Well sort of. The Romanian revolution actually started in Timiosara-but soon spread to the Capitol.
Revolutionary square to be exact:
Or as it is known to locals-the “olive on the stick.”
The big building on the left is where Ceaucescu was giving a speech when the crowd went nuts.
On the morning of 21 December Ceau?escu addressed an assembly of approximately 100,000 people, to condemn the uprising in Timi?oara. However, Ceau?escu was out of touch with his people and completely misread the crowd’s mood. Starting his speech in the usual “wooden language”, spurting out pro-socialist and Communist Party rhetoric, Ceau?escu delivered a litany of the achievements of the “socialist revolution” and Romanian “multi-laterally developed socialist society”. The people, however, remained apathetic, and only the front rows supported Ceau?escu with cheers and applause. As the speech went on, some in the crowd actually began to jeer and boo and utter insults at him. Ceau?escu’s lack of understanding of the recent events and his incapacity to handle the situation were further demonstrated when he offered, as an act of desperation, to raise workers’ salaries by 100 lei per month (about 9 US dollars at the time, yet a 5-10% raise for a modest salary) and student scholarship from 100 to 110 lei while continuing to praise the achievements of the Socialist Revolution, unable to realize that a revolution was brewing right in front of his eyes.
As he was addressing the crowd from the balcony of the Central Committee building, sudden movement came from the outskirts of the massed assembly, as did the sound of (what various sources have reported as) fireworks, bombs, or guns, which together caused the assembly to break into chaos. Initially frightened, the crowds tried to disperse. Bullhorns then began to spread the news that the Securitate was firing on the crowd and that a “revolution” was unfolding. This persuaded people in the assembly to join in. The rally turned into a protest demonstration.
The entire speech was being broadcast live around Romania, and it is estimated that perhaps 76% of the nation was watching. Censors attempted to cut the live video feed, and replace it with communist propaganda songs and video praising the Ceau?escu regime, but parts of the riots had already been broadcast and most of the Romanian people realized that something unusual was in progress.
Ceau?escu and his wife, as well as other officials and CPEx members, panicked, and Ceau?escu went into hiding inside the building.
If you come to Bucharest, I strongly recommend you skip the history museum and got to the military museum instead. It is interesting in two ways-first for it’s lack of explanation of historical events-but also for its gallery about the revolution. Including a display including the clothes the head of the Securitate was shot in. The blood stains still remain.
There are some monuments to those who died.
Same is true in the military museum-there is a huge plaque with probably 100o names on it.
Right across from the square is an old orthodox church:
That is one thing about this city-you do not see big Cathedrals like you see in Europe. Rather, you see lots of small churches tucked away in some of the most interesting places.
Located right up from Revolutionary Square is the Athene theater:
See the rest of the pix here.
