Bucharest is located in southern Romania on the Dîmbovita River, a tributary of the Danube River, at a meeting place of early trade routes across the Walachian Plain. Its climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters, when icy winds often blow from the north. Several parks and lakes north of the city provide recreational areas where residents can escape from summer heat.

The original old town was situated on the small hills along the banks of the Dîmbovita. This area now contains the Patriarchate Church, the more modern Parliament Building, and the adjacent Union Square (Piata Unirii). To the north stretch the major boulevards--Victory Street (Calea Victoriei) and its extension, Kisselef Highway (Soseaua Kisselef)--laid out in the mid-19th century. After World War I the city expanded rapidly, and wider streets were completed--notably the north-south Balcescu and Magheru boulevards and the east-west Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and Republic ii boulevards. Lined with public buildings, stores, hotels, and apartments, they form the centre of the modern city.

Many of Bucharest's buildings are reminiscent of Paris and other Western capitals; among them are the university, the former royal palace (now the Palace of the Republic), the Atheneum (concert hall), the post office, and the Arch of Triumph. Several old Orthodox churches, however, mark Bucharest as an Eastern European city. Bucharest, which has maintained its famous old luxury hotels, has a major modern hotel in the city's centre. Nearby is the massive former headquarters of the Communist party. A huge building in the ornate style favoured during the Stalin period was built at the end of Kisselef Highway to house the editorial and printing offices of all the country's newspapers and magazines.

People

Most of the people are Romanian, though there are also small numbers of Hungarians, Gypsies, and others. The majority of the people belong to the Romanian Orthodox church, and many still attend services in Bucharest's 18th-century churches. Theatre, ballet, and opera are popular. Bucharest is the seat of the state philharmonic orchestra. There are museums of art, history, and traditional culture.