Bucharest

Bucharest (Romanian: București, pronounced [bukuˈreʃtʲ]) is Romania’s capital and its largest city. It lies in the country’s south-eastern part, on the River Dâmbovița. The city proper has an estimated 1.71 million residents, while the greater metropolitan area holds about 2.31 million people, making Bucharest the ninth most populous city within its own limits in the European Union. It covers 239 square kilometers (92 square miles), and the metropolitan area spans 1,803 square kilometers (696 square miles). Administratively, the city is called the “Municipality of Bucharest” and holds the same status as a national county; it is divided into six sectors, each with its own local mayor. Bucharest is an enclave completely encircled by Ilfov County.

The city first appears in records from 1459. It grew into a center of Wallachian trade and government during the 1500s and 1600s. In 1862, it became the capital of the Romanian United Principalities, and it boomed after the Kingdom of Romania was founded in 1881. Over the following decades, Bucharest gained a reputation for cosmopolitanism and a mix of architectural styles, earning the nickname “Paris of the East.” World War II caused severe damage. Under the Socialist Republic of Romania, the city expanded greatly in both population and area, with new developments shaped by socialist architecture and planning—especially Nicolae Ceaușescu’s systematization program. In recent years, Bucharest has seen an economic and cultural resurgence and is one of Europe’s fastest-growing high-tech cities. In 2016, its historical city center was listed as “endangered” by the World Monuments Watch.

Bucharest is by far Romania’s most populous city, reaching one million residents in the 1940s. In 2017, according to the Mastercard Global Index of Urban Destinations, it was the European city with the highest growth in overnight tourists. The same study ranked it as the European destination with the greatest development potential in both 2018 and 2019. Economically, Bucharest is Romania’s most prosperous city and, since 2017, the richest capital and city in the region, surpassing Budapest. It hosts large convention facilities, educational institutions, cultural venues, traditional shopping arcades, and recreational areas.

**Etymology** The Romanian name *București* has no confirmed origin. Legend links it to a figure named Bucur—variously described as a prince, outlaw, fisherman, shepherd, or hunter. The Romanian word stem *bucurie* means “joy” or “happiness,” so the city’s name is often interpreted as “city of joy.” Early scholars offered other theories: Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi claimed it came from “Abu-Kariș” of the “Bani-Kureiș” tribe; in 1781, Austrian historian Franz Sulzer connected it to *bucurie*, *bucuros* (joyful), or *a se bucura* (to be joyful); an early 19th-century Vienna publication suggested it derived from “Bukovie,” a beech forest. In English, the city was once spelled “Bukarest.” A resident is called a “Bucharester” (Romanian: *bucureștean*).

**History** Bucharest’s history has alternated between growth and decline, from early settlements through its establishment as Romania’s national capital in the late 1800s. First mentioned as the “Citadel of București” in 1459, it became the residence of Wallachian ruler Vlad the Impaler. The Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche) was built by Mircea Ciobanul in the mid-1500s. Under later rulers, Bucharest served as the summer royal court. It competed with Târgoviște for capital status as the Ottoman Empire’s demands increased the importance of southern Muntenia. After 1698, under Constantin Brâncoveanu, Bucharest became the permanent Wallachian court. Over the next 200 years, natural disasters partly destroyed and rebuilt the city several times. In the 1700s, the Ottomans appointed Greek Christian administrators (Phanariotes) to run the town (called *Bukreş* in Ottoman Turkish). The 1821 Wallachian uprising led by Tudor Vladimirescu ended Phanariote rule. The Caragea’s plague struck in 1813–14. The city was taken from Ottoman influence and occupied at various times by the Habsburg monarchy (1716, 1737, 1789) and Imperial Russia (three times between 1768 and 1806). It was under Russian administration from 1828 until the Crimean War, with a break during the 1848 Wallachian revolution centered in Bucharest. After the Russians left, an Austrian garrison occupied the city until March 1857. On 23 March 1847, a fire destroyed about 2,000 buildings—a third of the city. In 1862, after Wallachia and Moldavia united to form the Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the nation’s capital. It became the political center of the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Romania under King Carol I in 1881. During the late 1800s, the population surged, and urban development brought gas lighting, horse-drawn trams, and limited electrification. The Dâmbovița River was heavily channeled in 1883, ending the frequent floods such as the one in 1865. The Fortifications of Bucharest were also built.