Bucharest Literary Route no. 1 (download .pdf)

Victoria Avenue - Route

Victoria Avenue - Mogosoaia Bridge

- brief timeline -

1692 - C-tin Brancoveanu opens a route from the gate of his palace, on Dambovita’s shore, until beyond Sarindar monastery (on the nowadays place of Army's House), the border of the city from those times. This route was then called “The great alley that comes from Sarindar” or Brasov Route.

The end of the 17th century - Brancoveanu builds Constantin Voda Inn (on the nowadays spot of the National Museum of History)

1718 - 1722 - The great headman Iordache Kretzulescu, Brancoveanu’s son in law, builds the church with the same name.

1781 - The first mention in a cartographic document -Sulzer Plan- of the name “Mogosoaia Bridge”.

1792 - The covering of Mogosoaia Bridge with over 13600 floorings, pillars and bars.

1797, November - C-tin Hangerliu, who had freshly became regnant, went with his suite to the Princely Court on the Bridge, replacing the old habit of entering through the Beilicului Bridge.

1814 - Ioan Voda Caragea begins the illumination of the city using fixed lamps (fanare) with suet candles (only on the Bridge).

1818 - Near Cismeaua Rosie/The Red Pump (built at the end of the 17th century), due to Princess Ralu’s insistence, Caragea begins the construction of the first theatre hall from Bucharest.

1824 - 1836 - The paving of the Bridge with round rocks.

1831 - Once the new borders are settled, the Bridge Head (Victoria Square) becomes the barrier of Mogosoaia Bridge. This was the settlement of the route and of the borders, which was preserved until nowadays (2.5 Km).

1835 - 1837 - The building of Stirbey Palace (architect Sanjouand)

1846 - 1847 - Franz Liszt holds a concert at Momolo Hall and in the house of the princess Cleopatra Trubetzkoy, where he is hosted.

1852, 31 December - the inauguration of The Great Theatre (National Theatre) - architect Hefft.

1857 - The opening of the Socec bookstore, on the spot where would later appear Galeries LaFayette (Victoria), the greatest.

1861 - The use of the gas lamps on the Bridge, even before Paris and Berlin.

1867 - The beginning of the building works for the Hotel Herdan (Bulevard)

1878 - The official change of name for Mogosoaia Avenue into Victoria Avenue.

1887 - 1889 - It is built Vernescu Manor (former Lens) - architect Ion Mincu; paintings GD Mirea (nowadays the headquarters of the Romanian Writers’ Union)

1888 - It is built the Romanian Athenaeum - architect Galleron.

1891 - 1893 - Begins the construction of the University Central Library - architect Gottereau.

1891 - The founding of the University Foundation Carol I, with the headquarters in the BCU (UCL) building

1892 - It is set the headquarters of the Romanian Academy (founded in 1867) on the spot of the former estates Filipescu - Vulpe, Bellu Slatineanu and Cesianu.

1894 - 1900 - It is built the CEC Palace - architect Gottereau.

1896 - The first cinematographic projections, in the Halls of the newspaper “L’Independence Roumanie” from Victoria Arcade.

1898 - 1900 - The building of the Cantacuzino Palace, architect Berindey (George Enescu Museum)

1912 - The building of the Army’s House, architect Maimarolu.

1912 - 1914 - It is build the Athenee Palace Hotel, architect Th. Bradeau, the first building in Bucharest made of reinforced concrete, rebuilt in 1945 in the nowadays shape by the architect Marcu.

1930 - 1937 - The Royal Palace is rebuilt in the nowadays shape - architect Nenciulescu.

1931, November 22 - In Moruzi Manor it is inaugurated the Museum of Bucharest City (founded in 1921)

1933, April 24 - The inauguration of the Telephone Palace, architect G Wellis and W Froy.

1934 - 1941 - It is built the Autonomous House of the Romanian Royal Monopolies (the Ministry of Industries) - architect Marcu.

1936 - 1937 - The building of the Romanian Academy Library, architect Marcu.

1938 - The construction of the building from 22 Victoria Avenue (nowadays The Romanian Bank of Commerce), architect Radu Dudescu.

1950 - It is opened the National Museum of Art

1972 - The inauguration of the National Museum of History

Situated in the very centre, both literally and metaphorically, Victoria Avenue was the main development theatre for the historical or cultural events in the capital. Thus, the name of the famous street is automatically connected to the fashionable life of the city. There are lots of references to this area in the literary works regarding Bucharest, but, at the same time, there aren't many detailed descriptions of it, as this area had already became a part of people’s conscience. It is mainly used as a basis and for legitimating the proposed ideas.

Constantin Olaroiu’s book, “Fashionable Bucharest, the Radiography of a Falling (1940 - 1970)” (Paralela 45 Publishing House, 2006, Bucharest) is encompassed within the sign of “falling” (of what the city used to be). The author dedicated a chapter named “Victoria Avenue as it still is”, presenting synoptically the past and present shape of Victoria Avenue. From the book, we find out that, until 1935, in front of the Royal Palace used to be the Imperial Hotel, on whose ground floor functioned, starting with 1968, the famous café Kübler, frequented by writers and artists. There, the owner settled, right in the middle, a table especially booked for the customers from the artistic and literary world, such as Alexandru Macedonski (who set there the basis of the “Literatorul literary circle and read, also there, the degrading epigram targeted towards Eminescu”), the memoir writer Aurel C Popovici, Alexandru Vlahuta, C. Savescu, Nicolae Iorga, Stefan Luchian, Victor Eftimiu and many others. Capsa and Corso Café (nowadays disappeared) are other two important spots in the route. Constantin Olariu says that “almost no memoir writer, writer, politician, actor, journalist who wrote about Victoria Avenue could avoid Capsa, the symbol of the political and cultural effervescence of Romania's capital”.

The book of I Paraschiv and T Iliescu, “From Serban Voda Inn to Hotel Intercontinental” (Sport-Turism Publishing House, 1979) retells the saga of the Capsa family, in relation to what would become the cafeteria, the restaurant and the café with the same name. The family had twelve children, professionally oriented by their father, who was a furrier, towards other crafts. One of his sons learnt the trade of confectioner, very rare in the Bucharest of those times. During that period, the traditional Oriental sweets started to be replaced by new products (ice-cream, candies, chocolate, liquor etc). After ten years of apprenticeship, with a small capital, Vasile associated with his brother Anton, who was a baker, together with whom he bought, in 1852, a small shop across Zlatari Church. Two years later, the brothers extended their business, buying a bigger space, also on Victoria Avenue. After that Vasile had a trading adventure in Bulgaria and Crimea, which he finalized successfully. A consequence was the opening of their own laboratory and the bringing of many products from the West. The two brothers imported absinth for the first time, a drink nicknamed “the green fairy”, which would immediately become the favorite drink of the Bucharest inhabitants. “Capsa” became the most important cafeteria of Bucharest, consecrated in all South-Eastern Europe. Other two Capsa brothers joined the project, one of them, Grigore, beneficiating from a specialization in Paris, at the renowned “Maison Boissier”. Grigore became the brain and the true owner of Capsa House. Until 1890, they got important distinctions, such as those from Bucharest, Vienna, Bordeaux or “The Gold Medal” at the Universal Exhibition from Paris, in 1889. Starting with 1886, Grigore, who had become the single owner, opened the hotel, the restaurant and the café. In its glory years, the Capsa House had many famous guest: almost all important personalities of Romania, as well as famous people from abroad: Nicholas the Great Duke of Russia, the princes Urussoff and Gorceacov, the prince Milan of Serbia, the emperor Franz Joseph, the former president of France, R Poincaré, the tenor Enrico Caruso, the dancer Josephine Baker. Before World War II, Capsa held and exploited the hotels from Sinaia (Palace and Caraiman) and the restaurant-bar from within the Casino, and in Bucharest - the hotels Lido and Athénée Palace. It held, until 1940, the monopoly upon the official and unofficial banquets and parties from Romania, having a special inventory for three thousand people. Among the writers, painters, artists, we mention Constantin Notarra, Nicolae Tonitza, Ion Minulescu, Tudor Arghezi, Liviu Rebreanu, George Toparceanu, Ion Vinea, Victor Eftimiu, Ionel and Osvald (Pastorel) Teodoreanu or Tristan Tzara. As an illustration of what it was mentioned above about the fashionable and bohemian side of Capsa, in Marin Preda’s novel, the painter Manea walks on an animated Victoria Avenue and, together with a friend, gets to Capsa, in order to have, in front of a cup of coffee, a dialog that is very important in the economy of the book. In 1935, the fashionable revue “Marianne” from Paris, wrote, through the journalist Paul Morand: “Capsa is the topographic and moral soul of the city (…) Imagine gathered together, in a house with a modest and old appearance, four old European glories: Foyot Restaurant, Rumpelmayer Cafeteria, Florian Café from Venice and Sachet Hotel from Vienna …”.

Besides Capsa, a second spot for meeting of the artistic bohemia from Bucharest was Café Corso, which is nowadays disappeared. At Café Corso could be seen a politician such as Armand Calinescu, a literate such as Ion Marin Sadoveanu, the famous journalist Pamfil Seicaru, the conductor Ionel Perlea, but also the rich crook Gross Cagero or Sikpovski, the private secretary of the gangster Al Capone.
The position of the café was perfect: in front of the Royal Palace, between the Athenaeum and Cina, diagonally from the Imperial Hotel (demolished in 1935) and having the “Forum” Cinema at its left. As Constantin Olariu stated in his book, the first customers of Corso were, starting with six in the morning, the typists, the journalists and various ministerial clerks, followed, at ten in the morning, by businessmen, usually the same. After that, in the afternoon, the writers, the musicians, the painters and the artists gathered at a so-called “table of intelligence”. Serban Cioculescu noted in his “Memories” that, among those who usually came to Corso there were Victor Eftimiu, N.D. Cocea, Geo Bogza, George Calinescu, Panait Istrati, Zaharia Stancu, Tudor Vianu.

Another hotel, which was the meeting spot for the literates of those times, was the Continental. Among the personalities who used to have their dinner here there were: Mihail Sadoveanu, Liviu Rebreanu, Ion Barbu, Constantin Tanase, I. G. Duca, Constantin Argetoianu, but also the international crook Vasilescu, nicknamed “Cantalup”. The attraction of the restaurant consisted of the high class music - folklore music or café concert. The most important singers of the time performed in this place. In his book, “Fiddler Pictures”, the musicologist Viorel Cosma evokes the musical duel between the local maestro Grigoras Dinicu and the great conductor of the folk music bands from Budapest, Magyaros Imre, radio broadcasted from Continental. Maria Tanase has performed in this restaurant for five years.

Marin Preda describes in his autobiographical book “Life as a Prey” some of his routes (from the past) that intersected Victoria Avenue, such as the moment in which he enters the National Theatres and watches “Faust”, performed by the great actor George Vraca. An ample moment on Victoria Avenue is described by Marin Preda in the novel “Delirium”, in which it is described the moment of the Legionary Rebellion from 1941. The Royal Palace, surrounded by legionaries and defended by the army, is the theatre for the development of some events that the main character, the young journalist Stefan Parizianu tries to understand, in order to publish them. Only that the time has no more patience, those being delirious moments of history.

In 1957, the writer Cezar Petrescu wrote the novel “Victoria Avenue”. The book is set during the period 1925 - 1929. The characters - provincials - come to Bucharest as to a place where all the dreams come true. Each of them hope that here they would find everything their imagination have built during the years of provincial existence. The main characters are the family of the magistrate Lipan and the young man with writing ambitions, Ion Ozun. The theme of the novel is, doubtlessly, that the great city kills. “The Literary and Artistic Truth” mentioned, in 1959, that we deal with the “novel of the psychological dissolution of a provincial family settled in Bucharest after the War”. Bucharest's brand is Victoria Avenue.
The incorruptible magistrate Lipan, caught in the great games of interests of the capital, ends up with doing the dirty games of the banker Iordan Hagi-Iordan. His unhappy wife testimonies the falling of her family: besides her husband, the four children fail in various ways. One of the boys, with an idealist - anarchist orientation, associates with a criminal nicknamed Spartacus, the other one joins a band of spoiled rich kids, giving up his honest ideals. One of the girls, after a series of Bovary-like experiences, marries and goes to a provincial town, even smaller than the one from which she had originally left, and the other one, raped under drugs’ influence (in the company of the children of the same Hagi-Iordan family) commits suicide. Ion Ozun, together with a series of characters (Mirel Alcaz, Leon Matasaru, Teofil Steriu) incarnates various shapes of the intellectual of those times. The novel is also a pretext for presenting the fashionable life. Consensually with what was previously said regarding the assimilation of Victoria Avenue with Bucharest and falling, we mention from the novel the words of prince Musat: “What kind of soul must have such a fair? Urbanism, architecture, monuments, museums? … The symbol is not Victoria Avenue, this worm-like street, long, prolonged and deformed, bent, screwed, half-blooded, where everyone displays a life as deformed, bent, screwed, half-blooded?” (Petrescu Cezar, Calea Victoriei/Victoria Avenue, p 61, The Publishing House for Literature, 1967, Bucharest).

As if to confirm these words, the emperor Franz Joseph, who was visiting Bucharest, invited by the Royal House, stated about Victoria Avenue that “because it is not straight, but bent, at every thirty steps it presents itself with a new perspective and a new look, a fact that always keeps the eye under the charm of a new landscape” (Bilciurescu, Victor, Bucurestii de ieri si de azi/Bucharest of Yesterday and Now, Universul Publishing House, 1945, Bucharest)