Category: Architecture
Signs of Trouble?
Posted Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Luke Cleary
Why are many of Bucharest’s oldest buildings fitted with circular red signs?
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It’s not decoration. Not an advertisement. The red dot pictured here is a warning. In the event of an earthquake, don’t even think about using this “red dotted” building for shelter. Bucharest is a city that stands to lose a lot in the event of an earthquake. The high population density and slowly deteriorating infrastructure and buildings could mean significant injuries and deaths. Is Bucharest at risk of a seismic catastrophe? The short answer is yes. The city’s already been hit with a magnitude 5 earthquake just this year. Still, one gets a sense of public apathy or indifference to the impending risk of such an earthquake. It’s strange, they’ve seen the devastating effects of a major quake in the past. In 1977 an earthquake rocked Bucharest, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing over a thousand people. Earthquakes have hit other European countries like Italy, where a recent tremor claimed a few hundred lives this Spring. The circular warnings are there to let Romanians and traveling student journalists, like us, know which buildings are at risk of collapse in an earthquake. Like you, we can’t read the signs, but at least we all know what they mean.
No End in Sight
Posted Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Karis Morrall
The historic area of Lipscani in downtown Bucharest is well-known for its little shops, restaurants and night clubs. But now plastic bottles and other trash line the deep trenches in the middle of the streets. Pedestrians walk on make-shift plank “boardwalks” above the mud and rubbish.
Lipscani is the story of renovation gone awry. According to an article in The Diplomat, the city of Bucharest hired a Spanish company, Sedesa, to repair the area in 2008. The project was supposed be finished in June of 2008. But various problems sparked delays in the construction, including an archeological discovery underneath one of the streets. The mayor of the city altered his plans, and decided to build an intricate glass sidewalk above the ruins, complete with lighting. But construction stalled. City officials blamed Sedesa for slow progress, and Sedesa blamed the city government for poor management. Early this year, Bucharest and Sedesa terminated their contract.
Alex Sandu works at the Rembrandt Hotel, which is located near Lipscani Street. He says workers began repairing the streets last fall. However, he says, "Three months ago, [the construction workers] just stopped and everyone vanished." Meanwhile, many of Lipscani’s famous boutiques and other businesses are packing up and leaving the area. We saw many recently-closed shops. It’s easy to see why they leave—the site is dirty and dangerous. (Kirstin fell into a hole last night, and many of us have almost done the same!) It’s a shame, because the area looks like it has such potential. Lipscani was a major marketplace during the Middle Ages, and it has a unique old-world flair. However, until the city figures out what to do about Lipscani, the area remains in limbo. "I don’t know how long it will stay like this," says Dragos Pavel, another worker at the Rembrandt Hotel.
Bucharest… Some Observations
Posted Thursday, May 21, 2009 by Jhane Reifsteck
In the short amount of time that we’ve had to walk around Bucharest, we’ve decided that there is a lot to see and a lot to hear. Tonight was our first real chance to venture out around our hotel.
The streets are filled with large umbrellas and tables out in front of restaurants buzzing with locals talking, eating, drinking, and having a good time. Something that seems to catch my eye is the diversity in the types of buildings around the city. Buildings range from old communist apartment buildings to modern buildings with glass facades to classic European buildings with embellished and ornate fronts.
The city is beautiful… in parts. Tonight, when talking with a source, he mentioned that the reason the buildings are intermixed is because Ceausescu, the last leader under communism, tore down blocks of buildings to make room for people moving from rural areas to the city. Something we learned at the Embassy was that Ceausescu’s goal was to make Romania an industrial powerhouse and he expected many rural people to migrate to the city to work in the industrial industry.
Apparently, Bucharest was once known as the “Paris of the East”... interesting, you can be the judge….
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