Piața Revoluției Bucharest: History and Landmarks

Piața Revoluției in Bucharest, also known as Revolution Square, is a central square on Calea Victoriei. It was known as Palace Square until 1989, when it was renamed after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989.

What is Piața Revoluției in Bucharest?

Piața Revoluției is defined by the concentration of royal, cultural, institutional and revolutionary landmarks within one central Bucharest setting. Its former name, Palace Square, reflected the presence of the former Royal Palace. Its current name refers to the Romanian Revolution that unfolded in December 1989.

Why is Revolution Square important in Romanian history?

Revolution Square is historically associated with the former Central Committee building of the Romanian Communist Party. On 21 December 1989, Nicolae Ceaușescu made his last speech from the building’s balcony to a gathering of more than 100,000 citizens in the square.

The speech was interrupted when a disturbance spread through the gathering. Ceaușescu stopped speaking as the situation developed, and the rally turned into a protest that began to escalate quickly. This is the defining revolutionary association of Piața Revoluției: the square was the setting for a public gathering that changed character during the final days of Ceaușescu’s rule.

The building itself continued to serve an institutional role after those events. It became the seat of the Senate in 1990 and has housed the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform since 2006. To explore this specific historical setting through an interactive route, see the Bucharest 1989 Revolution Tour.

What can you see around Piața Revoluției?

The former Royal Palace is one of the square’s defining buildings. Piața Revoluției also contains the Romanian Athenaeum, the Athénée Palace Hotel, the University of Bucharest Library and the Memorial of Rebirth.

These landmarks give the square its particular character. The former Royal Palace represents its royal association; the Romanian Athenaeum and the University of Bucharest Library mark its cultural and academic presence; the Athénée Palace Hotel adds another historic institution; and the Memorial of Rebirth directly recalls the 1989 Revolution.

Rather than a square defined by one monument, Piața Revoluției brings these different layers together around the former Central Committee building. Its name, buildings and memorials are all tied to the specific history of this place on Calea Victoriei.