In the 1970s, Bucharest was growing rapidly with a threefold expansion. The population reached 1.8 million at the end of the decade. Increasing manufacturing and services was the key to this expansion. In 1977, the biggest earthquake in the city’s history killed more than 1,500 people. Several old buildings in Bucharest were collapsed, damaged, or destroyed beyond repair.
Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu convened a meeting with architects and specialists at the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. The plan to build a new civic socialist center in Bucharest was presented. Specialists said the Uranus area was the safest place to build new buildings than the lower part of the city, where 28 old buildings collapsed, killing more than 1400 people. The construction of the Bucharest parliament was also started in 1978. It is the second-largest building after the Pentagon. The size of the building is so enormous that walking around its perimeter takes an hour! In 1979, the Bucharest Metro was opened in compliance with official aesthetics.
Here are some fabulous photos that will take you back to the 1970s Bucharest. These Photographs document streets, towns, and everyday life.
