Bukarest

Title

Bukarest

Description

Decorative total view of the city Bucharest in Romania. Bucharest is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre.

ca. 1845

Artist

Kunstanstalt Hildburghausen (1828-1874)

The German publishing company Bibliographisches Institut was founded 1826 in Gotha by Joseph Meyer, moved 1828 to Hildburghausen and 1874 to Leipzig. Its production over the years includes such well-known titles as Meyers Lexikon.

Historical Description

According to legend, Bucharest was founded by a shepherd named Bucur. In Romanian, Bucurie means happy joy, and Bucur is a common family name. In the etymological sense, București means: You are happy! In the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire expanded from Asia Minor to what is now Romania. The first Ottoman army advanced across the Danube as early as 1394. After this, the Principality of Wallachia became subject to tribute for the first time. Under this Ottoman suzerainty, Bucharest, which was still a village, experienced an upswing due to the presence of the court and the return of foreign traders. The population increased and an urban structure developed, which was reflected in a large number of new buildings. Thirty years later, in 1574 and 1575, as well as in 1594, the population of Bucharest rose up against the growing tributes of the High Porte. In 1595, Grand Vizier Koca Sinan Pasha took over the city after the Battle of Călugăreni. After his enthronement, Prince Gheorghe Ghica moved the princely seat back to Bucharest in 1659. In the same year, under pressure from the Ottoman Empire, the city also became the sole residence of the voivodes. In 1668, the religious leadership of the Orthodox Church also followed the prince to Bucharest. In 1807, Bucharest came under the supreme command of the commander of the Russian troops during the Russo-Turkish War. The first Peace of Bucharest in 1812 ended the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which had been going on since 1806. In 1861, Alexandru Ioan Cuza proclaimed the formation of the Principality of Romania from the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. A year later, the two principalities were formally united with Bucharest as the capital.