Revolution Square and Memorial of Rebirth

Revolution Square (Piata Revolutiei) on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest's Sector 1 is the open space where Nicolae Ceausescu gave his last speech from the balcony of the Central Committee building on 21 December 1989, moments before the crowd turned against him and he fled by helicopter from the roof. The square is now a key site of memory for the Romanian Revolution that ended communist rule. The 2005 Memorial of Rebirth, a 25-metre white marble spike with an irregular lump pierced by it, stands at the centre, dedicated to the victims of the uprising; it divides opinion locally, and its nickname refers to a skewered potato. Around the square stand the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum of Art, the Romanian Athenaeum, the Central University Library, the Athenee Palace Hilton and the former Central Committee building, now the Interior Ministry. Bullet scars remain visible on some facades, and memorial plaques and crosses honour those killed. Visitors usually spend 20 to 30 minutes, reading the plaques, looking up at the balcony and photographing the memorial and the surrounding buildings. Late afternoon offers good light, and the square is part of a walking route along Calea Victoriei that includes the Athenaeum, the Art Museum and Cretulescu Church. Because it is a major traffic junction and public gathering place, protests and demonstrations sometimes occur, and the square is busiest on weekday afternoons and around anniversary events in December. Entry is free and open around the clock, with the surroundings well lit at night. Metro Universitate is about a ten-minute walk away.