By European standards the city is fairly young; indeed it did not become the capital of Romania until the late 19th Centaury. Throughout its history it has been the subject of destruction from various sources, natural and otherwise – it’s at time traumatic past has helped it become the diverse and enchanting place it is today.

Early Times and the Ottomans

Popular legend suggests many different origins of the city name, but the most common on is that it was founded by a shepherd called Bucur (a name meaning happiness or joy). The first mention in the history books come in 1459 when the Citadel of Bucureşti became the residence of Vlad III the Impaler, a notorious Wallachian prince. Slowly it increased in importance and began to compete with Târgovişte for the status of capital; the power relations in the area was increasingly drawn south with the rise in power of the Ottoman Empire.

It was the Ottoman Empire that burned down the city at the beginning of the 1600s – and consequently it was briefly discarded by the princes. However, Bucharest was restored and until the end of the centaury continued to grow in size and importance. Increasingly trade from all over Wallachia was processed through the city, and more specifically the famed Lipscani Street. The city’s growth, both in size and trade was cemented with the permanent move of the Wallachian court to Bucharest after 1698 (beginning with the reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu).

Destruction and Occupation

Over the next two hundred years the city suffered disaster, destruction and occupation but was always rebuilt. Caragea's plague arrived in the city from 1813-1814 and took its deadly toll, before the Habsburg Monarchy stretched east and took the city from the Ottomans several times (1716, 1737, 1789). The Russians also took their turn in the occupation of the city over three separate occasions from 1768 to 1806 and between 1828 and the Crimean War; however this last period of occupation was briefly interrupted in 1848 as the Wallachian revolution, centred in Bucharest took place. Understandably these events took their toll on the city as people died and buildings were raised in the fighting. This was further worsened during the fire of 1847 which swept through the city consuming around 2000 buildings and destroying over a third of the city.

However, in spite of these disasters the city was still of enough importance to become the capital of the newly united territory of Wallachia and Moldavia, the Principality of Romania in 1861. As the principality became a Kingdom in 1881 the city thrived as the political centre of the realm and thus many flocked to the city. As the centaury grew to a close the city’s population had seen a sharp rise and Bucharest seemed awash with money and the desire to build. It was during this period that much of the famed extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture thrived, hence the nick name “Little Paris” or “Paris of the East.”

The 20th Centaury

During the First World War Bucharest was occupied by German troops for two years, and ceased to function as capital of Romania; however after the war the city became the capital of Greater Romania. The country sided with the Germans during the next war and thus suffered much under allied bombing campaigns. Switching sides in 1944 meant that the city then suffered under Luftwaffe bombings in reprisal. The switch, which was instigated by the monarchy, brought some popularity for the King, but pro-monarchy rallies organised on his birthday were repressed by the Soviet-backed Petru Groza government. The city then gradually came under Communist Dictatorship, along with rest of the county.

Under Communist rule there was massive expansion of the city limits in every direction, mostly consisting of large amounts of tower blocks, but also including Socialist Realist buildings such as the National Opera and the large Casa Scînteii. The population continued to swell throughout the communist period. During the leadership of Nicolae Ceauşescu form 1965 to 1989 large parts of the city were destroyed to make way for population-intensive-housing. This reached its dramatic conclusion in the area known as Centrul Civic where nearly two square kilometres of old buildings were torn down to make way for the Palace of the People and the surrounding tower blocks.

Ceauşescu’s destruction of old Bucharest was given a helping hand in 1977 when an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter-scale hit the city, claiming 1,500 lives and toppling many of the city’s older buildings. Despite all of this, many old buildings still survive today. Revolution and the overthrow of Ceauşescu came to Bucharest in 1989, and though the leader escaped the city on a helicopter he was later caught and killed. Unhappy after the revolution, many students organised protests against the National Salvation Front government, however these were violently repressed by the miners of Valea Jiului. Several more of these so called Mineriads continued eventually toppling the Petre Roman government in 1991.

These days Bucharest is a more peaceful and economically revived city. Accession to the European Union and the integration into global markets has also changed the city. Many have claimed that gentrification has spoiled large parts of the best locations of the city, although the business community has welcomed the change. The modern city is a mix of the old and the new and the tumultuous history can be seen, felt and smelt everywhere one goes in Bucharest.