The General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest approved the work approval documentation and the technical-economic indicators for the landscape rehabilitation of the Carol I Park. The investment is estimated at 47 million lei, almost 10 million euros.
The park is one of the most beautiful and valuable in Bucharest, but unfortunately it has constantly decayed in the past years.
The revamping works are scheduled to last three years and they involve the revitalization and restoration of the dendrologic background and green spaces, the rehabilitation of alleys and fences, the rehabilitation of public and monumental lighting installations and networks restoration, reorganization and replacement of urban furniture, playgrounds and sports fields and the rehabilitation of bridges, fountains and pavilions.
Carol Park has an area of 293,702 square meters and is a historical monument.
The initiative to develop the “Carol I Park” is owed exclusively to Ion N. Lahovari, the Minister of Domains in the Government of George Gr. Cantacuzino, to serve as the main place for organizing the “Romanian General Exhibition, on the occasion of the 40 years of the glorious reign of His Majesty Carol I”.
The park was set up between 1900-1906 according to the plans of the Swiss-French landscape architect Eduard Redont and was inaugurated in 1906 to celebrate 40 years of the reign of King Carol I.
The initial area of the park was 36 ha, the total area eventually reaching 41 hectares; on 2 ha of the total area, a small recreational lake was arranged. The park is laid out in a mixed style, with a dominant landscape side, the vegetation being located around the Central Alley – built in a geometric style. Under the care of horticultural gardeners Samuel and Louis Leyvraz 4,206 large trees, 5,983 coniferous trees, 48,215 shrubs as well as numerous plants and flowers were planted.
The park also contained a small zoo, elements of which were later transferred to the Baneasa zoo, as well as several exhibition pavilions and annexed buildings. According to the plans drawn up by Ștefan Burcuș, Victor G. Ștefănescu, Ion D. Berindey, a water castle was built, called the Cetatea lui Vlad Țepeș. In front of the Palace of Arts, which later became the Military Museum until 1938, the year in which the palace caught fire and was demolished after the earthquake of 1940, a large waterfall was built according to the plans of the architects Petculescu and Schindl. The waterfall was guarded by 3 sculptures made by Filip Marin, Dimitrie Paciurea and Frederic Storck. The 3 sculptures are the Sleeping Beauty and 2 sculptures representing 2 nude youths, known as the Giants. After the construction of the Mausoleum, the giants were moved to the edge of the Central Alley of the park, close to the entrance from the 11 June Square, and the sleeping beauty was moved to Herăstrău Park.
Inside the park were built the Roman Arenas, a complex intended for outdoor performances, and a mosque near the recreational lake. The mosque functioned as a place of worship for the Muslim community until 1959 when it was demolished and rebuilt in 1960 on Constantin Mănescu Street, at Piața Eroii Revoluției where it is currently located, according to Wikipedia reports.