Manuc's Inn
Manuc's Inn (Romanian: Hanul lui Manuc, pronounced [ˈhanu(l) luj maˈnuk]) is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest, Romania. It also houses a popular restaurant, several bars, a coffee-house, and (facing the street) several stores and an extensive bar. Its massive, multiply balconied courtyard hosted many performances and fairs and was a popular place for Romanian Television crews to shoot folkloric performances. The hotel and restaurant were refurbished in 2007.[1] [2]
Location
The building is located at 62–64 strada Franceză (the street has been variously known in the past as Iuliu Maniu, 30 Decembrie, and Carol),[3][4][5] across the street from the ruins of the Old Court (Curtea Veche).[6] Although one side now faces a vast modern public square, Piaţa Unirii,[6] there is no evidence of this in the courtyard or the inward-facing rooms.
History
The inn was built in 1808 as a khan, and originally owned by a wealthy and flamboyant Armenian entrepreneur, Emanuel Mârzaian, better known under his Turkish name Manuc Bei.[7] By the middle of the 19th century, it was Bucharest's most important commercial complex, with 15 wholesalers, 23 retail stores, 107 rooms for offices or living, two receiving rooms and a pub.[3]
Although Manuc's Inn has been subject to repeated restorations — in 1848, 1863, 1966–1970, and 1991–1992,[7] as well as the last one in 2007 — its essential structure remained intact; of the three surviving 19th century inns in the Lipscani district,[8] it is the only one currently in use as a hotel.
The inn was the site of the preliminary talks for the Treaty of Bucharest, which put an end to the 1806–1812 Russo-Turkish war.[7] In 1842 it briefly housed Bucharest's town hall.[7] Around 1880 a hall at the inn was used as a theatre, and was the site of the first Romanian operetta performance.[7]
Before Romania entered World War I, in 1914–1916, the hall "Sala Dacia" hosted meetings of the Wallachian pro-war party seeking to establish a Greater Romania by uniting with Transylvania and Bukovina; speakers included Nicolae Filipescu, Take Ionescu, Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea, and Octavian Goga.[7]
The building was nationalized 19 February 1949. Ownership was restored to Prince Șerban-Constantin Cantacuzino in February 2007.[3]
Gallery
See also
- Hanul cu Tei
- Casa Capșa
- Treaty of Bucharest
Notes
- Festival 39 de la Unirii, una din cele mai cunoscute cafenele, s-a inchis, DailyBusiness.ro, 2010-02-12. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Hanul lui Manuc, un simbol al Capitalei, renovat in condiţii ilegale!, Pro TV, 2009-10. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Hanul lui Manuc, restituit definitiv prinţului Şerban Cantacuzino Archived 2013-04-17 at Archive.today, stiri.acasa.ro, 2007-02-27. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Hanul Manuc, Bucharest, Yahoo! Travel. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Bucharest: Hanul lui Manuc (Hotel) Archived 2012-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, Lonely Planet. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Map of location, Google Maps. The Old Court is labeled Curtea Domneasca. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- Manuc's Inn Archived 2007-12-18 at the Wayback Machine, rotravel.com. Accessed online 2010-02-12.
- The other two are Hanul cu Tei and Gabroveni Inn. A bit east of the Lipscani district is Solacoglu Inn.
External links
- Hanul lui Manuc Official site for the restaurant Manuc's Inn
- (in Romanian) Hanul lui Manuc, official site of the former hotel operation. Archived 2007-01-16 on the Internet Archive.
- The courtyard on a winter day