House of the Free Press

File:Casa Scanteii 02 bgiu.jpg

Casa Presei Libere, as seen from Herăstrău

File:Casa Scânteii.jpg

Casa Scânteii, 1980s; note the statue of Lenin in front

Casa Presei Libere is a building in northern Bucharest, Romania.

Construction began in 1952 and was completed in 1956. The building was named Combinatul Poligrafic Casa Scînteii "I.V.Stalin" and later Casa Scînteii (Scînteia was the name of the Romanian Communist Party's official newspaper). It was designed by the architect Horia Maicu, in the pure (albeit comparatively small-scale) style of Soviet Socialist realism, resembling the main building of the Moscow State University, and was intended to house all of Bucharest's printing presses, the newsrooms and their staff.

File:Lenin statue pulled down.jpg

Lenin's statue being pulled down

It has a foundation with an area of 280x260m, the total constructed surface is 32,000 m² and it has a volume of 735,000 m³. Its height is 91.6 m without the television antenna, which measures an additional 12.4 m, bringing the total height to 104 m.

Between 1952 and 1966, Casa Scînteii was featured on the reverse of the 100 lei banknote.

On 21 April 1960, a giant statue of Vladimir Lenin, made by Romanian sculptor Boris Caragea, was placed in front of the building. However, this statue was removed on 3 March 1990, following the Romanian Revolution of 1989. The statue's pedestal is still there.

It has basically the same role nowadays, with many of today's newspapers having their headquarters in the same building, now renamed Casa Presei Libere ("The House of the Free Press"). The Bucharest Stock Exchange (Bursa de Valori Bucureşti, BVB - in Romanian) was located in the southern wing at one point. The BVB is now located off the 5 and 16 tram lines between Piaţa Unirii and somewhat close to the University Square.

File:Casa Scanteii.jpg

Casa Presei Libere, frontal view

See also

• Seven Sisters (Moscow)
• Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

References

44°28′51.36″N 26°4′16.35″E