Around The House of People

Yes, we know that anyone who comes to Bucharest wants to see Ceauşescu's Palace or The House of People. But when you come to what is now called The Palace of the Parliment, don’t forget there are other things you can see near it. 

If you walk along the left side of the building (as you look from the Constitution Sqare) and you get at the third gate you can go in the yard of the Palace to see the National Museum of Contemporary Arts. It’s about 10 minutes walk to the gate and from there another 5-10 minutes to the entrance in the museum. Well, you can take a taxi to the entrace in the yard or the bus 136 (I would not rely on this one), but from the gate you can only walk.  Say "hello" to the policemen at the gate and go straight, pet the dogs, look at the building and when you see some glass elevators you are there. Buy your ticket, take off your coat and put it in the x-ray machine along with your handbag. And if the policemen at the entrance don’t object, you are ready to see some art! If you are not much of an art fun, remember that on the 4th floor there is a bar and a nice terrace. 

On the right side of The Palace (as you look from the Constitution Sqare) there is the entrance in the Palace museum and also another museum with traditional costumes (Muzeul costumului popular). 

But when you come to the “beautiful” Palace you can also see two important examples of what happened in the 80’s when The House of People was built. Maybe you heard about churches who were hiden or moved behind the blocks. 

When you walk on the left side from Unirii Square to Constitution Square there are more passages that go behind the bloks. If you go through the last one you will discover Antim Monastery. (Antim on the map)

You can also go behind the bloks, on the other side, near the river. Here you can find what was left from another old monastery, Mihai Voda, one of the oldest constructions in Bucharest. In 1985, the church was put on tracks and moved about 300 metres away in order to make space for the

 Palace. The church was hidden behind the blocks, but the rest of the complex was demolished. (Mihai Vodă on the map)