The House of Mitza the Cyclist (Casa Mița Biciclista), also known as Teodorescu House (Casa Teodorescu) is a historical building located next to the Amzei Church in central Bucharest.
The house was built in the early 20th century after the design of the architect Nicolae C. Mihăescu. Its style is Beaux-Arts with Art-Nouveau influences and the building’s facades are decorated with beautiful reliefs and ornaments, including lions, cupids, and cherubs. In 2022, 4.5 million euros were invested in the renovation of the house. After the completion, the House of Mitza the Cyclist hosted a ball organized by the Romanian Association for Culture, Education, and Normality.
The house is named after Mitza the Cyclist (Mița Biciclista), whose real name was Maria Mihăescu. Born in 1885, Maria Mihăescu rose to fame during the interwar period for her extravagant lifestyle and her affairs with many influential men which resulted in many broken hearts. Among her lovers were King Leopold of Belgium, King Ferdinand I of Romania, from whom she received the house, the poet Octavian Goga, and the painter Nicolae Grigorescu. Despite a marriage proposal from King Manuel of Portugal, she ended up marrying General Alexandru Dumitrescu.
You can probably imagine how much she was sought after by men because of her beauty, but this was also due to her nonconformist image and lifestyle. She was the first woman in Romania to ride a bicycle, which earned her the nickname Mitza the Cyclist.
