It’s time for another example of ornate French architecture. Here’s proof that Bucharest has it own wedding cake! 🙂 The building in today’s photo is the National Military Club (Cercul Militar Naţional in Romanian), designed in French neo-Classical style by Dimitrie Maimarolu, Victor Ştefanescu and Ernest Doneaud. It was designed to be a social, cultural and educational centre for the Romanian Army. Its construction started in 1911 and ended in 1923. Most of the funds were donated by the Romanian Army officers. The building has numerous reception halls and meeting rooms, a theatre, a bookshop, art galleries. The Military Circle was built on the spot left free by the demolishing of Sărindar monastery church, built in 1652. The monastery was damaged in the 1838 earthquake, after which it deteriorated slowly, and was in the end abandoned and demolished in 1907.
Jan 112010
Very nice! The flag also looks nice as a speck of color on the monochrome, meringue-like texture of the building.
Lia
Imagine that. Donations. I do hope the State takes care of maintenance these days so the officers don't have to continue paying for this.
Beautiful building, nice image. I like the way it is undisturbed by other buildings, something of it still says more Vienna than Paris…
This is so majestic! And you have produced a magnificent photograph of it!