The Triumph Arch
The Triumph Arch is a monument located in the north of Bucharest, at intersection of road
Kiselev with avenues Constantin Prezan, Alexandru Averescu and Alexandru Constantinescu. The monument, designed by Petre Antonescu,
was built between 1921-1922 and renovated in the period 1935-1936. It commemorates the victory of Romania in First World War.
The
Triumph Arch was built in 1922 of wood and stucco, in honor of proclamation of the Union, after the victory of the Romanian army in
First World War. The Triumph Arch will be replaced with a stone one, created by architect Petre Antonescu, in 1935-1936.
Southern
front is beautifully adorned with two bronze medallions, which show the faces of King Ferdinand and Queen Maria, replacing the original
ones, destroyed by the communist regime, after the '80s. In their place were two large stone flowers applied, which were given down,
after 1989, and royal faces retake their places. Each top medallion is a victory in relief, works by sculptors, C. Baraski and M.
Constantinescu.
On the northern front, two medallions were carved faces of Man and Faith. Manhood depicting a warrior with a
sword, the work of I. Jalea, and the faith of a young man with a cross, author C. Baraski. Victories over them are executed by sculptors
D. Onofrei and C. Medrea.
On the stones of the arch of the The Triumph Arch are submitted battle war scenes (Marasesti, Oituz),
and on one side are the proclamations of King Ferdinand to the people, when the country went to war and the one from Alba Iulia during
coronation.
In 1921-1922, in the context of the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Mary as sovereigns of Greater Romania,
the commission that organized the coronation festivities appeals to the architect Petre Antonescu, to raise an impressive Triumph
Arch in the north of the capital of Romania, Bucharest, on Kiseleff street. Because of the short time , only the skeleton construction
was cast in concrete, beautiful ornament relief in exterior was made of plaster, which determined - once the coronation festivities
concluded(October 1922) - a progressive degradation due to weather, the external appearance of The Triumph Arch reaching in early
1930s an "uncomfortable monument" image of the "Little Paris” interwar period.
Only in 1932, following an article of Michael
Mora, suggestively called "An urgent duty”, the deplorable situation of The Triumph Arch was brought in the attention of the public
and was decided to not demolish the monument built in 1922, as some people have requested, but to replace the plaster reliefs on it
with some final ones made of stone or marble of Ruschita. This time, the work being conducted by the same Petre Antonescu - gave the
building a more sober note regarding external finish, demanding from artists he gatheres for this project to fit to this new style
of working. Among the artists worth mentioning: Constantin Baraschi, Alexandru Calinescu, Mac Constatinescu, Ion Jalea, Dimitrie Paciurea
and Costin Petrescu, all well known names in the interwar period.
Population - particularly the many associations and societies
of former combatants in First World War - contributed with over 7 million lei to build the The Triumph Arch, responding promptly to
the launched subscription during 1935, by the Ministry of National Defense. Once the required amounts were collected, 1936 was
entirely devoted to finishing the monument, at December 1 that year, when 18 years had passed from the unification of Transylvania
with Romania, to have the inauguration ceremony. The moment was marked by the participation of King Carol II, of his mother, Queen
Mary, of his Crown Prince Michael, members of the Romanian government and a lot of guests of honor from the country and abroad.
Arch
is built in classical style, modeled on the great The Triumph Arch (Arch de Triomphe) in Paris. Its form is that of a parallelepiped,
having a foundation of 25 x 11.5 m and a height of 27m. The monument has a height of 11m, a width of 9.5 m and a canopy. The pillars
that support the monument have internal stairs leading to the arch’s terrace. The front sides are decorated with stone carvings, reliefs,
medallions, royal crowns and faces of Queen Mary and King Ferdinand, which contributed to bringing the union of Romanian principalities
in 1918.
Today, the The Triumph Arch is one of the well-known symbols of the capital of Romania.