BUCHAREST
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Called "Little Paris" at the beginning of the last century, Bucharest can still reveal you some secrets of the good old times.
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The first documentary attestation of the city is a property paper issued by Vlad the Impaler on the 20th of September 1459. During the reign of Gheorghe Ghica, Bucharest became the capital of Wallachia in 1659. After this date Bucharest becomes the center of the political, cultural and social life. There were built palaces (Mogoşoaiei – in 1702, Cotroceni – in 1893), churches (Cretzulescu 1720-1722, Stavropoleos 1724), hospitals (Coltea 1704), theatres (National Theatres 1852), Bucharest University (1869).
At the beginning of the 20th century, Bucharest was one of the most refined, sophisticated cities in Europe, referred to as "Little Paris" or the "Pearl of the Balkans". After escaping the Second World War destructions, neo-classical architecture, grand boulevards, and ottoman traces had to suffer again because of the communist regime. In order to create a new city center, including the Parliamentary Palace, 5 square kilometers of Bucharest’s historic center were destroyed (over 9000 19th century houses, monuments of art, churches and monasteries were demolished and more than 40000 inhabitants displaced). Even though the city is still worth exploring for the omnipresence of its history.
