Built between 1897 and 1900, the building hosting the Deposits and Consignments House (CEC) represents one of the most visited touristic sites of the capital. The building was founded in 1897 in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth.
Designed based on the plans of the Swiss architect Paul Gottereau and under the supervision of the Romanian architect Ion Socolescu, the CEC Palace was completed in 3 years. Its spectacular architecture attracts many visitors from the country and from abroad. Built in an eclectic style with influences of French architecture, the palace ends with a cupola made of glass and metal.
The four corners are covered by four cupolas decorated in Renaissance style. The entry has a fronton in semi-circle supported by composite columns. Among the murals made by the painter Mihail Simonidi during 1900-1913, we notice two works of great beauty: the allegorical painting personifying “Fortuna distributing her goods to Romania following the independence” and the painting name “Work”.
The CEC Palace is located on Calea Victoriei at no.13 vis-à-vis from the Palace of Telephones and is distinguished among other building by its architectural beauty. Besides the headquarters of CEC Bank, the building also hosts the “CEC Museum”, opened in 2005. The exhibits represent documents and objects of the history of the CEC institution: original documents of the first financial transactions (1864), financial and civil documents of the “Thesaurus” collection of CEC, banking products all the way from the 1880s, vaults of the interwar period, advertising materials used by the CEC Bank. Inside the museum, many cultural events and art exhibits take place.
If you arrive in Bucharest and take a walk on Calea Victoriei, don’t hesitate to visit this architectural monument, the CEC Palace.
Sources/photos:
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatul_CEC
http://timp-liber.acasa.ro/noutati-290/ce-vizitam-azi-palatul-cec-din-bucuresti-4605.html#ixzz54i9e3P4t
Elena Radu
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