It is a category A listed monument, has held the European Heritage Label since 2024 and has 4.8 on Google from more than 19,700 reviews.
About the place
The foundation stone was laid on 26 October 1886 and the building opened in February 1888. The money came from donations and a public lottery with the slogan 'Dați un leu pentru Ateneu' ('Give a leu for the Athenaeum'). The façade has a pediment on Ionic columns and five mosaic medallions with portraits of Romanian rulers, while the round foyer, with columns and four Carrara marble staircases, lies beneath the concert hall.
The Great Hall is 30 metres across and has 794 seats. Above the boxes runs Costin Petrescu's Great Fresco, unveiled in 1939, with 25 scenes from Romanian history. The building can be visited outside rehearsals and concerts on a schedule the Philharmonic publishes each month, but the best way to see the hall is at a concert.
Good to know
- The visiting schedule changes every month around rehearsals and concerts; check it on filarmonicaenescu.ro before you go.
- Visitor tickets are sold at the artists' entrance on Strada Benjamin Franklin 1, cash only, or at the box office on Strada Constantin Esarcu.
- The National Museum of Art is about 250 m away, and the garden in front of the Athenaeum has a statue of the poet Mihai Eminescu.
Opening hours
Opening hours are not confirmed. Check the venue's website before you go.