WIZZ MAGAZINE
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37
BUCHAREST
LEFT:
STAVROPOLEOS
CHURCH,WIDELY
CONSIDERED TO BE
BUCHAREST’S FINEST.
ABOVE:
BEBI OPREA, THE
ENTREPRENEUR BEHIND
REPUBLIC
It’s thevisionof local
entrepreneurs thathas
broughtback the life
andbustleof the30s
2001,”says JerryVanSchaik,whoseAmsterdam
GrandCafewas thefirstmodernvenue toopen
itsdoors in thearea. “Therewasn’tmuchgoing
on, and itwasn’t thekindof areayouwanted
to spendmuch time in.But itmademe think
of the Jordaan inAmsterdam,whichhad just
seena transformation fromno-goarea tomost
happeningpartof thecity. Sowedecided to
takeagamble.”
Opened in2002,Amsterdam immediately
becamea focal pointof theOldTown, anda
pioneerof its revival.NowVanSchaik’s latest
venture,GrandCafeVanGogh, has seized that
baton, becomingBucharest’s ‘meet you there’
venue,whilehisRembrandt,which launched
nextdoor in2005, isoneof themost successful
boutiquehotels in thecity.Often full, it’s
anexampleofhow thearea’s19th-century
buildingscan really shineafter restoration.
Benefitting fromoneof themost recentOld
Town renovations is thehandsomebuilding
dominatingStradaSelari,which isnowa
brasserieandbeerhall calledRepublic.The
brainchildof local entrepreneurBebiOprea,
theaimwas tomake thebestusepossibleof the
building’soriginal, enormouscellar.
“I’vebeenoperating in theOldTown inone
wayoranother foradecade,” saysOprea. “Back
then theareawasnot ingreat shape, to say the
least.Atonepointwealmost lost faith.Thenwe
decided toopena small bar, and since thenwe
reallyhave seen it all.”
Although thecityhasplayed itspart–
pedestrianisingmuchof thearea, forexample–
it’s thevisionof entrepreneurs likeOprea that’s
donemost tobringback the lifeandbustleof
the1920sand30s,when thiswasBucharest’s
thumpingcommercial heart.TheNationalBank
ofRomania, aneoclassicalmasterpiece, looms
oppositeVanSchaik’sproperties,whilenearby
is thegorgeousMacca-VillacrossePassage.The
first covered shoppingarcade in thecity, built
in the1890s, today it’sawarrenof cafesand
bars. StradaLipscani itselfwasoncea thriving
hubof textilemerchants, someofwhomare
still going.
Fullof admirersof theeclecticarchitecture
byday, it’satnight that theOldTown’s
metamorphosisreallyshines.Mojoand
Republicare just twoofmore than100venues
thatnowpopulate thebuzzyarea.Even toobusy
forsomeat times, theareahasdonewonders to
boostBucharest’sprofileasadestination.
Aside frombars, there’s theatre–especially
themuch-lovedComedyTheatre–and
somefine-diningoptions, suchasaward-
winning restaurantArtistbyDutchchefPaul
Oppenkamp.Youcanevenfindcabaret and
burlesqueatBordello’s, anotherBebiOprea
venue,whichused tobeabrothelmanydecades
ago. Lookout for thevintage softcoreadorning
thewalls–acheeky touch!
Despitemodernisation, thearea’sbeautiful
historicchurchesare still oneof itsbiggest
draws.Dedicated to thepatron saintof
