The Centru Civic is an area of Bucharest famous by the way in which it was completely rebuilt during the dictatorship of Ceausescu. This area was rebuilt as part of the “systematization” process implemented by Ceausescu and is one of the most iconic spots in relation to his dictatorship which tourists could meet in Bucharest during their vacation in Romania.
The Centru Civic or Civic Center of Bucharest is a complex of buildings that, as a group, show a modern but rather cold and unattractive appearance. These buildings were rebuilt using materials such as marble and modern concrete and a usually clean architectonic style, without ornaments or particular characteristics.
The construction of the Centru Civic implied rebuilding an area of 8km2 in the centre of Bucharest, remodeling an important amount of historical constructions such as churches, a stadium, a hospital, monasteries, and synagogues, among which there was, for example, the famous Sf. Nicolai Mihai Church. For this rebuilding, all those inhabitants who lived in those 8 km2 were relocated in new homes within one day and without any previous notification, causing great commotion in the city.
Nowadays, the complex of buildings of the Centru civic is composed by an important amount of constructions of different purposes, such as apartments, government offices, and the Palace, among others. The Centru Civic was built without having in mind shops, restaurants, or any other kind of commercial or recreational places, and therefore tourists who wish to find them would need to look in the blocks that surround this complex.
It is interesting to know that the eastern side of the Centru Civic was never completed, and still nowadays is composed by uncompleted constructions and concrete walls. This area of the complex is where the historic Jewish Quarter of Bucharest used to be and nowadays is popularly known as Hiroshima. The entire Centru Civic is very impressing due to its uniformity as well as to the way in which it contrasts with the surrounding blocks, where tourists could find many antique buildings, such as churches, monasteries, and cathedrals, all of them showing a variety of architectonic styles and purposes.