Căbășan and his nephews, Ion, Gheorghe, and Nicolae Mircea. They were originally citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and from Cața, Transylvania. In 1889, Căbășan assigned his lease to his eldest nephew, Ion. Ion died later that same year and was replaced in the family firm by the youngest sibling, Víctor.Nicolae bought the building at 5 Stavropoleos Street in 1897, and made plans to open a restaurant there to expand their business operations. They hired the Austrian architect Siegfrid Kofczinsky to design a restaurant and brewery building in the gothic revival style. Co-owners were Nicolae, Ignat, and Víctor Mircea. The restaurant opened in 1899, featuring their beer. Victor left the establishment in 1912, opening his own brewery and several years later, Nicolae set up Ignat in a wine cellar business. When Nicolae died in 1929, his heirs assumed control of the business and operated it until the communist state nationalized the operation in 1949.In 1986, extensive restoration was done on the property, led by Nicolae Gheorghe. When the Socialist Republic of Romania was overthrown in 1989, the heirs of the Mircea family began efforts to regain their ownership. In 1999, Caru' cu Bere was returned to them and they began extensive renovations to restore the property to its former state. It is noted for its distinctive art nouveau interior decoration. It is operated by Dragoș Petrescu's City Grill chain, and is classified as a historic monument, number B-II-m-B-19728.Romanian writer Mateiu Caragiale's frame story, Sub pecetea tainei, is set in Caru' cu Bere.

The Bucharest Chamber of Commerce Palace (Romanian: Palatul Camerei de Comerț București), also the Stock Exchange Palace (Palatul Bursei), is a building located at 4 Ion Ghica Street, Bucharest, Romania. In 1904, the head of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce asked King Carol I for land on which to build a headquarters. He was granted a parcel in 1906 from the state's holdings. Fourteen architects submitted designs in 1907; Ștefan Burcuș was selected. Special brick and reinforced concrete were used in order to ensure the building's stability; Gogu Constantinescu supervised the latter material. The cost was estimated at 800,000 gold lei. The cornerstone was laid in May 1908, in the presence of various officials. The palace was inaugurated in 1911, with a speech by the King. It was used as a stock market for goods. In 1949, the nascent communist regime nationalized the building. It hosted the National Library of Romania until 2008, when the Chamber of Commerce regained possession. The building has two tall floors, an attic and a basement, measuring 1957 square meters in total. Described by one observer as featuring “a simple, beautiful majesty, with a grandiose facade, classical and alive”, it is richly decorated, with a rounded front, interrupted corniches and a skylit mansard. Its principal element is the main entrance on the street corner, with its curved balcony topped by a central arch. A blazon has a lion's head in bas-relief, flanked by two allegories in ronde-bosse stone: Industry on the left (a veiled woman holding a hammer) and Commerce on the right (Mercury holding a caduceus and an anchor). The first two floors are in bossage, while the remainder has pilasters and Ionic capitals. The style becomes finer as it climbs from the massive stone foundation to the cast-iron balustrades of the balconies. The ceiling and panels of the council chamber are decorated in the style of François Boucher. The Chamber of Commerce seal appears on the exterior and interior. The building is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

The Zlătari Church (Romanian: Biserica Zlătari) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 12 Calea Victoriei in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary. Reportedly, the first church on the site was built in the mid-17th century, likely of wood, and is mentioned in a 1667 document. Legend has it that the founders were zlătari, gold or silversmiths. The 1709 pisanie was lost in 1850, but a likely apocryphal record of its Greek text was preserved. According to this source, a new church was built in 1705, with Spătar Mihail Cantacuzino as ktetor. He generously endowed the monastery with stores and estates, making it among the wealthiest in the country during the 18th century. In 1709, when Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos Palladas visited the court of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, the monastery and its surrounding inn were subordinated to his church.The church suffered severe damage during the 1802 and 1838 earthquakes, and was entirely rebuilt starting in 1850, as recorded by the 1860 pisanie, also in Greek; reportedly, Xavier Villacrosse was the architect. The interior painting, dating to 1853–1856, was done by Gheorghe Tattarescu, and features biblical scenes on large panels. The iconostasis, carved in wood and gilt, as well as its silvered icons, are works of art. The monastery chapel, mentioned by Dionisie Fotino in 1818 and used for prayer by Russian travelers, was demolished in 1850. The building underwent repairs in 1864, 1876 and 1898, becoming a parish church in 1888. In 1903, the inn and bell tower were demolished in order to widen the street. A fresco depicting the Nativity of the Virgin and an inscription submitting to Alexandria were discovered at the time, but later lost.The church was again restored in 1907–1908; its domes were damaged in the 1940 tremor. These were repaired provisionally and given their current form in 1971–1973. Until the late 1970s, the church stood alone between Lipscani and Stavropoleos Streets, with green space covering the inn foundation. At that point, one apartment block was built on either side.The single-nave church measures 23.5 meters long by 12 meters wide, finishing in an altar apse. Aside from the central dome, there are four smaller ones atop the nave corners; these are octagonal, resting on square bases. Light comes into the interior through stained glass windows depicting saints. Two brass candelabra in Oriental style were donated by the father of a colonel who lived in the inn around 1830. Red bricks decorate the exterior. The canopied portico features arches on stone columns. The right arm of Saint Cyprian is held in a small reliquary before the altar.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

The Dobroteasa Church (Romanian: Biserica Dobroteasa) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 35 B Mircea Vodă Boulevard in Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Annunciation. According to Nicolae Iorga, the name Dobroteasa may derive from an Old Church Slavonic term for the Virgin Mary, or from the wife of a certain Dobrotă who may have endowed the original 17th century church. According to the pisanie, a masonry church was built on the site in 1730, with Vistier (treasurer) Constantin Năsturel as ktetor; earlier, a small wooden church had stood there. Damaged by the 1838 earthquake, it was restored in 1847. By 1884, the church again lay in ruins, and the city authorities ordered its demolition.The current church was begun in 1887, completed in November 1892 and, nearly a year later, dedicated with great pomp by Metropolitan Ghenadie Petrescu. Gheorghe Ioanide painted Biblical scenes on large panels between 1893 and 1894. The carved oak choir seats are decorated with griffons and a crown with cross, the coat of arms of the Năsturel family. Thorough repairs took place in 1955–1958. Consolidation work began in 1985, following the 1977 quake. The church was shut down in 1986 and slated for demolition by the Nicolae Ceaușescu regime. A foundation was dug in front, and was meant to support an apartment block that would have blocked the view of the church from the street. That project was abandoned after the Romanian Revolution. The church reopened in 1991 and intermittent repairs took place subsequently.The cross-shaped church is fairly large, at 21 meters long by 8–11 meters wide. The entrance is preceded by a portico with three elongated arches, the middle one higher. They are supported by columns with Byzantine Revival capitals. The vestibule has two side towers. The narthex has a spherical ceiling, while the nave has deep, semicircular side apses. The Pantocrator dome, not very large, sits on ample pendentives painted with saints’ icons in medallion. The facade alternates between rows of five bricks and stone in relief. The octagonal domes on square bases are decorated in similar fashion. An ornamented belt surrounds the facades, including the pediment; rosettes are placed beneath this, inspired by the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral. The large windows terminate in a circular arch; around the narthex, they come in pairs. The two priests’ entrances are preceded by small porticoes.The church owns old icons and religious objects of value. It is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

St. Nicholas–Șelari Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Nicolae–Șelari) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 16 Blănari Street in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. A first church, likely of wood, existed in the vicinity in the 17th or even the 16th century. It is attested in a 1664 document, and mentioned in records from subsequent decades. The church was rebuilt in masonry in 1699–1700; the main ktetor was Paharnic Șerban II Cantacuzino. Severely damaged during the 1802 earthquake, it was rebuilt in a different form over the following two years. In the mid-19th century, it was the church of the chandlers’, cotton-weavers’ and barbers’ guilds. After being badly damaged by the Great Fire of Bucharest, it was demolished in 1860. The rubble of the old church was reused, forming a wall up to four meters thick.Work on the new church proceeded slowly. In 1867, when Prince Carol visited, he was shown the difficult situation and promptly promised a donation from his personal funds. His grant of ten thousand gold coins made the prince a ktetor. The interior painting by Gheorghe Tattarescu dates to the same period. The general aspect of the church, with its Greek- and Gothic Revival touches, goes back to the 1866-1868 rebuilding. Repairs took place in 1903, 1921–1925, 1940, 1971 and, following the appearance of serious cracks due to the 1977 quake, in 1978–1985. Archaeological observations in 1996 determined that the remains of the Cantacuzino church are embedded in the foundation, some three meters below ground.The church is cross-shaped, measuring 25 meters long by 9–16 meters wide. The polygonal Christ Pantocrator dome sits atop the nave, while the octagonal bell tower is above the outer part of the narthex. The altar apse has nine exterior faces, like its 1700 predecessor, and is semicircular on the interior. The facades, which feature a richly decorated cornice, are divided into two sections by a row of bricks. The large lower windows are rectangular, while the upper ones are arched. The western facade features upper and lower pilasters in strong relief, a central recessed rose window, a small triangular pediment and a cornice with palmettes. Four steps lead to a portico framed by an arch supported on two marble columns.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.

St. Demetrius–Poștă Church (Romanian: Biserica Sfântul Dimitrie–Poștă) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 2 Poștei Street in the Lipscani district of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to Demetrius of Thessaloniki. A church existed on the site around 1500. Probably destroyed after the Battle of Călugăreni in 1595 and rebuilt after 1600, the subsequent church is mentioned in a document of 1680. Before 1690, the church was rebuilt by Badea Bălǎceanu, the brother-in-law of Șerban Cantacuzino. Made of wood, it did not last long. It was rebuilt in stone in 1741-1746, was in poor shape in 1797, severely damaged by the 1802 earthquake and burned in 1804.The current structure was begun in 1819 by Buzău Bishop Constantin Filitti, continued by his successor Gherasim Rătescu and completed in 1843 by still another bishop, Chesarie Căpățână. Unusually for the period, contracts from 1819 between Filitti and an architect, a carpenter and three painters survive. The 1847 Great Fire of Bucharest destroyed the roof and paintings; repairs carried out in 1852 included a new roof, reinforced walls and new paintings by Carol Szathmari. By 1912, the church was again in ruins and proposed for demolition. It was saved and renovated by Ioan C. Filitti, a great-nephew of the bishop, with funds offered by Mayor Dimitrie Dobrescu. Reopening in 1930, it was further repaired in 1964-1966, 1986 (following the 1977 earthquake), 1995 and after 2002.The cross-shaped church is 25.2 meters long by 9.5 meters wide, rising to a height of 13.9 meters. The narthex is small, the altar elongated. The Christ Pantocrator dome rises above the apses; it has eight sides on a square base. The roof is covered in tin. The facades are ornamented in Greek Revival style, while the pediment is in profile. The side pilasters are Doric, beneath a continuous floral decoration. The western side has six very tall Ionic columns, above which are medallions of the Twelve Apostles. Above the 1852 pisanie is a recessed icon of the patron saint, flanked by rectangular frames with Saints Peter and Paul. The interior painting is in realist style and does not respect the Byzantine canons. The Baroque iconostasis was carved at Buzău.The church is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs. Its nickname comes from the nearby Post Office Palace. It is also known as the “Church of Oath Taking” (Biserica de Jurământ), due to the solemn oaths people would swear near the altar.

The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this has been done according to the model used by Harvard University. The university bears the name of a scientist and reformer of the Romanian education, Spiru Haret, who lived before World War I. On February 14, 2000, the university was accredited by the National Council of Academic Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions. The establishment of the university was confirmed by Law no. 443 of July 5, 2002 and this law has not been abolished. According to the data published by the university in July 2010, it has 30 faculties with 49 specializations and 64 master's degree curricula, being according to the newspaper Financiarul the largest university in Romania. In 2009 enrollment was reported as 311,928 students. Referring to the number of its students, the newspaper mistakenly called it the largest university in the world. It is the second-largest private university in the world, after Islamic Azad University (with 1.3 million students). Pope John Paul II and a former Romanian president, Ion Iliescu, have received honorary doctorates from the university. In 2011, the Spiru Haret University was officially evaluated as an "education-centered university", which is the third and lowest educational quality category of the Romanian universities. Education centered universities have lost the right of organizing doctorate degrees studies. In July 2017, Spiru Haret University ranked on the 27th place out of 103 other universities in Romania.

The Lady's Church (Romanian: Biserica Doamnei) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 1 Doamnei Street in Bucharest, Romania, hidden behind an apartment block on Calea Victoriei. It is dedicated to the Presentation of Mary.

The Old Town is located in the center of Bucharest, Romania and is known for its nightlife. Ion C. Brătianu Boulevard crosses the historic center from north to south, dividing this area into two approximately equal parts. Also in this perimeter is the beginning of the Calea Moșilor. In addition to the 48 streets, between which are the following streets: Lipscani, Șelari, Covaci, Doamnei, Stavropoleos, Franceză, Șepcari, in the historic center there are also three entrances, three passages and five squares or squares.

The Great Fire of Bucharest (Romanian: Marele incendiu din București or simply Focul cel mare) was the largest conflagration ever to occur in Bucharest, Romania, then the capital of Wallachia. It started on March 23, 1847 and destroyed 1850 buildings, a third of the city, including, according to Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, "the most populated and richest part of Bucharest".The fire destroyed the central commercial part of the city, replacing the small and crowded wooden buildings with two-story brick merchants' and craftsemen's houses, inspired by those in Austria, having their shops and warehouses at the first floor and the habitation at the second floor.