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Bucharest's has a diverse and
growing cultural scene, with
cultural life exhibited in a number
of various fields, including the
visual arts, performing arts and
nightlife. Unlike other parts of
Romania, such as the Black Sea coast
or Transylvania, Bucharest's
cultural scene is much more
eclectic, without a defined style,
and instead incorporates various
elements of Romanian and
international culture. Bucharest
has a number of landmarks that are
identified with it throughout the
world. Perhaps the most prominent of
these is the Palace of the
Parliament, which was built in the
1980s during the reign of Communist
dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu.
Currently the largest building in
Europe and the third-largest in the
world, the Palace houses the
Romanian Parliament (the Chamber of
Deputies and Senate), as well as the
National Museum of Contemporary Art.
It is also often used as a
convention centre.
Another well-known landmark of
Bucharest is the Arcul de Triumf
(Triumphal Arch), which was built in
1935 and was modelled after the Arc
de Triomphe in Paris. A newer
landmark of the city is the Memorial
of Rebirth, a stylised marble pillar
unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the
victims of the Romanian Revolution
of 1989, which overthrew Communism.
The abstract monument sparked a
great deal of controversy when it
was unveiled, as many believed that
it didn't symbolise the revolution
well enough.
Aside from these landmarks,
Bucharest also has a number of
cultural venues, mentioned below,
that are often considered icons of
the city, such as the Romanian
Athaeneum.
In terms of visual arts, the city
contains a number of museums
featuring both classical and
contemporary Romanian art, as well
as selected international works. The
National Museum of Art of Romania is
perhaps the best-known of Bucharest
museums. It is located in the former
royal palace and features extensive
collections of medieval and modern
Romanian art, including works by
renowned sculptor Constantin
Brâncuşi, as well as a prominent
international collection assembled
by the former Romanian royal family.
Other, smaller museums, contain more
specialised collections of works.
The Zambaccian Museum, which is
situated in the former home of
Armenian-Romanian art collector
Krikor H. Zambaccian contains works
by many well-known Romanian artists
as well as international artists
such as Paul Cézanne, Eugène
Delacroix, Henri Matisse, Camille
Pissarro and Pablo Picasso. The
Theodor Pallady Museum is situated
in one of the oldest surviving
merchant houses in Bucharest and
includes many works by Romanian
painter Theodor Pallady as well as a
number of European and Oriental
furniture pieces. The Museum of Art
Collections contains the collections
of a number of well-known Romanian
art aficionados, including Krikor
Zambaccian and Theodor Pallady.
Despite the extensive classical
art galleries and museums in the
city, there is also a contemporary
arts scene that has become
increasingly prominent in recent
times. The National Museum of
Contemporary Art (MNAC), situated in
a wing of the Palace of the
Parliament, was opened in 2004 and
contains a widespread collection of
Romanian and international
contemporary art, in a number of
expressive forms. The MNAC also
manages the Kalinderu MediaLab,
which caters specifically to
multimedia and experimental art.
There is also a range of smaller,
private art galleries throughout the
city centre.
Performing arts are one of the
strongest cultural elements of
Bucharest, and the city has a number
of world-renowned facilities and
institutions. The most prominent is
the neoclassical Romanian Athenaeum,
which was founded in 1852, hosts
classical music concerts and is home
to the "George Enescu" Philharmonic.
Bucharest is also home to the
Romanian National Opera, as well as
the I.L. Caragiale National Theatre.
Another well-known theatre in
Bucharest is the State Jewish
Theatre, which has gained increasing
prominence in recent years due
partly to the fact that it features
plays starring world-renowned
Romanian-Jewish actress Maia
Morgenstern. There is also a large
number of smaller theatres
throughout the city that cater to
specific genres, such as the Comedy
Theatre, the Nottara Theatre, the
Odeon Theatre, and the Constantin
Tănase Revue Theatre.
Bucharest is home to Romania's
largest recording labels, and is
often the residence of Romanian, and
more recently Moldovan, musicians.
The city's music scene is quite
eclectic. Many Romanian rock bands
of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Iris
and Holograf, continue to be
popular, particularly with the
middle-aged, while since the 1990s
there has been growth in the boy
band and hip hop genres. The
eclectic pop-rock band Taxi have
been gaining international respect,
as has Spitalul de Urgenţă's raucous
updating of traditional Romanian
music. While many discos play manele,
a Turkish-influenced type of music
that is particularly popular in
Bucharest's working class districts,
the city has an increasing jazz and
blues scene, and, to an extent,
eurodance/trance and heavy
metal/punk.
The city's nightlife,
particularly its club scene grew
significantly in the 1990s, and
continues to increase. The city does
not have a central nightlife strip,
with many entertainment venues
dispersed throughout the city
centre. One of the city's best known
clubs is the Lăptăria Enache,
located above the National Theatre,
as well as Fire Club and Club A. The
2000s also saw an increasing
visibility of Bucharest gay culture,
with the opening of the Queen's
Club, the first LGBT club in the
city, in 2001, the launch of the
annual Bucharest GayFest in 2004,
and the city's first gay pride
parade as part of the 2005 GayFest.
Bucharest's culture has,
especially in the last 15 years,
become more modern and wordly in
comparison to other Romanian cities.
Traditional Romanian culture,
however, continues to have an
influence in domains such as theatre
and music. Additionally, Bucharest
has two internationally-renowned
ethnographic museums, the Museum of
the Romanian Peasant and the
open-air Village Museum. The Village
Museum, in Herăstrău Park, contains
272 authentic buildings and peasant
farms from all over Romania. The
Museum of the Romanian Peasant was
declared the European Museum of the
Year in 1996, and displays a rich
collection of textiles (especially
costumes), icons, ceramics, and
other artifacts of Romanian peasant
life.
The Museum of Romanian History is
another important museum in
Bucharest, containing a collection
of artefacts detailing Romanian
history and culture from the
prehistoric times, Dacian era,
medieval times and the modern era.
There are a number of cultural
festivals in Bucharest throughout
the year, in various domains, even
though most festivals take place in
the summer months of June, July and
August. The National Opera organises
the International Opera Festival
every year in May and June, which
includes ensembles and orchestras
from all over the world. The
Romanian Athaeneum Society hosts the
George Enescu Classical Music
Festival at various locations
throughout the city in September
every year. Additionally, the Museum
of the Romanian Peasant and the
Village Museum organise a number of
events throughout the year
showcasing Romanian folk arts and
crafts.
In recent years, due to the growing
prominence of the Chinese community
in Bucharest, several Chinese
cultural events have taken place.
The first officially-organised
Chinese festival was the Chinese New
Year's Eve Festival of February 2005
which took place in Nichita Stănescu
Park and was organised by the
Bucharest City Hall.
In 2005, Bucharest was the first
city in Southeastern Europe to host
the international CowParade, which
resulted in dozens of decorated cow
sculptures being placed at various
points across the city.
Since 2005 Bucharest has its own
contemporary art biennale, the
Bucharest Biennale. The current
(2006) issue (curated by Zsolt
Pétranyi) will go on until the end
of June, the next edition will be in
2008. |
