And if we linger a little bit more in Cişmigiu Park, waiting for the dark, we can catch a glimpse of the lighted back of Kretzulescu Palace.

Most of Bucharest’s old churches have a history full of drama: fires, earthquakes, demolitions, temporary closings. But even among these tumultuous histories, the Princess Bălașa Church (Biserica Domnița Bălașa in Romanian) must hold some kind of a record in terms of fighting natural disasters. The first church on this spot was a wooden one built in 1773-1774 by Princess Bălașa (Constantin Brâncoveanu’s sixth daughter) and her husband Manolache Lambrino. This first church burned down and was replaced in 1751 by a stone structure built by Princess Bălașa after the death of her husband. Renovated in 1831, the second church didn’t last too long either being damaged during an earthquake in 1838. It was replaced by a third church built in 1838-1842 by Safta Brâncoveanu. At its turn, the third structure was damaged by floods and was replaced by a fourth one built between 1881-1885. This is the striped building that we see today, designed by architect Alexandru Orăscu in a Neo-Romanian, Neo-Byzantine style. The current church had to be repaired again after each of the two major 20C earthquakes (1940 and 1977). Princess Bălașa Church is one of the most popular places for weddings in Bucharest and if you come here on a Saturday or Sunday you are almost certain to see a wedding taking place. The church is located off the Union Square, facing the side of the Palace of Justice.

And since I mentioned Cocor Shopping Center yesterday, here’s a nightshot of it and its huge advertising screens.

The Romanian Atheneum from a new angle.

The top of the Adriatica Trieste building, by architect Petre Antonescu.

I’ve shown the Palace of Justice here on this blog before, in a night shot. I’d thought it would be nice to feature it in a day shot as well.

Today’s photograph shows the balcony of an old house (circa 1860s) on Franceză Street, in Bucharest’s Old Town. The house is in a bad shape, with crumbling walls and peeling paint but someone went to the trouble of decorating the balcony – as they knew best

The works being done to Unirea Shopping Center allow us a to gaze on a rare sight the facade of the building without the advertisement banners. The commercial center was built in 1977 and remodeled in 1986.

This is another shot of the Museum of the City of Bucharest, this time showing the whole building. I took the photo back at the beginning of April when the trees were still bare.

These two shots show the mansion that houses the Museum of the City of Bucharest which is located in the University Square. The building is also known as Suţu Palace after the name of its builder, Costache Suţu. It was raised in 1833-1835 following the plans of Viennese architects Conrad Schwink and Johann Veit. The style of the building is considered to be neo-gothic. The palace was inherited by Costache Suţu’s son, Grigore Suţu, which together with his wife Irina, hosted many balls, receptions and dances at the palace, attracting Bucharest’s high society. After their death the palace was passed on, hosting first the headquarters of the Chrissoveloni Bank and later the offices of Romania’s National Savings Bank. In 1959 it became the Museum of History of the City of Bucharest.