A walk along Calea Victoriei holds several of the other most amazing buildings in the city. Included are the CEC headquarters, Revolution Square, the Military Club which is a neoclassical masterpiece, Cantacuzino Palace and the Natural History Museum.
Another fantastic example of architecture to visit is the Parliament Palace. It is the second largest office building in the world after the Pentagon and is a reflection of the work of some of the best Romanian artisans. It is the third largest building in the world, in volume, second only to the Great Pyramid, of Egypt, and Cape Canaveral, of the USA. It took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build it. It has 12 stories, 1,100 rooms and a huge underground nuclear bunker.
A visit to Bucharest's University Square brings more visions of architectural mastery. These include the Bucharest's School of Architecture, the Bucharest National Theater, the neoclassical Coltea Hospital and the Sulu Palace which is now a historical museum. Beneath the square, in an underground passage, are shops, places to eat, and access to the subway, part of Bucharest's fantastic public transportation hub. In the center of University Square, above ground, are 10 stone crosses which pay homage to people killed in the 1989 Romanian revolution.
Explorers of architecture will definitely want to experience the Romanian Athenaeum, considered by many to be Bucharest's most beautiful building. It is the finest concert hall in the country built with funding from the Romanian public in 1888. It combines Baroque and Ionic architecture with beautiful gardens outside, and balconies, spiral staircases, gold leaf ceilings, and frescoes inside.
Why not experience the architecture first hand by staying in one of several historic
Bucharest hotels? Lebada Hotel was restored from an 18th century prince's castle. it is located on St Pantelimon Island, surrounded by water, and 6 miles from the center of the city. This
Bucharest hotel is close to University Square and the Roman Athenaeum but some of the works of the most important Romanian sculptures can be found right on the grounds of the hotel.
