Today’s photo is an aerial view of the true heart of the city, the area around Bucharest University. In the last 19 years University Square has proved to be a popular railing point at the time of national crisis as well as celebration: people gathered here during the 1989 revolution and the events of June 1990 and they continue to gather here every time the national team wins a soccer game (which unfortunatelly doesn’t happen very often these days). To be correct, even though most people call the entire area University Square, the actual University Square is the one with the four statues located in front of the University of Bucharest building (this square is not visible in the picture being obscured by the University building), while the area in front of the National Theatre and Intercontinental Hotel appear on the maps as the 21 December 1989 Square. It’s a place buzzing with crowds and traffic, a true center of activity. The roundabout is of course called the University roundabout and below it there’s an underground passage which was just recently renovated and which allows pedestrians to cross to from one side of the square to another and also leads to the subway station.
Aug 012009