Romanian Athenaeum

The Athenaeum was designed by the French architect Albert Galleron and opened in 1888, funded in part by a national public subscription whose slogan asked every citizen for a leu, an appeal that raised a substantial share of the cost and is still commemorated. The exterior is a circular domed hall behind an Ionic portico, set in a small garden with a statue of the poet Eminescu. Inside, the auditorium seats around six hundred in the stalls and more in the boxes, under a fresco that runs for seventy-five metres around the circumference of the dome, painted in the 1930s and depicting scenes from Romanian history in twenty-five panels. Acoustically it is regarded as one of the best halls in Europe. It is the seat of the George Enescu Philharmonic and the centre of the Enescu Festival, and daytime visits are possible when no rehearsal is running.

History

Constantin Esarcu, V. A. Urechia, Nicolae Kretzulescu and others founded the Romanian Athenaeum Cultural Society in 1865, and its building, designed by Albert Galleron on land that had belonged to the Văcărescu family, opened in 1888, though work went on until 1897. Part of the cost came from a 28-year public subscription under the slogan "Donate one leu for the Ateneu!", and restoration begun in 1992 saved the building from collapse (Wikipedia, Romanian Athenaeum).

What you'll find

• The circular auditorium - the domed hall with its tiered boxes.
• The circumference fresco - a seventy-five metre painted frieze in twenty-five scenes.
• The Ionic portico - the columned entrance and small front garden.
• The lobby rotunda - marble columns and the staircase to the boxes.

When to go

Year-round. The best way in is a concert, which is inexpensive by European standards and shows the hall as it is meant to be experienced. Daytime visits depend on the rehearsal schedule and are not guaranteed. The Enescu Festival in September fills the building.

Things to know

Daytime access can be refused without notice if the orchestra is working, and the visit is short: you see the hall and the lobby, nothing more. Photography rules vary by day. Concert tickets for major events sell out well in advance, particularly during the festival.

Nearby

Revoluției square and the old royal palace are opposite; Calea Victoriei runs south to the old town.

Key facts