Bucharest's Piata Unirii
Piata Unirii is the district in Bucharest where we stayed the entire time we were in Romania. I loved the location. I think it is the heart of the city. It is where the major attractions are located. Considered one of the largest squares in the Romanian capital, it is bisected by Unirii Boulevard originally built during the Communist era as the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism, and renamed after the Romanian Revolution of 1989. The Unirii Metro station is located here and so is the Unirea Shopping Center. The center of the square boasts a small park and fountains which are particularly popular with the locals in the torrid summer months. The fountains are lit at night and they offer people with multi media shows several nights a week.
I thought very little about this building the entire time I was in Bucharest. Was I mistaken big time! It turns out it is the Palace of Justice and it was actually landed the cover of the coffee table book about Bucharest.
The Unirii Fountains with a view of the the Palace of Parliament in the far background. Unirii is my definite district of choice if and when we return to Bucharest in the future. Its location is superb.
The very long Unirii Boulevard and a view of the Palace of Parliament in the background. We walked the stretch of Unirii Boulevard from the Unirii Fountains to the Parliament Building almost daily while we went sightseeing. Along the way, we often bought bottled water from a Carrefour Express.
A scene at Piata Unirii. It was here in this vicinity where the Shuttle Bus 100 we took in Otopeni Airport dropped us off.
The Unirea Shopping Center. Opened in 1976 and enlarged in 1989, it was the largest department store in Communist Romania. It was converted into a shopping center during the 1990s. The complex has a total area of 903,856 sq ft and 1,000 parking spaces. It was here too where we had some of our meals. It also had a number of restaurants and we actually had dinner here on hour first night. Not wanting to experiment and not knowing where to go, we decided to play it safe and ate at the McDonald's. Marc had his usual burger while I had some chicken wings. The place was packed with Romanian teenagers all hanging out with their friends and having a good time. It was a happy sight.
Apartment and office buildings line the Dambovita River on both sides. Some were ornately designed and decorated while others adhered to the Brutalist concept of architecture.
A view of the Dambovita River in Piata Unirii
Brutalist architecture in Unirii. Brutalist buildings are characterized by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design.