Dealul Spirii
Dealul Spirii[1] (Romanian: [ˈde̯alul ˈspirij], Spirea's Hill) is a hill in Bucharest, Romania, the location of the Palace of the Parliament, initially built by Ceauşescu as the House of the People.
Alternative names
The heights were also known as Dealul Arsenalului (Arsenal Hill) and Dealul Uranus (Uranus Hill), after the armoury established there and the quarter built around the hill, respectively (see "History" section).
History
Initially a vineyard known as Dealul Lupeștilor ('the hill of the Lupescu family'),[2] it was rebaptised after a certain doctor Spiridon "Spirea" Kristofi, who founded the fortified Spirea Veche church in 1765.[3] The church was demolished in 1984 to make place for the People's House.
Also on the hill were found the ruins of
In July 1818, Dealul Spirii saw the rising of a hot air balloon, an event witnessed by Prince John Caradja.[8]
On 13 September 1848, the
In 1861, the Bucharest Army Arsenal was established on the hill.[10] which led to its alternate name, Dealul Arsenalului.
After World War I, the hill gave its name to the famous Dealul Spirii Trial, which involved members of the Romanian Communist Party, after a bomb was detonated on 8 December 1920 in the Romanian Senate (situated on the hill), which was detonated by Max Goldstein, a communist sympathizer.
Also located on this hill was
The quarter located around the hill was named after its main thoroughfare, Uranus, which ran up the hill from Calea Rahovei to the Stadium, and thence to Splaiul Independenței ('Independence Quay') and Izvor. Uranus was one of the historic districts completely destroyed by Nicolae Ceaușescu's
Dealul Spirii has been the site of many historic buildings, including a number of churches and synagogues. When the hill was razed, a mass grave was also discovered, containing the remains of people killed by the Black Death[when?].[11]
Notes
References
- Șerban Cantacuzino, "Două Orașe Distincte" ("Two distinct cities"), Revista Secolul XX, 4/6 (1997), pp. 11–40
- Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre ("History of Bucharest. From the earliest times until our day"), Ed. Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966
- Ştefan Tăbăraş, "Bucureşti, subliminale", in Revista 22, 22 March 2006
- Ionel Zănescu, "Tăvălug", in Jurnalul Național, 8 January 2007
- Uranus Hill: Images Uranus-Izvor district