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BUCHAREST (Bucuresci)

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Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 718 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BUCHAREST (Bucuresci) , also written Bucarest, Bukarest, Bukharest, Bukorest and Bukhorest, the See also:capital of See also:Rumania, and See also:chief See also:town of the See also:department of Ilfov. Although Bucharest is the conventional See also:English spelling, the forms Bucarest and Bukarest more nearly represent the correct See also:pronunciation. The See also:population in 1900 was 282,071, including 43,274 See also:Jews, and 53,056 aliens, mostly Austro-Hungarian subjects. With its outlying parts, Bucharest covers more than 20 sq. m. It lies in a hollow, traversed from See also:north-See also:west to See also:south-See also:east by the See also:river Dimbovitza (Ddmbovita or Dfmbovita), and is built mainly on the See also:left See also:bank. A range of See also:low hills affords shelter on the west and south-west; but on every other See also:side there are drained, though still unhealthy, marshes, stretching away to meet the central Walachian plains. From a distance, the multitude of its gardens, and the turrets and See also:metal-plated or gilded cupolas of its many churches give Bucharest a certain picturesqueness. In a few of the older districts, too, where See also:land is least valuable, there are See also:antique one-storeyed houses, surrounded by poplars and acacias; while the See also:gipsies and Rumans, wearing their brightly coloured native costumes, the See also:Russian coachmen, or See also:sleigh-drivers, of the banished Lipovan See also:sect, and the pedlars, with their doleful See also:street cries, render Bucharest unlike any western capital. Nevertheless, the See also:city is See also:modern. Until about 186o, indeed, the dimly lit lanes were paved with rough See also:stone blocks, imbedded in the See also:clay See also:soil, which often subsided, so as to leave the See also:surface undulating like a See also:sea. Drains were rare, epidemics See also:common. Owing to the frequency of earthquakes, many houses were built of See also:wood, and in 1847 fully a See also:quarter of the city was laid See also:waste by See also:fire.

The See also:

plague visited Bucharest in 1718, 1738, 1793, when an See also:earthquake destroyed a number of old buildings, and in 1813, when 70,000 of the inhabitants died in six See also:weeks. From the See also:accession of See also:Prince See also:Charles, in 1866, a See also:gradual reform began. The river was enclosed between stone embankments; See also:sewerage and pure See also:water were supplied, See also:gas and electric See also:light installed; and See also:horse or electric tramways laid down in the .See also:principal thoroughfares, which were paved with See also:granite or wood. The older houses are of See also:brick, overlaid with See also:white or tinted See also:plaster, and ornamented with figures or foliage in terra-See also:cotta; but owing to the See also:great changes of temperature in Rumania, the plaster soon cracks and peels off, giving a dilapidated See also:appearance to many streets. The chief modern buildings, such as the See also:Athenaeum, with its Ionic See also:facade and See also:Byzantine See also:dome, are principally on the quays and boulevards, and are constructed of stone. Bucharest is often called " The See also:Paris of the East," partly from a supposed social resemblance, partly from the number of its boulevards and avenues. Three See also:main thoroughfares, the See also:Plevna, Lipscani, and Vacaresci, skirt the left bank of the river; the See also:Elizabeth See also:Boulevard, and the Calea Victoriel, or " See also:Avenue of Victory," which commemorates the Rumanian success at Plevna, in 1877, radiate east and north, respectively, from the Lipscani, and meet a broad road which surrounds all sides of Bucharest, except the north-west. The Lipscani was originally the street of merchants who obtained their wares from the See also:annual See also:fair at See also:Leipzig; for almost all crafts or See also:gilds, other than the bakers and See also:tavern-keepers, were See also:long confined to See also:separate quarters; and the old names have survived, as in the musicians', furriers', and See also:money-changers' quarters. Continuous with the Calea Victoriel, on the north, is the Kisilev See also:Park, traversed by the Chausee, a favourite drive, leading to the See also:pretty Baneasa See also:race-course, where See also:spring and autumn meetings are held. The Cismegiu or Ci§migiu Park, which has a circumference of about 1 m., is laid out between the Plevna road and the Calea Victoriel; and there are botanical and zoological gardens. The Orthodox See also:Greek churches are generally small, with very narrow windows, and are built of brick in a modified Byzantine See also:style. They are usually surmounted by two or three towers, but the bells are hung in a See also:kind of wooden See also:porch, resembling a lych-See also:gate, and See also:standing about twenty paces from the See also:church.

The See also:

cathedral, or See also:metropolitan church, where the metropolitan See also:primate of Rumania officiates, was built between 1656 and 1665. It has the shape of a Greek See also:cross, surrounded by a broad See also:cloister, with four main entrances, each surmounted by a See also:turret. The whole culminates in three brick towers. Standing on high ground, the cathedral overlooks all Bucharest, and commands a view of the Carpathians. Other interesting churches are St Spiridion the New (1768), the loftiest and most beautiful of all; the Doamna Balasa (1751), noteworthy for its See also:rich carved See also:work without, and frescoes within; and the See also:ancient Biserica Bucur, said, in See also:local traditions, to derive its name from Bucur, a shepherd whom See also:legend makes the founder of Bucharest. The real founder and date of this church, and of many others, are unknown, thanks to the frequent obliteration of See also:Slavonic See also:inscriptions by the Greek See also:clergy. The Protestants, Armenians and Lipovans See also:worship in their own churches, and the Jews have several synagogues. Bucharest is also the seat of a See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also:archbishop; but the Roman Catholics, though numbering nearly 37,000 in 1899, possess only three churches, including the cathedral of St See also:Joseph. Bucharest is a great educational centre. Besides the See also:ordinary ecclesiastical seminaries, lyceums, gymnasia and elementary See also:schools, it possesses schools of See also:commerce, See also:science and See also:art institutes, and training colleges, for See also:engineers and veterinary surgeons; while the university, founded in 1864, has faculties of See also:theology, See also:philosophy, literature, See also:law, science, See also:medicine and See also:pharmacy. Students pay no fees except for See also:board. The See also:national library, containing many See also:precious See also:Oriental documents, and the See also:meeting-See also:hall of the Rumanian See also:senate, are both included in the university buildings, which, with the Athenaeum (used for See also:literary conferences and for See also:music), and the central girls' school, are regarded as the best example of modern Rumanian See also:architecture.

Other See also:

libraries are those of the Nifon See also:seminary, of the Charles University See also:Foundation (Fundajiunea universitara See also:Carol), which endows See also:research, and rewards literary or scientific merit; the central library, and the library of the See also:Academy, which also contains a museum of natural See also:history and antiquities. Among philanthropic institutions may be mentioned the Coltei, See also:Brancovan, Maternitate, Philantropia and Pantelimon hospitals; the Marcutza lunatic See also:asylum; and the Princess Elena See also:refuge (Asilul Elena Doamna), founded by Princess Elena Couza in 1862, to provide for 230 See also:orphan girls. The summer See also:home of these girls is a See also:convent in the Transylvanian See also:Alps. Hotels and restaurants are numerous. There are two theatres, the National and the Lyric, which is mainly patronized by See also:foreign players; but See also:minor places of amusement abound; as also do clubs—political, social and sporting. Socially, indeed, the progress of Bucharest is remarkable, its See also:political, literary and scientific circles being on a level with those of most See also:European capitals. Bucharest is the See also:winter See also:residence of the royal See also:family, the meeting-See also:place of See also:parliament, and the seat of an See also:appeal See also:court (Curtea de Apel), of the supreme court (Curtea de Casatie), of the ministries, the national bank, the bank of Rumania, many lesser See also:credit establishments, and a chamber of commerce. The railway lines which meet on the western limit of the city give See also:access to all parts, and the See also:telephone See also:system, besides being internally See also:complete, communicates with See also:Braila, See also:Galatz, See also:Jassy and See also:Sinaia. Bucharest has a very large transit See also:trade in See also:petroleum, See also:timber and agricultural produce; above all, in See also:wheat and See also:maize. Its See also:industries include petroleum-refining, extraction of See also:vegetable See also:oils, See also:cabinet-making, See also:brandy-distilling, tanning, and the manufacture of machinery, See also:wire, nails, metal-See also:ware, See also:cement, See also:soap, candles, See also:paste, See also:starch, See also:paper, cardboard, See also:pearl buttons, textiles, See also:leather goods, See also:ropes, See also:glucose, See also:army supplies, preserved See also:meat and vegetables, and See also:confectionery. An important fair is held for seven days in each See also:year. The See also:mercantile community is largely composed of Austrians, Frenchmen, Germans, Greeks and Swiss, who See also:form exclusive colonies.

Bucharest is the headquarters of the II. army See also:

corps, and a fortress of the first See also:rank. The fortifications were constructed in 1885–1896 on a project drafted by the Belgian engineer, Genectl See also:Brialmont, in 1883. The meandistance of the forts from the city is 4 m., and the perimeter of the defences (which are technically of See also:special importance as em-bodying the system of Brialmont) is about 48 m., this perimeter being defended by 36 armoured forts and batteries. There are See also:barracks for over 30,000 See also:cavalry and See also:infantry, ail See also:arsenal, a military See also:hospital and three military See also:academies. The legend of Bucur is plainly unhistorical, and the meaning of Bucharest has been much disputed. One See also:account derives It from an Albanian word Bukur, meaning joy, in memory of a victory won by Prince Mircea of See also:Walachia (c. 1383–1419) over the See also:Turks. For this See also:reason Bucharest is often called " The City of Joy." Like most ancient cities of Rumania, its foundation has also been ascribed to the first Walachian prince, the See also:half-mythical Radu Negru (c. 129o-1314). More modern historians declare that it was originally a fortress, erected on the site of the Daco-Roman Thyanus, to command the approaches to See also:Tirgovishtea, formerly the capital of Walachia. It soon became the summer residence of the court. In 1595 it was burned by the Turks; but, after its restoration, continued to grow in See also:size and prosperity, until, in 1698, Prince See also:Constantine Brancovan See also:chose it for his capital.

During the 18th See also:

century the See also:possession of Bucharest was frequently disputed by the Turks, Austrians and Russians. In 1812 it gave its name to the treaty by which See also:Bessarabia and a third of See also:Moldavia were ceded to See also:Russia. In the See also:war of 1828 it was occupied by the Russians, who made it over to the prince of Walachia in the following year. A See also:rebellion against Prince Bibescu in 1848 brought both See also:Turkish and Russian interference, and the city was again held by Russian troops in 1853–1854. On their departure an See also:Austrian See also:garrison took possession and remained till See also:March 1857. In 1858 the See also:international See also:congress for the organization of the Danubian principalities was held in the city; and when, in 1861, the See also:union of Walachia and Moldavia was proclaimed, Bucharest became the Rumanian capital. Prince See also:Cuza, the first ruler of the See also:united provinces, was driven from his See also:throne by an insurrection in Bucharest in 1866. For the subsequent history of the city see RUMANIA: History.

End of Article: BUCHAREST (Bucuresci)

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