Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, Romania located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharest's Sector 5. The nearest Metro stations are Eroilor, Academia Militară, and Politehnica.

History

The Hill of Cotroceni was once covered by the forest of Vlăsia, which covered most of today's Bucharest. Here, in 1679 a monastery was built by Șerban Cantacuzino, later to be transformed into a palace in 1888 by King

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

. Houses were built in the area near the palace by the royal servants and by high-ranking military personnel. Carol I also build a royal train station named near the palace. The train station was relocated by the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comin ...

and was later used for transporting materials for the construction of Casa Poporului.

Notable people

Important Romanian figures who lived in this neighborhood: Ion Barbu,

Nicolae Herlea Nicolae Herlea (; 28 August 1927 – 24 February 2014) was a highly acclaimed Romanian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially the role of Rossini's Figaro, which he sang around 550 times during his career ...

Ion Minulescu Ion Minulescu (; 6 January 1881 – 11 April 1944) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, short story writer, journalist, literary critic, and playwright. Often publishing his works under the pseudonyms I. M. Nirvan and Koh-i-Noor (the latte ...

Marin Preda Marin Preda (; 5 August 1922, Siliștea Gumești, Teleorman County, Kingdom of Romania – 16 May 1980, Mogoșoaia, Ilfov County, Socialist Republic of Romania) was a Romanian novelist, post-war writer and director of Cartea Românească publis ...

, and

Liviu Rebreanu Liviu Rebreanu (; November 27, 1885 – September 1, 1944) was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist. Life Born in Felsőilosva (now Târlișua, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania), then part of the King ...

Landmarks

* Cotroceni Palace, the official residence of the President of Romania, is located in this neighbourhood *

Bucharest Botanical Garden The Bucharest Botanical Garden ( ro, Grădina Botanică din București), now named after its founder, Dimitrie Brândză, is located in the Cotroceni neighbourhood of Bucharest, Romania. It has a surface of , including of greenhouses, and has mor ...

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy ( ro, Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie „Carol Davila”) or University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, commonly known by the abbreviation UMFCD, is a public health sciences university i ...

* The

Bucharest Opera The Romanian National Opera, Bucharest ( ro, Opera Națională București) is one of the four national opera and ballet companies of Romania. The company is headquartered in Bucharest, near the Cotroceni neighbourhood. History In 1877, Romanian ...

building * * New St. Eleftherios Church * * Casa Radio

Gallery

File:Preziosi - Cotroceni, Poștalionul Domnesc.jpg, Carol I in the Royal coach in Cotroceni, 1860s Image:Mănăstirea Cotroceni, 1860.jpg, Cotroceni Monastery, 1860 Image:Cotroceni harta 1895.jpg, Map of Cotroceni area, circa 1895

References

{{Coord, 44, 25, 58, N, 26, 04, 18, E, display=title Districts of Bucharest Hills of Bucharest