Born in Ploiești, Maria Mihăescu began her career as a prostitute at an early age, during a period when this phenomenon was widespread. She later moved to a boarding school in Paris, where she received an education and gained access to high society circles, ultimately becoming the mistress of King Leopold of Belgium.
She was a beautiful woman, not very tall, standing at about one meter sixty (approximately 5 feet 3 inches), with short-cut blond hair and green-blue eyes.
She then returned to Bucharest, where she quickly managed to establish a reputation for herself through her nonconformist way of lifeȘ
- She used to ride a bicycle with a silver handlebar to maintain her figure.
- She wore trousers and sometimes had short hair.
- She caught the attention of King Ferdinand I, from whom it is said she received an impressive house near Amzei Square in Bucharest as a gift.
- She owned a carriage and a convertible car.
- She had wealth and foreign servants.
- She paid taxes to the state for her profession.
- She declined a marriage proposal from King Manuel of Portugal.
- She often dined at the Athene Palace, the most expensive restaurant in central Bucharest.
- She bathed in a swimsuit, while the fashion of the era dictated wearing a robe when entering the water.
A rare practice for that time, in the 1920s, she used to go cycling around Bucharest to maintain her figure. She had amassed wealth, and one of her houses was the very one in which we lived. – Historian Neagu Djuvara
In a period when cycling was not very popular even for men, in a strongly conservative country, seeing a beautiful woman, wearing trousers and pedaling on Calea Victoriei was an image that would abruptly end political discussions and turn heads.
She received her nickname while riding her bicycle on Calea Victoriei from journalist George Ranetti, the editor-in-chief of the “Furnica” magazine. Apparently, he was in love with her, but since she rejected him, he sought revenge by calling her “Mița the Cyclist.”
Towards the end of her life, she married General Alexandru Dimitrescu. She also began to experience financial difficulties, forcing her to rent out a large part of her house, while she withdrew to the attic.
Mița the Cyclist’s house is a historic building with Baroque architecture and an Art Nouveau façade constructed in the early 20th century. In the early 2000s, the building was occupied by homeless individuals but was later won in court by Mița’s descendants and sold to Spanish citizens. It has since been renovated and can be visited at 9-11 Cristian Tell Street, near Amzei Square.
