House of the Free Press

Building in Bucharest, Romania

House of the Free Press

Casa Presei Libere

Former names| Casa Scînteii
General information
Architectural style| Stalinist architecture
Town or city| Bucharest
Country| Romania
Coordinates| 44°28′51″N 26°04′17″E﻿ / ﻿44.480907°N 26.071261°E﻿ / 44.480907; 26.071261
Construction started| 1952
Completed| 1957
Height| 104 m (341 ft)
Technical details
Floor area| 32,000 m2 (344,445 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Horia Maicu [ro]
Engineer| Panaite C. Mazilu [ro]

The House of the Free Press (Romanian: Casa Presei Libere), known under Communist rule as Casa Scînteii, 'House of The Spark (newspaper)', is a building in northern Bucharest, Romania, the tallest in the city between 1956 and 2007.[1]

## History

[edit]

A horse race track was built in 1905 on the future site of the House of the Free Press. A third of the track was removed in 1950 to make way for a wing of the building, and the race track was finally closed and demolished in 1960, after a decision by Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej.[2]

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 [ro], in the Stalinist style of 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.

It has a foundation with an area of 280 by 260 metres (920 ft × 850 ft), the total constructed surface is 32,000 m2 (344,445 sq ft) and it has a volume of 735,000 m3 (26,000,000 cu ft). Its height is 91.6 m (301 ft) without the television antenna, which measures an additional 12.4 m (41 ft),[3] bringing the total height to 104 m (341 ft).

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

On 21 April 1960, a 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.[4] On 30 May 2016, the Monument of the Anti-Communist Fight ("Wings") was inaugurated in the same place.

Renamed Casa Presei Libere ("House of the Free Press"), the building has basically the same role nowadays, with many of today's newspapers having their headquarters in it. The Bucharest Stock Exchange (Bursa de Valori București, BVB) was located in the Southern wing at one point.

As of 2023, the House of the Free Press is the only building in Bucharest that has kept the hammer and sickle communist symbol, which appears on reliefs on its façade.[5]

* Casa Scînteii on the reverse of a 100-lei banknote, 1952

* Gathering of Romanian young pioneers at Lenin's statue in front of the Casa Scînteii in 1977

* The House of the Free Press and the "Wings" Monument

* General view from the Free Press Square

* View of building some time after 1990

* Five-pointed star on the façade

## See also

[edit]

* Socialist realism in Romania
* Lomonosov University-style Stalinist buildings
* Seven Sisters (Moscow)
* Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
* Grand Hotel International Prague
* Latvian Academy of Sciences

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Infama poveste a Casei Presei Libere, fostă Casa Scânteii". Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). 20 November 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
2. ^ "Povestea unei lumi dispărute: cursele de cai din România" Archived October 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Evenimentul Zilei, October 21, 2008
3. ^ Dicționarul Enciclopedic Romîn, 1962
4. ^ "Epilog la o statuie", România Liberă, 4 March 1990.
5. ^ Barbu, Cristian-Alexandru (27 April 2023). "Singura clădire din București care mai păstrează secera și ciocanul". Evenimentul Istoric (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to House of the Free Press at Wikimedia Commons

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

* v
* t
* e

Tall buildings in Bucharest

Built|

* Ana Tower
* Anchor Plaza
* Asmita Gardens
* Basarab Tower
* Blocul Sârbesc
* BOS Tower
* BRD Tower
* BSE Tower
* Corporate Center
* Financial Plaza
* Tower Center
* Telephone Palace
* Cathedral Plaza
* CCIR Building
* Charles de Gaulle Plaza
* City Gate Towers
* Crystal Tower
* Doamna Ghica Plaza
* Euro Tower
* Floreasca City Center
* Foișorul de Foc
* Bloc 13 "Flamura"
* Globalworth Tower
* Griro Tower
* Hotel Pullman
* House of the Free Press
* InterContinental Hotel
* Iuliu Maniu at Virtuții Bloc
* Millennium Business Center
* Monte Carlo Palace
* Nusco Tower
* Olympia Tower
* Oracle Tower
* Palace of the Parliament
* Pantelimon at B-dul Chișinău Bloc
* Pantelimon at Șoseaua Iancului
* PGV Tower
* Pipera Business Tower
* Piraeus Bank Tower
* Premium Plaza
* Rin Grand Hotel
* The Mark
* TVR Tower
* Unicredit Tower
* United Nations Plaza
* UpGround

Under
construction|

* Dâmbovița Center
* Monaco Towers
* Open Sky Residence
* Orhideea Towers
* People's Salvation Cathedral
* Sema Parc Hotel

Approved|

* Niro Hotel Tower
* N.O.C. Tower

Proposed|

* Carol Tower
* Cuprom Tower
* Dorobanți Tower
* Kiseleff Business Plaza
* Olympic Tower
* Orhideea Business Center
* Politehnica Tower
* Prime Towers
* Tron Tower

* v
* t
* e

Tall buildings in Romania

Built

| Bucharest|

| >100 m|

* Floreasca City Center (137 m)
* People's Salvation Cathedral (135 m)
* Globalworth Tower (118 m)
* Ana Tower (110 m)
* Bucharest Tower Center (106 m)
* House of the Free Press (104 m)

|

70-100 m|

* Asmita Gardens (92 m)
* Orhideea Towers (85 m)
* Palace of the Parliament (84 m)
* Bucharest Financial Plaza (83 m)
* BRD Tower (82 m)
* Charles de Gaulle Plaza (80 m)
* Doamna Ghica Plaza A (80 m)
* Euro Tower (80 m)
* Grand Hotel Bucharest (77 m)
* Nusco Tower (76 m)
* Monaco Towers (76 m)
* Cathedral Plaza (75 m)
* City Gate Towers (75 m)
* TVR Tower (74 m)
* Crystal Tower (72 m)
* Millennium Business Center (72 m)
* The Mark (70 m)

<70 m|

* Unicredit Tower (68 m)
* United Nations Plaza (66 m)
* Phoenix Tower (65 m)
* Rin Grand Hotel (65 m)
* Piraeus Bank Tower (64 m)
* Premium Plaza (64 m)
* Griro Tower (60 m)
* Bucharest Corporate Center (60 m)
* CCIR Building (57 m)
* BSE Tower (56 m)
* UpGround (55 m)
* Pipera Business Tower (54 m)
* Pullman Hotel (52 m)
* Oracle Tower (45 m)
* Anchor Plaza (35 m)

Satu Mare|

* Administrative Palace Satu Mare (97 m)
* Dana Complex (64 m)

Cluj Napoca|

* West City Tower (95 m)
* BRD Tower (50 m)

Timișoara|

* UBC 0 (90 m)
* UBC 3 (84 m)
* ISHO Riverside A (75 m)
* ISHO Riverside D (70 m)
* UBC 2 (60 m)
* UBC 1 (60 m)

Iași|

* Palas Iași (71 m)
* University of Medicine and Pharmacy (65 m)

Sibiu|

* MyContinental Hotel (58 m)
* BCR Tower Sibiu (56 m)

Bucharest skyline in 2022.

Proposed

* Esplanada City Center (250 m)
* Dâmbovița Center Towers (155 m)
* Cefin Tower (125 m)
* Sky Towers Cluj Napoca (125 m)
* Sigma Towers (120 m)
* Sema Parc Hotel (75 m)

Demolished

* Basarab Tower (104 m)
* Carlton Bloc (47 m)

Tallest timeline

* Turnul Colței (1714–1888)
* Foișorul de Foc (1890–1932)
* Carlton Bloc (1932–1934)
* Telephones Company Building (1934–1956)
* House of the Free Press (1956–2007)
* Bucharest Tower Center (2007–2012)
* Floreasca City Center (2012–present)

* Buildings listed in order of height
* Building data source: Skyscraper Center

* See also: List of tallest buildings in Romania & List of tallest buildings in Bucharest
* Category:Buildings and structures in Romania
* Category:Skyscrapers in Romania

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