The Royal Palace of Bucharest (Palatul Regal din București), also known as the Palace of the Republic (Palatul Republicii) is a former palace of the Romanian royal family, located on Revolution Square along Victory Avenue. Nowadays, the palace houses the National Museum of Art of Romania.
History Of The Royal Palace
Before the current Royal Palace was built, there was another mansion in its place. The Golescu Mansion was constructed between 1812 and 1815 for the Wallachian boyar Dinicu Golescu and had a Neo-Classical style and 25 rooms, which was a lot for that time. In 1837, the mansion became the residence of the Wallachian Prince Alexandru II Ghica.
When Romania was liberated from the Ottoman Empire and became a kingdom in 1881, the Golescu Mansion became the Royal Palace. Because the building needed appropriate spaces for official duties it was extended with another wing. However, a fire destroyed the main body of the building in 1926, forcing the royal family to move their official residence to Cotroceni Palace.
Since the Golescu Mansion was destroyed it was desided to build a new Royal Palace in its place. The new palace was designed by the architect Nicolae Nenciulescu and built under the direct supervision of Queen Marie (the wife of King Ferdinand I) and her son, King Carol II.
The new Royal Palace became the official residence of the royal family for protocol meetings and official duties, but the building with mainly consists of large halls was not the place where the family actually lived. Behind the palace, on the site where the Palace Hall now stands, there was a mansion, called Casa Nouă (New House), were the royal family lived.
On 23 August 1944, a coup led by King Michael I overthrew the pro-Nazi regime of Romania. The next day, the German air force executed a retaliation bombardment which completely destroyed Casa Nouă and seriously damaged the Royal Palace, forcing the royal family to move elsewhere again. Since Cotroceni Palace had been damaged by an earthquake in 1940, the family used the Elisabeta Palace as their official residence until King Michael I was abdicated in 1947.
Under the communist regime (1947-1989), the palace was renovated and renamed the Palace of the Republic. It was used for state protocols and political events and the National Museum of Art of Romania was moved into the building. During the anti-communist revolution of December 1989, the palace was at the epicenter of violent demonstrations and suffered damage as a result.
Since Romania remained a republic after the 1989 Revolution, the Royal Palace was remained as a museum after restoration works were carried out. Since the royal family returned to Romania in 1997, the Elisabeta Palace is used as the official royal residence in Bucharest and Săvârșin Castle in Arad County as their country residence.
Visiting The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace of Bucharest can be visited either with or without visiting the National Museum of Art of Romania that is located in the building. You can buy a separate ticket to visit the main halls of the palace: the Throne Hall, the Royal Dining Room, and the Voivode’s Stairs. Here you can admire the beautiful decorations, the royal crown, and some paintings and bustes of the former kings and queens.
The art museum is located in the northern and southern wings of the Royal Palace. You can either buy a separate ticket just for the museum or a combi ticket which includes access to the mains halls of the palace.
