The cold late autumn is less warm for walking and at times like this, when it is getting colder, I am reminded of summer sunshine. Most of the time the memories take me to the sea but this time the walk was much closer, in the city center. Downtown and midsummer form a very hot combination. Lots of concrete, asphalt and the scorching sun turns into a big furnace but that doesn't stop me from taking the walk there because it's one of my favorite parts of the city.
It's time to make the introductions. The city is Bucharest and it's the capital of Romania. The place of the walk is Revolution Square, named after the Romanian revolution of December 1989, a revolution in which I participated, along with a large number of the city's inhabitants. Previously, this square had several names, changed with the political changes. Piata Palatului, because this is where the royal palace is located, Piata Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, the name of the first communist leader, after the abdication of the king, Republic Square, after the death of Dej and now, Revolution Square. I hope they don't change the name from now on!
The most important building in this square is the Royal Palace, now the National Art Museum of Romania. Now I'm going to ignore it because my interest is drawn to two nearby monuments, two monuments celebrating different events at the two ends of the 40-year period of communism in Romania.
Equestrian statue of King Carol I
An imposing statue, as a statue of a king should be. A bronze statue, 13 meters high and weighing 13 tons.
Carol I of Romania, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, reigned for 48 years, the longest reign of a Roman ruler. During his reign, the country gained independence from the Turks (1877) and began the modernization of the country.
This statue, placed right in front of the Royal Palace, is a recognition of the merits of this monarch and a reminder of the country's history.
The other monument is a controversial one. It was placed in the square after the anti-communist revolution of 1989.
Memorial of the Renaissance - Eternal Glory to the Heroes and the Romanian Revolution of December 1989
Of course, the new revolution that brought democracy to the former communist country Romania deserves a monument too. Especially since the Romanian Revolution was bloody, it was the only transition from communism to democracy among the former communist countries of Eastern Europe that were violent. More than 1000 people died in those events.
The main parts of the monument are this 35-meter high column, called The Pyramid of Victory, and the Wall of Remembrance, a wall inscribed with the names of the 1,058 people who died during the revolution.
As I said, this monument has been highly criticized, both for its cost, more than ten million dollars, and because it seems copied from other works, such as a trophy in Brazil or a monument in Armenia.
I don't like it either and it bothers me that there are suspicions of financial fraud and plagiarism for the most important monument dedicated to the Romanian revolution and the memory of those who died then.
There will always be such controversies, in fact, the statue of King Carol has its problems, but, they are not the problems of monuments, they are the problems of contemporary Romanian society.
It was a walk full of "heat", a heat hard to bear and that explains why the streets and this square are so empty. Even though I wanted to be at the seaside, I must say that I like this square in Bucharest!
I'll say it again and again, I've found that my main activity lately is... walking. Like all of you, I love to walk, but only now I have realized that walking has become my main mode of relaxation. Slowly, slowly overtaking the other pleasures I still have.
The explanations are these, among others... age, the need to do at least some semblance of sport, the pandemic. There's probably more but I can't identify it now.
For #WednesdayWalk by @tattoodjay
HiveBloPoMo - Day 24
This is my attempt to post every day in November!
Wonderful journey around town again!
Seemed to me that 48 years being the longest reign is a little short. Then I thought about a half century ruling one of the most aggressive conquest empires, in the time of the Turks, man that is legit!
Kinda looks like the Vince Lombardy trophy too! ;)
Cheers Blue!
Hi, Zeke, please forgive me for failing to respond to a few of your comments, I'm ashamed because of that! There have been issues outside of my laptop that has taken up a lot of my time.
With King Carol it was easier with the Turks because he was related to the most important monarchies in Europe, i.e. England, the German principalities and was friends with Napoleon III. He took advantage of the Russo-Turkish war, allied himself with Russia, and thus gained independence but the Ottoman Empire was already weakened.
In art, as in music, there are many influences and copies, yes, this monument resembles the Vince Lombardy trophy and others... It was a big scandal but the sculptor cashed in big time!
I wish you a pleasant end of the week!
They are both impressive monuments in there own way the ne to Carol being so heavy
The other one I have mixed feelings about it is eye catching and powerful with the names inscribed but I feel I have seen similar in different scales
I think these days there is controversy with anything government or cities build
Thanks for all the information
Thanks for joining Wednesday Walk :), I truly enjoy exploring the world virtually each Wednesday seeing walks from all around the globe and feeling I am there and experiencing it all myself, such as I did in your post just now :)
I wanted to present two monuments that had different meanings. The statue of Charles represented the end of one era, monarchy, and the other represented the beginning of another era, democracy. Between them was the communist period, in which I probably lived more than half of my life.
Walking is for me the main hobby and for this reason, your challenge and then the community are perfect for me. I used to post more walks during the week but now I try to post only on Wednesdays. Thanks for building this community and I'm glad it's photography-oriented!
I did note the contrasts in eras between the two monuments from reading your post,
and glad you feel you fit well in the Wednesday Walk community
I to am a big walker, so I choose one walk from the WW and post others at times as well
Your walks are more of an excuse to put the photos up. They are purposeful walks, mainly for photography and that's why you go at early hours so that other walkers don't disturb you.
Yes indeed photography motivates me to walk a lot but at the moment I am also trying to loose weight and with it being cold have been walking in the mall for an hour each morning before it opens for shoppers but is open for walkers
It does feel strange though waking without my camera lol
Yes, it does seem strange but also interesting. I didn't know you could walk through a mall, through a mall with no people, I guess that's good. I, like you, also walk for health, weight loss, and daily movement. It really helps!
the Malls here well some of them and the one closest to me, open the doors two hours before the shops open for walkers, and theres a good amount of people i see there the mornings I go there for a walk, I think its a great idea when its to cool for long walks outdoors for some of us, I know when I was younger the cold never bothered me, but i don't know if its age or the side effects of the lung damage when I had TB but I struggle in the cold outdoors these days
That said I have got out my scarves and other warmer layers and May try for a walk all be it a short one at sunrise this morning
Romania seems like a nice place to visit those blue skies and the old school building look great 👍
Yes, Romania is a beautiful country but, like any country in this world, it has better parts and not-so-nice ones. Just like everyone here, I try to show the most beautiful places that I like. I think it's worth visiting but you don't have to make too much effort for that...
I see what you mean and this is true we always seem to show the best here but we know better @bluemoon Have a nice day 😊
We look for beauty first, thank you! A beautiful day to you, too!
Your most welcome @bluemoon :)
Very nice warm day with blue sky!
Thank you! We are lucky to have an unexpectedly beautiful autumn.
That was a great walk and for me- someone who has never been to Romania and unfortunately does not know enough about it, a very interesting virtual tour, so thanks so much for sharing anfd I really look forward to visiting this beautiful place in person one day.
Thank you very much, I'm glad if I managed to arouse your interest in my country! I think that everyone who writes here should show a little bit of the place where he lives because most of us, including me, will not have the opportunity in this life to know so many places on earth.
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