Charles de Gaulle Square
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Charles de Gaulle Square (Romanian: Piaţa Charles de Gaulle) is a square in Northern Bucharest, Romania.
[edit] Neighbourhood
The Herăstrău Park is located to the northwest of the square, Arcul de Triumf is located in its own square a few hundred metres to west, on Constantin Prezan Blvd., while Piaţa Victoriei, which has the headquarters of the Romanian Government, is located south, via Aviatorilor Blvd.
The state-owned Televiziunea Română is located about 100 metres to the southeast, on Calea Dorobanţilor. The Primăverii neighbourhood, which used to include the houses of the Communist nomenklatura is located to northeast.
A recently built office building, Charles de Gaulle Plaza is located in the southeastern part of the Square and the Aviatorilor metro station is located right underneath it.
[edit] Name
The square was originally Piaţa Jianu, from Jianu, a haiduc (brigand) and folk hero who fought together with Tudor Vladimirescu in the 1821 Wallachian Revolution. In the early 1940s it was renamed Piaţa Adolf Hitler, but its original name was restored shortly after 23 August 1944, when Romania joined the Allies and turned against the Axis Powers.
However, after the Soviets occupied Romania and imposed a Communist government, its named was changed in 1948 to Piaţa Stalin, a name which lasted until the destalinization of the early 1960s, when it was named Piaţa Aviatorilor, the Square of the Aviators.
Its final name change was in the late 1990s, being renamed after Charles de Gaulle, the late leader of the Free French Forces and first president of the French Fifth Republic.
| Quarters in Bucharest |
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| Quarters: Berceni | Băneasa | Centrul Civic | Colentina | Cotroceni | Crângaşi | Dămăroaia | Dealul Spirii | Dristor | Drumul Taberei | Dudeşti | Ferentari | Floreasca | Ghencea | Giuleşti | Griviţa | Iancului | Lipscani | Militari | Obor | Olteniţei | Pantelimon | Pipera | Primăverii | Rahova | Tei | Titan | Vitan | Văcăreşti |
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| Streets and squares: Charles de Gaulle | Kiseleff | Lipscani | Magheru | Romană | Unirii | University Square | Victoriei |
[edit] External links
- Charles de Gaulle Square, as seen from north.
- Charles de Gaulle Plaza, the building on the southeast of the plaza
