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[[Image:Casa Scanteii 02 bgiu.jpg|thumb|250px|Casa Presei Libere, as seen from [[Herăstrău]]]]
[[Image:Casa Scanteii 02 bgiu.jpg|thumb|250px|Casa Presei Libere, as seen from [[Herăstrău]]]]
'''Casa Presei Libere''' is a building in northern [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]], the highest one in the city until 2007.
'''Casa Presei Libere''' (The House of the Free Press) is a building in northern [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]], the highest one in the city until 2007.


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 [[Stalinist architecture|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.
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 [[Stalinist architecture|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.
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Image:Parcul Herastrau.jpg|The building seen from [[Herăstrău Park]]
Image:Parcul Herastrau.jpg|The building seen from [[Herăstrău Park]]
Image:Secera si ciocanul Casa Scanteii.jpg|[[Hammer and sickle]] ornament
Image:Secera si ciocanul Casa Scanteii.jpg|[[Hammer and sickle]] ornament
Image:ROL 100 1952 reverse.jpg|Casa Scînteii on the reverse of a 100-lei banknote, 1052
Image:ROL 100 1952 reverse.jpg|Casa Scînteii on the reverse of a 100-lei banknote, 1952
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Revision as of 11:54, 15 May 2008

File:Casa Scanteii 02 bgiu.jpg
Casa Presei Libere, as seen from Herăstrău

Casa Presei Libere (The House of the Free Press) is a building in northern Bucharest, Romania, the highest one in the city until 2007.

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, [1] 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.[2] 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.

See also

References

  1. ^ Dicţionarul Enciclopedic Romîn, 1962
  2. ^ România Liberă, "Epilog la o statuie", 4 March 1990.

44°28′51.36″N 26°4′16.35″E / 44.4809333°N 26.0712083°E / 44.4809333; 26.0712083