Piața Universității

University Square is one of the most history-laden places in central Bucharest — not so much for its beauty as for its meaning. Landmark buildings meet here: the University of Bucharest, the National Theatre, the Intercontinental hotel, and the statues of medieval rulers on the lawn in front, among them Michael the Brave and other major voivodes. This is also where the country's "Kilometre Zero" is marked in the pavement, the point from which road distances in Romania are measured, which makes the square, symbolically, the centre of the whole country.

For Romanians, the square is above all a place of recent memory. In December 1989 it was one of the areas where blood was shed during the Revolution, and in 1990 it hosted the long protest known as the "Golaniada". Crosses and memorial plaques recall those who fell, and ever since, the area has remained the capital's favoured site for demonstrations. Below ground, an underpass links the main arteries and the metro station, while above the bustle never stops — students, demonstrators, passers-by. It is a place to pass through, but also to pause, where the recent past and the everyday life of the city overlap at every step.

Good to know

• The Universitate metro station is right beneath it — a central hub you can set out from in any direction.
• From here you are steps from the National Museum of Art, the Old Town and Calea Victoriei.
• Look in the pavement for the "Kilometre 0" marker and the memorial signs.
• It is always lively — a good starting point for any walk through the centre.
• Mind the traffic when crossing — the square is cut by major arteries; use the underpass.

It is the city's civic heart: to understand today's Bucharest, you pass through here first. It is not a beautiful square in the classic sense, but few places in the city concentrate so much recent history and so much urban life in a single point. It is the place where the city seems to keep its memory in plain sight — a space you almost certainly pass through whatever your plans, and which tells you, without words, something about how Bucharest became what it is.