Romanian Athenaeum. Photo credit: Romania Journal

The Romanian Athenaeum will have a bookstore and a café

By Romania Journal Last updated Feb 14, 2025

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The Romanian Athenaeum will have a café and a bookstore, where Bucharest residents and tourists coming to see the shows will be able to enjoy a coffee or read a book before, according to a recent public tender, b365.ro informs.

The Romanian Athenaeum building operates under the administration of the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, which has proposed to offer for rent two spaces in the Athenaeum, in which a bookstore and a café would operate.

The bookstore would have an area of 100 square meters, being located in the Rotunda, on the ground floor. The café would also operate on the same floor, which would have an area of 20 square meters.
From the café, tourists and Bucharest residents will be able to buy confectionery/pastry products, ice cream, fruit, non-alcoholic drinks and, of course, coffee.

The rental of the spaces will be done through a public auction, and the rental contracts of the two spaces intended for the bookstore and public catering services will be concluded by the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, for a period of two years, with the possibility of extension by one year, by addendum. After the public auction is completed, the total rental price of the two spaces will be 2,420 euros/month, i.e. a rent of 20.16 euros/sqm.

On October 31, 1865, the Romanian Athenaeum was founded, consisting of 25 subscribers specialized in 3 sections: scientific, literary and moral. If at first the institution was based in the hall of Constantin Ghika’s residence near Cișmigiu, through his will of 1870, Carol Rosetti bequeathed to the Athenaeum two houses in the Boteanu slum, as well as a library of 865 titles in 5,000 volumes.

The Romanian Athenaeum is a building made in neoclassical style, which also presents characteristics of the eclectic style. The main entrance is inspired by ancient Greek architecture, being supported by eight Ionic columns, identical in proportions to those at the Erechterion temple in the Acropolis.

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