
Alexandru Hristea Orăscu (30 July 1817 – 16 December 1894) was a Romanian architect famous for his
Neoclassicist and
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
-revival works.
He was born in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
in 1817 to
serdar
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* Serdar (given name)
* Serdar (surname) Serdar is a surname of the following notable people:
* Can Serdar (born 1996), German-Turkish football midfielder
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* I ...
Hristea Orăscu and his wife, Elena Orăscu. He graduated from the
Saint Sava High School in his native city. Upon recommendation from his mathematics teacher,
Petrache Poenaru, Orăscu was hired in 1837 as aide to the chief architect of the city, a job he held until 1841. He then studied architecture in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, obtaining his architect diploma in 1847.
He designed the initial building of the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
(1837–1869), the
Grand Hôtel du Boulevard in Bucharest (1865–1871), the
Metropolitan Cathedral in
Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...
(1880–1887), the boys' gymnasium in
Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
(1865–1866), the Carol I Hotel in
Constanța
Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...
(1879), and the
Domnița Bălașa Church in Bucharest (1881–1885).
Orăscu was the president of the Romanian Architects’ Society, and served as
rector of the University of Bucharest from 1885 to 1892. He died in Bucharest in 1894.
Streets in
Sector 5 of Bucharest,
Cisnădie, and
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...
bear his name.
References
External links
Orăscu as mathematician
1817 births
1894 deaths
Architects from Bucharest
Saint Sava National College alumni
19th-century Romanian architects
Rectors of the University of Bucharest
Academic staff of the University of Bucharest
Ministers of culture of Romania
Ministers of education of Romania
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