Romanian Athenaeum

Romanian Athenaeum building is one sector of Bucharest, Calea Victoriei and

near the market today bearing the name of Revolution Square . Built to be a
palace of arts and sciences , where the building is organized in a lavish
ambience , exhibitions , concerts and conferences.
Athenaeum and the garden in front of it are placed on where in 1730 was
"Vcrescu's Orchard" poet Ienchi Vcrescu property. Mihail Cantacuzino,
back Wallachia, considered the first Romanian architect, built on the site of a
church dedicated to the Diocese of orchard forthe later called Church
Diocese. In the churchyard operate a school where they were taught religious
songs. After the destruction of the church and the school, the remaining land
has been landscaped garden.The garden was finished in 1872 and was called
the Garden Diocese. In the midst of it, in remembrance of the church was
placed an urn, the work of Karl Stork. The garden was built only in 1888
Athenaeum, is known as the Garden Athenaeum.
The building has a total height of 41 m and is built in neoclassical style with
elements of decoration typical end-of-century French architecture. The
construction of the central plane presents an eclectic style. Currently large
concert hall is 28.50 m diameter, 16 m height and approximate capacity of
794 seats.
The slabs of the building is turned westward and contains a peristyle of six
Ionic columns, which give the building the appearance of a Greek temple. The
columns support a triangular pediment and is based on a platform consisting
of 8 steps.Peristyle wall, above the entrance door to the palace, has five
medallions mosaic, representing the Alexandru cel Bun, Neagoe, Basil Lupul,
Matei Basarab and King Charles I.
Inside the palace were exhibition halls, cinema projection rooms, a library, a
repository of books (about 10,000), a large conference room or concert
Downstairs construction presents a large circular vestibule, backed by a ring
of 12 columns with a pink plaster imitating marble. From the vestibule known
as "Rotonda Athenaeum" start four scales and scale of honor, made of pink
marble of Carrara, each built around a pillar of masonry and form, on landing,
the rotunda balconies. Stairs lead to the great concert hall.
Age consolidation final picture describes the state of the country at the time
of painting. The episode depicts a modern city and King Carol II with heir,

Michael, down among the people to patronize science, literature, art,

agricultural labor and industry.