Bucharest travel guide

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Bucharest, Romania - Overview

Bucharest is Romania's capital and its biggest city, as well as its commercial and industrial center.  Bucharest is not considered to be an old city by European standards as its existence is only first referred to in 1459.  The city had many changes since then, becoming the capital city in 1862 and consolidating its role of being the center of Romanian arts, culture, and mass media.  There is a mix of modern, historical, and Communist-era architecture throughout Bucharest.

During the time between World War I and II, the sophistication and elegant architecture of the city's elite earned it the nickname of Little Paris.  Even though many districts and buildings in its historic center were destroyed or damaged by earthquakes, war, and Nicolae Ceausescu’s program for systematization, many have survived.  During recent years, Bucharest has experienced a cultural and economic boom.

According to official estimates, in January 2006, the population of the city proper was 1,930,390.  The complete urban area, which extends past the limits of the city, has a population of 2.1 million.  With the addition of satellite towns, the metropolitan area has a population of 2.6 million.  Bucharest is European Union's 6th biggest city by population in its city limits.

The city is economically prosperous, actually, the most prosperous in Romania, and it is one of the main transportation hubs and industrial centers for Eastern Europe.  Like many of the developed cities in Romania, Bucharest has a wide range of facilities for educational purposes as well.

Geography and Climate

Bucharest contains several large gardens and parks, some of them being Cismigiu Gardens, the Botanical Garden, and Herăstrău Park.  The city is located to the south of the plain and was once covered by a forest, but when it was cleared, fertile flatland was uncovered.  Bucharest has hot and dry summers followed by cold winters, which are characteristics of a continental climate.  During winter, temperatures are very often below freezing, and during summer, they sometimes range between 95°F to 104°F.