Royal Palace of Bucharest

Not to be confused with Elisabeta Palace.

Royal Palace of Bucharest
Palatul Regal din București
Map
General information
Address49–53 Calea Victoriei, 010063 Bucharest, sector 1
Town or cityBucharest
CountryRomania
Coordinates44°26′22″N 26°05′45″E / 44.439362°N 26.095943°E / 44.439362; 26.095943
Current tenantsNational Museum of Art of Romania
Groundbreaking1812
Completed1937
Renovated2013
OwnerGovernment of Romania
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)Nicolae Nenciulescu
Website
http://www.mnar.arts.ro/
The Royal Palace with the equestrian statue of king Carol I in front
The Golescu mansion in 1866
The Golescu mansion around the start of the 20th century
The old Royal Palace as it appeared before 1926 showing the main wing added to the Golesecu mansion
The Royal Palace from the air during Communist times, with the multipurpose hall 'Sala Palatului' behind
The Royal Palace today as National Art Museum
The Royal Palace at night
The Throne Hall, restored after 1989. The Royal Coat of Arms of Romania, middle version, is visible at center, with pictures of King Carol I (left) and King Ferdinand I (right) around it
Sea of flowers before the Royal Palace to mourn the death of Queen Anne of Romania

The Royal Palace (Romanian: Palatul Regal) of Bucharest, known as Palace of the Republic (Romanian: Palatul Republicii) between 1948 and 1990, is a monumental building situated in the capital of Romania, on Calea Victoriei. The palace in its various incarnations served as official residence for the kings of Romania until 1947, when the communist regime was installed after Michael I of Romania's forced abdication. Since 1950, the palace hosts the National Museum of Art of Romania. The Romanian royal family currently uses Elisabeta Palace as its official residence in Bucharest. In addition, the Romanian government allows the royal family to use the Royal Palace different occasions.

The palace is the largest and most significant royal residence in the country, containing emblematic official spaces such as the Throne Hall, the Royal Dining Hall and the monumental Voivodes' Staircase. An equestrian statue of the first king of Romania, Carol I stands in the center of a large square in front of it, traditionally known as the "Palace Square" (Romanian: Piața Palatului), but renamed "Revolution Square" after the Romanian revolution of 1989.