Gabroveni Inn

Gabroveni Inn ( _ro. Hanul Gabroveni) lies in the historic part of old Bucharest. Built in 1739 on a land plot belonging to the former Voivodal Court (which was much larger than the present-day ruins of the Old Court— _ro. Curtea Veche—show), the inn belonged to the "Inner Town" (Romanian: "Târgul Dinlǎuntru"), that is, the inside section of Bucharest's Fortress. The inn was raised by Prince Constantin Mavrocordat, who decided to have a "bezesten" (the word is Turkish, that is, a "large, square building, hosting shops all around, like in marketplaces". These shops could only be rented by foreign merchants, during the period they stayed in Bucharest with business. The inn was also known during the 18th century as "Hanul Bezesten" ("Bezesten Inn"), exactly because of its resembling a Turkish "bezesten", boasting large shades covering almost the whole street on the sides. Merchants from the famous crafts town of Gabrovo (town in Bulgaria, under Ottoman rule at the time) used to be lodged at the inn when coming to sell their products in the city. The inn was named after these merchants, as was the street on which it is located, a name that has survived into the 21st century.

It was among the seven large inns in Bucharest that did not incorporate a church (the others being Manuc's Inn, Constantin Vodǎ, Papazoglu, Golescu, Zamfir and Filipescu inns). During the 18th and 19th century, it burned several times, but it was always repaired and refurbished. The inn reached its glory between 1825 and 1850, when it ranked among the most important such settlements in the town. At the beginning of the 20th century, the inn was renamed as Gabroveni-Universal Hotel, as Bucharest was changing from Oriental to French influence. The structure remained in use during the communist regime as well, when it hosted commercial activities. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the local administration decided to rent the building to private companies who were supposed to also refurbish it; however, this never happened, and a series of court cases between the city government and these companies started in 1997. The city government eventually won and the building was evacuated. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture started the much needed refurbishment works, which were however soon halted. The building lies in a poor, ruined state nowadays, with the roofless, once beautiful red brick structure being affected by the elements.

As of 2006, the city government has taken the decision to evacuate illegal occupants of buildings in the central part of the old town, and, according to the published plan, Gabroveni Inn is going to be restored and will host Bucharest's Cultural Centre.

Other inns still standing in Bucharest include Manuc's Inn (Romanian: "Hanul lui Manuc"), the Lindentree Inn (almost univerally referred to by its Romanian name "Hanul cu Tei") and Solacoglu Inn (Romanian: "Hanul Solacoglu" or "Hanul Solacolu").

References

* Gion Ioan Ionescu, "Istoria Bucureştilor" ("History of Bucharest"), Stabilimentul Grafic IV Socecu, Bucharest 1899
* Radu Olteanu, "Bucureştii în date şi întâmplări" ("Bucharest in facts and events"), Editura Paideia, Bucharest 2002