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What Bucharest looked like in the 1970s Through These Stunning Photos

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.

#3 Nicholas Titulescu Avenue, near the North Railway Station, Bucharest, 1976

#27 Biserica Alba or ‘White Church’, Bucharest, 1971

#39 Heroes’ Avenue, seen from the Military Academy in Cotroceni District, Bucharest, 1976

#58 Crown Prince And Princess Visit to Bucharest, 1979

#60 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko talk with Romania President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena during their meeting on October 8, 1979 in Bucharest, Romania.

#62 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko ivisit the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum on October 8, 1979 in Bucharest.

#63 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum on October 8, 1979.

#68 A general view of the city center on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest.

#71 Well-wishers stand outside the National Museum of Romanian History where Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess.

#73 Well-wishers stand outside the National Museum of Romanian History where Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko.

#74 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest.

#75 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest.

#76 A general view of a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest, Romania.

#77 A general view of a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest, Romania.

#78 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit a market, 1979 in Bucharest.

#80 A general view of a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest, Romania.

#81 Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit a market in Bucharest, 1979

#83 Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visit a market on October 10, 1979 in Bucharest.

#86 A general view of a market in Bucharest on October 10, 1979.

#87 A civic rally in Aviatorilor Square, Bucharest, held to celebrate Romania’s National Day, 1979.

#88 Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu observing the damages on the Gheorghe Magheru Boulevard in Bucharest after an earthquake.

#89 Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu observing the damages on the Gheorghe Magheru Boulevard in Bucharest after an earthquake.

#90 Visit of Jacques Chirac in RomaniaFrench Prime Minister Jacques Chirac is welcomed in Bucharest by Minister of Foreign Affairs Corneliu Manescu.

#92 Morning Pool Practice For The Deaf Swimmers Begins At 6 A.M.

#93 A general view of Bucharest City on October 8, 1979 in Bucharest, Romania.

#94 Workmen begin to demolish an earthquake damaged building in University Square, Bucharest, 1977

#95 Rescue workers use a digger to sift through the remains of a block of flats after an earthquake in Bucharest which resulted in the loss of over 1,500 lives.

#96 Rescue workers are shown here in Bucharest, Romania trying to clean up after the destructive earthquake.

#97 Rescue workers are shown here in Bucharest, Romania wearing face mask protection trying to clean up after the destructive earthquake.

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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One Comment

  1. 40 is the most representative. In the background the Spark House, with the picture of the comrade and the party flag, in front the statue of Lenin, and in the foreground a can of travelers with people on the ladder.

    In picture 77, you can see the Unirea store when it had only one body, in 99 trips that went on the tram, and at 110 you’re surprised that it hasn’t already broken.