Piața Unirii (; ''Unification Square'' or ''Union Square'' in English) is one of the largest squares in central

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 Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, located in the center of the city where Sectors 1, 2, 3, and 4 meet. Part of the

Civic Centre A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...

, it is bisected by Unirii Boulevard, originally built during the

Communist era A Communist Era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of Communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist P ...

as the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism, and renamed after the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...

. The square is a significant transport hub, containing the

Piața Unirii metro station Piața Unirii (''Union Square'') is a major metro station in Bucharest. It is located in the southern part of the city centre, in Union Square (''Piața Unirii'' in Romanian), and it is one of the busiest stations of the Bucharest Metro. It is ma ...

and a major interchange for

STB State Security ( cs, Státní bezpečnost, sk, Štátna bezpečnosť) or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it de ...

buses; there is also a tram terminal near the southwest corner. The

Unirea Shopping Center Unirea Shopping Center is a chain of two large shopping centres, the initial one being located in Unirii Square, Bucharest, Romania, and the second one in Brașov. Bucharest Opened in 1976 and enlarged in 1989, it was the largest department sto ...

, the Cocor department store and a large

taxi rank A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

are located on the east side of this square, while

Hanul lui Manuc 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 ...

is on the north side, near the northeast corner. The centre of the square boasts a small park and fountains which are particularly popular with commuters and passers-by in the torrid summer months. There were plans to build the

Romanian National Salvation Cathedral The People's Salvation Cathedral ( ro, Catedrala Mântuirii Neamului), also known as the National Cathedral ( ro, Catedrala Națională, link=no), is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral under construction in Bucharest to serve as the patriarchal cathe ...

on the place of this park, but the idea proved technically impossible due to the busy underground environment and lack of popularity among local citizens and therefore the location was changed. The square features a large Christmas tree erected every December.

Gallery

File:IMG-20171002-15321-romania-unirea-bucharest.jpg,

File:Ansamblul de fântâni din Piața Unirii, București.jpg, Fountains in the center of Unirii Square File:Splaiul Independentei 2 - Piata Unirii.jpg, Splaiul Independenței File:Bulevardul Unirii (11321355423).jpg, Bulevardul Unirii passing through Piața Unirii File:Dambovita si biblioteca nationala WP 20170316 17 47 32 Pro highres.jpg,

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...

and Dâmbovița as seen from Piața Unirii {{DEFAULTSORT:Piata Unirii Unirii Historic monuments in Bucharest

See also

Gallery