The Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel located in central Bucharest, Romania. It was originally built in 1911 and was notorious as a center for spies in the years leading up to and during World War II and the Cold War. The hotel was damaged during World War II and renovated multiple times. It became a hub for diplomats and spies and was known as "Europe's most notorious den of spies." The hotel was nationalized by the communist government in 1948 and closely monitored guests before being privatized and renovated by Hilton in the 1990s.
The Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel located in central Bucharest, Romania. It was originally built in 1911 and was notorious as a center for spies in the years leading up to and during World War II and the Cold War. The hotel was damaged during World War II and renovated multiple times. It became a hub for diplomats and spies and was known as "Europe's most notorious den of spies." The hotel was nationalized by the communist government in 1948 and closely monitored guests before being privatized and renovated by Hilton in the 1990s.
The Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel located in central Bucharest, Romania. It was originally built in 1911 and was notorious as a center for spies in the years leading up to and during World War II and the Cold War. The hotel was damaged during World War II and renovated multiple times. It became a hub for diplomats and spies and was known as "Europe's most notorious den of spies." The hotel was nationalized by the communist government in 1948 and closely monitored guests before being privatized and renovated by Hilton in the 1990s.
Athne Palace Hilton Bucharest The Athne Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel in Bucharest, Romania opened in 11!" #t $as ar%ua&ly 'urope(s most notorious den of spies in the years leadin% up to World War ##, and only sli%htly less so durin% the )old War"*1+ Contents 1 ,ocation - History . /otes ! References 0 'xternal links Location ,ocated in the heart of Bucharest on 1tr" 'piscopiei at the corner of )alea 2ictoriei on the former site of the Han 3herasi*-+ 4Han is Romanian for 5inn56, the hotel faces onto the small park in front of the Romanian Athenaeum on Re7olution 18uare 4ori%inally Athenaeum 18uare, then Repu&lic 18uare6" #t did not ori%inally face onto a s8uare9 at the time the hotel $as &uilt, the space that is no$ a small park $as occupied &y the 1plendid Hotel, destroyed &y &om&in% on Au%ust -!, 1!!, and there $ere a considera&le num&er of other &uildin%s on $hat is no$ the s8uare"*.+ History The Athne Palace, desi%ned &y the French architect Thophile Bradeau, &uilt 11-:11!, and moderni;ed 1.0:1.< &y =uiliu >arcu, $as the first &uildin% in Bucharest to use reinforced concrete construction?*!+ dama%ed &y &om&in% in 1!!, durin% World War ##, it $as completely remodeled in 1!0 and extended around 1@0, and a%ain dama%ed in the Romanian Re7olution of 1A 4some of $hose $orst 7iolence occurred in the s8uare immediately in front of the hotel6" #t $as and remodeled yet a%ain &y Hilton #nternational in 10:1<" =escri&in% the hotel as it looked in 1.A, A" ," 'asterman of ,ondon(s Daily Express and later of the Daily Herald referred to its 5hea7ily ornate furnishin%s, mar&le and %old pillars, %reat %litterin% chandeliers, and the deep settees placed $ell &ack in the recesses of the loun%e as if in7itin% conspiracy"5*0+ New York Times forei%n correspondent )" ," 1ul;&er%er $rote in his memoir A Long Row of Candles that as World War ## $as approachin%, he settled into the Athne Palace 5to enBoy my $ait for $arC This $as a comforta&le esta&lishment $ith excellent ser7iceCa corrupt staff al$ays seekin% to chan%e a customer(s money at &lackDmarket rates, and continual competition &y ladies of easy or nonexistent 7irtue to share the $armth of a client(s &ed"5*@+ 5)ountess5 R" 3" Waldeck $rote of the hotel in the same era, 5Here $as the heart of Bucharest, topo%raphically, artistically, intellectually, politicallyEand, if you like, morally"5*@+ #t $as also home at the time to &oth British spies and the 3estapo"*1+ A" ," 'asterman called it the 5most notorious cara7anserai in all 'urope" Cthe meetin% place of the )ontinental spies, political conspirators, ad7enturers, concession hunters, and financial manipulators" 5*0+ The hotel is a primary settin% in Fli7ia >annin%(s Balkan Trilogy",*<+ $hich $as later filmed as the 1A< BB) miniseries Fortnes of !ar, starrin% Genneth Brana%h and 'mma Thompson" The miniseries $as not shot at the hotel, &ut in Hu%osla7ia" #n 1!A the hotel $as nationali;ed &y the ne$ )ommunist %o7ernment, $ho famously &u%%ed e7ery room, tapped e7ery phone 4and e7ery pay phone $ithin half a mile6, and staffed the entire hotel $ith informers" =an Halpern $rites, 5The hotel(s %eneral director $as an underco7er colonel in the 1ecuritate(s )ounterespiona%e =irectorate? the hotel(s deputy director $as a colonel in the =#', the Romanian external intelli%ence or%ani;ation" The doormen did sur7eillance? the housekeepin% staff photo%raphed all documents in the %uests( rooms" The prostitutes in the lo&&y and in the &ar and in the ni%htclu& reported directly to their employers? the freeDspeakin% &ons 7i7ants and Romanian intellectuals han%in% around the caf, not to mention a num&er of the %uests, had &een planted"5*1+ The hotel $as extended in the midD1@Is? the ne$ structure $as &uilt a$ay from the street side" The proBect team, comprisin% architect /icolae Pruncu and en%ineers Radu >ircea and >ihai #onescu, encountered se7ere technical difficulties in $hat concerned the &indin% of the old &uildin% $ith the ne$ one"*A+ The %o7ernmentDrun Athne Palace closed in 1! and $as &ou%ht at auction &y Hilton #nternational, $ho proceeded to do a J!- million reno7ation, reopenin% the hotel as the Athne Palace Hilton Bucharest in 1<"*1+ Notes 1" Halpern" -" #nHourPocket"com ." Halpern? 5,ist of /amesC5" !" 3iurescu, p"1@@ 0" 'asterman, p"--1" @" )ited in Halpern" <" http9KK$$$"romaniatourism"comK&ucharest"html A" "nstitt #roie$t B$re ti , pp" @A, and A- 4appendix6 References 'asterman, A" ,", %ing Carol& Hitler& and Lpes$, 2ictor 3ollanc; ,td", ,ondon, 1!- )onstantin )" 3iurescu, "storia B$re tilor' Din $ele mai (e$)i timpri p*n+ *n ,ilele noastre, 'd" Pentru ,iteraturL, Bucharest, 1@@ "nstitt #roie$t B$re ti , Arta 3raficL, Bucharest, 1@A =an Halpern, The Walls Ha7e 'ars, Tra(el and Leisre, Mune -II0 ,ist of /ames and Places 'xplained9 The Athenee Palace Hotel, the 1plendid Hotel, in B$)arest Between t)e !ars- A .odernity !it) Fringes, Romanian Academy ,i&rary, accessed ! Manuary -II@" )ream of the )rop D Athenee Palace Hilton on #nHourPocket"com" Accessed 1 >arch -II@ External links Wikimedia )ommons has media related to Athne Palace" Ffficial $e&site Ffficial $e&pa%e at Hilton $e&site )oordinates9 !!N-@O-<"<1P/ -@N0O!."IP' )ate%ories9 Hotels in Bucharest Hilton Hotels Q Resorts hotels Hotel &uildin%s completed in 11! Historic monuments in Bucharest )alea 2ictoriei