Gabroveni Inn ( ro, Hanul Gabroveni) is a hotel in the historic part of old

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. RO B Gabroveni Inn

History

Built in 1739 on a land plot belonging to the former Voivodal Court (which was much larger than the present-day ruins of the Old Court— ro, Curtea Veche—show), the inn belonged to the "Inner Town" (Romanian: ''Târgul Dinlǎuntru''), the inside section of Bucharest's Fortress. The inn was raised by Prince

Constantin Mavrocordat Constantine Mavrocordatos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μαυροκορδάτος, Romanian: ''Constantin Mavrocordat''; February 27, 1711November 23, 1769) was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several ...

, who decided to have a ''bezesten'' (the word is Turkish, meaning "large, square building, hosting shops all around, like in marketplaces"). These shops could only be rented by foreign merchants during the period they stayed in Bucharest doing business. The inn was also known during the 18th century as ''Hanul Bezesten'' ("Bezesten Inn"), because it resembles a Turkish ''bezesten'', boasting large shades covering almost the whole street on the sides. Merchants from the famous crafts town of

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( bg, Габрово ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an internatio ...

used to lodge at the inn when selling their products in the city. The inn was named after these merchants, as was the street on which it is located, a name that has survived into the 21st century. It was among the seven large inns in Bucharest that did not incorporate a church (the others being

Manuc's Inn Manuc's Inn ( ro, Hanul lui Manuc, ) is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest, Romania. It also houses a popular restaurant, several bars, a coffee-house, and (facing the street) several stores and an extensive bar. Its massive, mult ...

, Constantin Vodǎ, Papazoglu, Golescu, Zamfir and Filipescu inns). During the 18th and 19th century, it burned several times, but it was always repaired and refurbished. The inn reached its glory between 1825 and 1850, when it ranked among the most important such settlements in the town. At the beginning of the 20th century, the inn was renamed as "Gabroveni-Universal Hotel", as Bucharest was changing from Oriental to French influence. The structure remained in use during the communist regime, and now hosts rooms for the students of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

. Other inns still standing in Bucharest include

(Romanian: ''Hanul lui Manuc''), the Lindentree Inn (almost universally referred to by its Romanian name '' Hanul cu Tei'') and Solacoglu Inn (Romanian: ''Hanul Solacoglu'' or ''Hanul Solacolu'').

References

* Gion Ioan Ionescu, ''Istoria Bucureștilor'' ("History of Bucharest"), Stabilimentul Grafic IV Socecu, Bucharest 1899 * Radu Olteanu, ''Bucureștii în date și întâmplări'' ("Bucharest in facts and events"), Editura Paideia, Bucharest 2002

External links

{{coord, 44, 25, 50.90, N, 26, 6, 6.66, E, display=title Inns in Bucharest Historic monuments in Bucharest Commercial buildings completed in 1739 University of Bucharest 1739 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Lipscani