Piata Revolutiei Bucharest

Piata Revolutiei, Bucharest - darkometer rating : 5 - A square in central Bucharest – and the place where some of the most iconic footage of the Romanian revolution of 1989 was filmed, most notably dictator Ceausescu 's last two speeches, which he had to abandon in the midst of shouts of "down with Ceausescu", and his subsequent escape by helicopter. This is also where much of the fighting broke out – though nearby Piata Universitatii saw even fiercer clashes. The square was known as Piata Palatului until 1989 – because the former Royal Palace, which now functions as an art museum, was located on it. It was renamed after the revolution that sparked off here. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: the "official" main focal point in the centre of the square is the controversial "Rebirth Memorial" ('Memorialul Renasterii') erected here in 2005 as a memorial to the revolution of 1989 and the beginning of the more or less post-communist era – it's mainly controversial for its design, not so much for what it stands for. It's a thin pyramid-needle-cum-obelisk of white marble that seems to pierce a roundish bronze object ("crown") towards its top. This has been referred to as the "potato of the revolution" due to the "crown's" shape, and the whole monument has been dubbed "the olive on a toothpick". It is indeed a bit odd and its symbolism rather obscure. At the foot of the obelisk are further memorials: a group of bronze figures and two rounded bits of concrete walls with names of victims inscribed on them in bronze. Behind these there is another statue, of politician Iuliu Maniu (prime minister between 1928 and 1933), and what looks like a bronze sculpture of a dead tree.