Everything about Ceau Ima totally explained
During the final few years of the
presidency of
Nicolae Ceauşescu, who ruled
Romania from
1965 until
1989, significant portions of the historic center of
Bucharest, Romania's capital, were demolished to accommodate standardized apartment blocks and government buildings, including the grandiose
Centrul Civic and the palatial
House of the People, now the Palace of the Parliament.
Ceauşima ("Ceaushima") is a vernacular word construction in
Romanian, sarcastically linking
Ceauşescu to
Hiroshima. This
portmanteau term was sometimes coined in the 1980s to describe the huge urban areas of
Bucharest torn down on the orders of
President Ceauşescu, comparing the results with the
nuclear attack on Hiroshima. It has also been used by persons not residing in Bucharest to describe other "misdeeds" of Ceauşescu, not linked to the demolition of Bucharest, such as intense pollution in the
Transylvanian city of
Copşa Mică.
Systematization
Ceauşescu considered it necessary to his program of
systematization to demolish vast portions of the historic and central parts of Bucharest and replace them with giant representation buildings and high-density standardized apartment blocks. The latter rooted in the ideology of "edifying the multilaterally developed socialist society" and it was considered an epitome of the
Leninist formula of the "fight between old and new" (
see Historical materialism).
Started in 1974, but implemented some six years later, the program implied a comprehensive nationwide campaign of demolitions, resettlements and reconstruction. Historian
Dinu C. Giurescu writes:
"The urban systematization conducted by the communist regime has destroyed 29 traditional towns to 85-90% and also has heavily mutilated other 37 cities, including Bucharest."
The main target of the systematization remained Bucharest, which had to be reshaped up to the end of the millennium.
The triggering event of systematization in Bucharest was the
major earthquake of 1977, which predominantly struck edifices built before
World War II (preceded by another major earthquake, that of
November 10,
1940), while the structures dating from the communist era held out well. This was interpreted by the communist regime as a proof of its superiority over the
pre-war regimes, and led to a paradigm change in its urban development policy. Up to that time, the communist regime had concentrated on the clearance and redevelopment of notorious slums like
Groapa Floreasca or
Groapa lui Ouatu (1950s) as well as on new high-density urban settlements in the suburbs, such as
Bucureştii Noi (1950s),
Balta Albă (later
Titan),
Berceni or
Drumul Taberei (1960s), while the actual city remained basically untouched. The impacts of the earthquake, more severe in the central city, provided both ideological and technical arguments for urban intervention in historical Bucharest.
The immediate consequences of this new urban policy were the demolition of monuments like
Enei Church (founded 1611, rebuilt 1723; with murals by
Gheorghe Tattarescu), the
Neo-gothic Casa Cerchez or the elegant
Baia Centrală public bath house and the suppression of the Authority for the National Patrimony. However, the most pervasive consequence was the commitment of Ceauşescu to accomplish his earlier vision of the monumental
Centrul Civic ("civic centre"), which would concentrate and symbolise the emblems of his power.
Though the decision to build the new civic centre in the very heart of Bucharest was made in 1978, it took some six years for Ceauşescu to impose a wide-ranging reshaping. During that period, interventions in historical Bucharest, like rebuilding the traditional
Calea Moşilor with uniform concrete
apartment blocks, were still carried out respecting the pre-existing urban configuration. This can be explained by the significant opposition the project encountered from a majority of leading experts. To realize his project, Ceauşescu brought together some 400
urban planning professionals, visiting them at least once a week during the 1980s and providing what the press called "valuable instructions" (
indicaţii preţioase) in front of a large scale model of Bucharest.
Since Ceauşescu succeeded in quelling disagreement and opposition expressed by authoritative architects, art historians and intellectuals, a coherent reshaping project never came to light. Instead, through what was largely a step-by-step approach, the implementation of
Casa Poporului ("House of the People", now
Palatul Parlamentului, "Palace of the Parliament") could be imposed. The subsequent opening of the oversized Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism was but the consequence of architectural requirements aiming at creating a congruent perspective to the colossal House of the People. The final result was compared to both the
Pyongyang of
Kim Il Sung and
Adolf Hitler's
Germania.
Still after the project had been officially completed in 1983, the frequent and arbitrary interventions of Ceauşescu permanently modified the situation on the ground, leading mostly to further demolitions.
The mass destructions in Bucharest began in 1983 and continued up until late 1988, being very intense within the first year, so that in June 1984 the Ceauşescus could inaugurate the workings of what would become the House of the People.
Areas of demolition
The destroyed urban areas extended over several informal districts (
cartiere), some of exceptional architectural and/or historical significance. Since both the urban project and its execution were much of a trial-and-error process, demolitions were often arbitrary. However, a certain west to east pattern of demolition can be ascertained: the western area of
Uranus as well as approximately 92% of the adjoining eastern area of
Văcăreşti were destroyed, while the areas situated farther east like
Dudeşti and
Theodor Speranţia were demolished only along the large boulevards which had to be created there.
Uranus area
The Uranus district was the foremost target of the flattening, since it had an exceptional geographic value, being situated on the most prominent height of Bucharest; this was where the House of the People was to be placed. The height on which the Uranus city district was located, called
Dealul Spirii, was radically reshaped in order to make it bear the House of the People. Another height belonging to the Uranus area, of lesser dimensions, was the
Mihai Vodă Hill.
The destruction of the Uranus area reached the shore of the
Dâmboviţa River (
Splaiul Independenţei) on the north side, the streets
Haşdeu and
Isvor on the east side,
Sabinelor and
Calea Rahovei streets on the south side, cutting a straight line of some 1,200 meters on the north-south axis through a dense urban area along the streets
Bateriilor and
Logofătul Nestor. Other important streets of the Uranus district were: Uranus, Mihai Vodă, Puţul cu Apă Rece, Cazărmii, Militari, Schitul Maicilor, Banul Mihalcea, Meteorilor, Minotaurului, Arionoaia. The entire demolished area covered approximately 154 hectares.
The Uranus neighbourhood is remembered for its special atmosphere; the area was both residential and monumental: many elegant houses and villas, as well as some low-density apartments blocks constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, coexisted with salient historical and architectural monuments. Thus, the fortified
Mihai Vodă Monastery, founded by the
Wallachian
Prince Michael the Brave in 1589-1591, and housing the State Archives since 1866) was pulled down. Moreover, the entire
Mihai Vodă Hill has been leveled to open the view on the House of the People, while the Mihai Vodă Church was moved to a new location nestled between concrete blocks of flats.
Among other edifices of cultural and/or historical significance torn down in the Uranus area were: the Central Military Museum, the old Arsenal, the
Art deco Stadium of the Republic (1926), the Army Theatre, Casa Demetriade, the Operetta Theatre, the higher education Institute for Physical Education, the Athletes' Hospital, the Lahovary Fountain, and the "Isvor" open air bath. Among the churches torn down in the Uranus district were included: the Albă Postăvari Church (donated in 1568 by a Doamna Caplea), the Spirea Veche Church (founded by a doctor Spiridon Christofi in 1765), the Isvorul Tămăduirii Church (a
guilds' foundation of 1794), and the Old Saint Spiridon Church (1668).
The demolition of the churches was done with the approval of the Romanian Orthodox Church leaders. For instance, in 1989, Bishop
Nifon answered the questions of western reporters by claiming the churches demolished hadn't much historical interest and they were too close to others.
Relocating churches and cutting them off from their architectural and cultural context to be reinserted into a narrowing neighbourhood is another expression of the strategy that created "Ceauşima". Some examples of churches that were relocated: the Saint Ilie Rahova Church (1745), the
Schitul Maicilor Church (1726), the
Domniţa Bălaşa Church (founded in 1751 by Bălaşa Lambrino, daughter of
Constantin Brâncoveanu), the
Sfântul Ioan Nou Church (18th century) and the entire outstanding monastic complex of
Antim Monastery (1713–1715). A similar type of urban intervention cut entire quarters out of their surroundings. Thus, the city area located south of the Dâmboviţa between
Podul Isvor and
Piaţa Unirii and up to Antim Monastery was hedged in by a large triangle of standardized concrete blocks of flats.
Piaţa Unirii
The creation of the huge Boulevard of Socialism's Victory imposed additional demolitions in areas adjacent to the Uranus district. Piaţa Unirii was doubled in size. Excepting the
Art nouveau metal structure of the Halele Unirii allegedly built by
Gustave Eiffel,, the most notable demolition in this area was the
Brâncovenesc Hospital (
Aşezămintele Brâncoveneşti – Brâncoveanu's Foundations, founded in 1835 by Safta Brâncoveanu) – an architectural monument and one of the most venerable, most ample and best-equipped medical institutions of Bucharest and Romania.
Văcăreşti area
Located eastwards of Piaţa Unirii, the
Văcăreşti area definitely belonged to the old Bucharest. The demolished area was located between
Calea Călăraşilor on the north, the shore of the Dâmbovita on the west and south sides, and
Mircea Vodă and
Calea Văcăreştilor streets in the east. The architecture of the area was eclectic, bearing witness to successive cultural and historical strata, which resulted in a mixture of 18th- to 19th-century edifices (inns, stores) and more recent buildings from the early 20th century. Other significant streets of this area were: Căuzaşi, Olteni,
Iuliu Barasch, Banul Mărăcine, Sf. Ioan Nou, Mămulari, Sfânta Vineri, Negru Vodă, Haiducul Bujor, Clucerul Udricani, Pitagora. The total area razed covered approximately 66 hectares.
Among the most notable destroyed edifices were: the Sfânta Vineri-Herasca Church, founded in 1645), Olteni Church (1696), the historical Vechea Agie (Old Police Prefecture), the Paediatrics Hospital, the Mina Minovici Forensic Institute, Al. I. Cuza College, a monumental Courthouse, the historical Town Hall of the former
Blue Sector, several old inns and stores (underneath a UU-shaped commercial complex dating from the mid 19th century) and other characteristic edifices. Unlike in the Uranus area, a very few buildings could be rescued; these included two
synagogues in Mămulari Street, the little Udricani Church and the neighbouring
State Jewish Theatre, formerly the Baraşeum Theatre, on Iuliu Barasch Street.
Dudeşti area
Dudeşti is situated eastwards of Văcăreşti. Before the 1980s, its boundaries ran along
Matei Basarab and
Labirint streets on the north,
Popa Nan and
Th. Speranţa streets on the east side,
Moruzi Voevod and
Papazoglu streets in the south,
Olteni and
Mircea Vodă streets on the west side. The central axis of the district ran along the streets
Calea Dudeşti and
Avraam Goldfaden, with other important streets being
Traian, Nerva Traian, Bradului, and Dr. Popper.
While the central part of the district has been completely bulldozed to clear the way for the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism, its northern and southern sections suffered to a lesser extent. The urban texture of the district was characteristic of housing patterns of the late 19th-early 20th century, consisting of family houses set along old tree-lined streets. Neo-classical ornaments, typical for middle class residences, were more frequent in the northern zone of the neighbourhood, while more modest dwelling structures prevailed in the southern area, where lower middle classes lived. Both the Dudeşti and Văcăreşti neighbourhoods were also notable for a traditional and significant
Jewish presence. The total area razed covered approximately 110 hectares.
Theodor Speranţia area
The
Theodor Speranţia area was a residential area from the
interwar period, mixing middle with lower class dwelling structures. As in the case of Dudeşti, this neighbourhood was only partially erased. The total demolished surface was of approximately 50 hectares.
Summarizing "Ceauşima"
» See also: History of Bucharest
The areas completely destroyed amounted to some 380 hectares. In fact, the destroyed urban substance was more considerable, if isolated building clusters and town spots are added, such as the partial demolition of Ştirbei Vodă street. Another outstanding example is the destruction of the vast monastic complex of Văcăreşti (1722) and of the
Pantelimon Monastery (1750). Overall, the bulldozed area was approximately five kilometres long by one kilometre wide. It was one of the largest peacetime urban destructions at the hands of humans in recorded history. The
bombardments in Bucharest and the
1977 earthquake together caused only 18% of the damage produced by the demolition campaign in the 1980s. Out of the 500 hectares accounted as "Ceauşima", 250 hectares were urban districts of historical significance, representing some 20–25% of historic Bucharest.
Among other destroyed monuments were 27
Orthodox Christian churches (counting eight relocated churches), six
synagogues and Jewish temples, and three
Protestant churches. The unprecedented dimensions of the demolitions also had qualitative consequences: changes radically altered the layout of the city and an irreplaceable part of the identity of Bucharest was lost.
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