Located on the hill of the same name, on the site of the former Codrii ai Vlăsiei (Vlach Woods), the neighborhood began to take shape at the end of the 19th century. However, as far back as the 1600s, there was a monastery founded by Șerban Cantacuzino in the village of Cotroceni. The name of the village and later the neighborhood comes from the verb “a cotroci,” which means, among other things, “to shelter.” In a similar vein, in the Slavic language, “vlăsia” referred to a refuge for Vlachs, with the forest itself serving as shelter during times of great migrations or wars.
In 1888, during a period of prosperity for the Kingdom of Romania and the establishment of the Romanian territories on the map of Europe, King Carol I transformed the monastery into a royal palace. Around the palace, both members of the royal court and affluent individuals, as well as those with rank within the Romanian Army or intellectuals from the late 19th and early 20th-century Bucharest society, began to build distinguished houses. Later on, the Faculty of Medicine “Carol Davila” and Cotroceni Train Station, which served as the royal station, were also constructed. Subsequently, in the 1960s, the communist regime decommissioned the station and converted it into an entrance to the palace courtyard.
The Cotroceni neighborhood is one of the few areas in Bucharest that remained untouched by the extensive demolitions during the communist era. It predominantly houses pre-war and interwar buildings, making it one of the most aristocratic, elegant, and green neighborhoods in the capital city. Perhaps, it is the most authentic time capsule of this city.
I’m sure that most people who wander through the streets of Cotroceni may not think about the historical events that underpin the neighborhood’s charm, and some may never even discover them. Interestingly, they don’t need to. Cotroceni is synesthesia and nothing else. It’s a place that entices you and envelops you even unintentionally. I don’t think there’s a passerby who won’t be at least a little enchanted by the beautiful houses steeped in history within its walls, or drawn deeper into the labyrinth of streets adorned with old trees and roses or lilacs peeking through fences.
It’s the perfect place when you need peace or beauty, a story, or simply the city to embrace you when you need balance. Countless tearooms, cafes, and restaurants have hidden themselves here and offer something for each of us. Every year, at the end of May, the Cotroceni Bazaar, for several years now, opens the neighborhood’s streets and the courtyards of old Bucharest residents, bringing joy, artists, music, dance, delicious food, and much more to the entire community.
Over the years, this neighborhood has attracted famous photographers like Willy Pragher, who captured its beauty in frames that have endured to this day, and it has hosted, in turn, illustrious names of the city’s elite.
Have I talked about the architecture of the Cotroceni neighborhood?
Cotroceni is a reflection of the eclecticism that characterizes all of Bucharest so well. Here, you’ll find houses in the neo-Romanian style, charming small properties, modernist or art deco buildings, imposing structures in the Mauro-Florentine, Baroque, or Neoclassical styles, neo-Gothic elements, but also a touch of the fascist air of the Military Academy, the former War College inaugurated in 1939. Also, one of the most distinctive modernist buildings in Bucharest can be found here, a ship-like apartment block with simple and elegant lines, expertly situated within the urban layout of the neighborhood, at the intersection of Dr. Victor Babeș and Dr. Frederic Joliot-Curie streets.
Beyond what each style defines and beyond technicalities, the architecture of a place speaks of its people. It tells their stories, the places they’ve visited, those that have left a mark on their hearts, which they’ve brought home and harmoniously elevated in brick for everyone’s delight. It speaks of people and their culture, the blend created on these lands for centuries, and most importantly, how their community has enriched a city.
However, what would truly do justice to both the Cotroceni neighborhood and the reader is a complete immersion, from one end to the other, in the most bohemian quarter of old and new Bucharest.
Recommendations in the Cotroceni neighborhood
- The ship-like apartment building at the intersection of Dr. Victor Babeș and Dr. Frederic Joliot-Curie streets.
- Cotroceni Palace.
- The Faculty of Medicine building.
- The Botanical Garden.
- The architectural ensemble François Rignault on Costache Negri Entrance.
- Pipoș-Cionca House, popularly known as the Piano House, on Dr. Carol Davila Street.
- Ion Minulescu Memorial House.
- The Lion House or Mimi and Titi Villa.
- Cezar Golici House.
- Carol Gagel House.
- Herlea House or Ion Barbu Memorial House.
