University Square

University Square is one of Bucharest's most important urban hubs, located in the heart of the capital, at the crossing of Bălcescu Boulevard with Regina Elisabeta Boulevard and I.C. Brătianu Boulevard. The area brings together several landmark institutions: the University of Bucharest, founded in 1864; the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre, built as part of the same urban project as the neighboring hotel and opened to the public in 1973 (its current facade dates from a renovation completed around 2014); and the Intercontinental Hotel (now Grand Hotel Bucharest), built between 1968 and 1971, standing 88 meters tall — at completion, the second-tallest building in Romania after Casa Scânteii, a position it held until the Palace of the Parliament was finished in 1997. Beneath the square lies Universitate metro station, one of the busiest in Bucharest's network, served by line M2, opened in 1979. Historically, the square gained major political significance from the 1990 events, when it became the epicenter of the post-revolutionary protests known as "Golaniada" — held between 22 April and 15 June 1990, over 53 days, drawing up to 50,000 participants each evening, the largest protest in Romania's recent history. The area's architecture reflects several stages of urban development, from 19th-century buildings to communist-era construction. It is reached by metro on line M2, as well as numerous bus and tram lines, or on foot from Piața Romană and Piața Rosetti, both about 700 meters away. University Square is worth visiting for the density of cultural and historical institutions packed into a small area, and for its significance in Romania's recent history.