Vernescu House (Casa Vernescu) is one of the landmarks of Old Bucharest, a beautiful and elegant villa on Victory Road (Calea Victoriei), one of the museum-streets of the Romanian capital, is nowadays a luxury five-stars restaurant and meeting place, often hosting interesting cultural and entertaining events. Highly valued by those who apreciate above all good service, warm atmosphere and elitist surroundings, it is a very popular place.
It's history begins actually in 1763, when a certain Jean-Baptiste Linche, from Marseille, succedeed in becoming a secretary to the ruler of Muntenia, Constantin Racovita. Linche soon married a Romanian girl, with whom he had a son, Filip Lens. Later, Filip Lens became a boyar, and built the house in 1821. It was the fulfillement of one of his father's dreams, for the family to have a beautiful villa in Bucharest, a city that adopted them and gave them a new life. This beautiful building was to be a wedding present for Lisaveta Balotescu-Carpinisanu, the wife of Filip Lens. Unfortunatelly, it was severely damaged just one year later, in 1822, but Lens renovated and redecorated it, transforming the future Vernescu House into one of the most beautiful and admired houses in Bucharest, a true symbol of the quick changes which affected the country.
Filip Lens passed away in 1853, at the beginning of the war, a period of time in which his house became the headquarters of the Millitary Colege, of the War Ministry and later for the Major Staff of the Russian Army. It was during those years that a certain Lev Tolstoi visited the house. Once again the house was badly damaged by a fire in 1882, being reconstructed. In 1886 it was sold to Guta Vernesc - from whom it would borrow the now famous name - who was a member of the Liberal Party, but also had a keen eye for valuable art.
Vernescu tried to make the house even more beautiful, so he employed the great architect Ion Mincu, who in 1887 - 1889 started to improve and renovate the villa. At the end, it was once again one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest and certainly the most popular of the Victory Road. The interior decorations, in which marble and golden elements blended together with glass, complemented by the massive mirrors and stained-glass compositions, gave the villa an impressive and unforgetable beauty. In 1890 this eclectic and fascinating style, which had already drawn everyone's attention, was furthermore completed by the paintings of G.D. Mirea. In a manner that was very popular at that time, the walls and ceilings became truly a dream world, decorated with paintings of fluffy clouds, Cupids, lovers, children, little angels, flowers, all in light and almost transparent touches. The upper space of the rooms, like a thick border, was decorated with the portraits of Seneca, Pascal or Shakespeare, another popular trend of that time.
By then, the Vernescu House had become one of the most popular meeting places for the rich and the beautiful, often hosting parties and dances. It was a place were love was won and lost, where the politicians made their plans and future governements, where businessmen proposed new adventures and risks, a place of wealth, style and elegance. Unfortunatelly for Guta Vernescu, despite the fame of his house, money was tight and tighter even. By the end of his life he was forced to sell the beautiful villa to the state. Till the end of Second World War the Vernesc House served as the headquarters of the Nationa Economy Ministry, Industry and Commerce and even for the Governement of Romania.
In 1944 the Vernescu House was requisitioned by the Red Army, which, in it's customary style, ravaged the villa, destroying most of the wall paintings, just for fun, a lot of the old charm being thus lost. After 1945 the house was used for several Romanina ministries, and in 1990 was used as headquarters for the Writers Union. It wasn't until 1993 that the legendary Vernescu House was finally restored and became a beautiful five star restaurant, very popular - although very expensive - and a place for the Bucharest contemporary high-life. The range of specialities and wines is impressive, to say the least, from international courses to national ones, all prepared with great care and talent, as the Vernescu House is certainly able to accommodate to everyone's need.
But the Vernescu House is much more than just an elegant restaurant, as very often it hosts important cultural events, mainly art exhibitions and concerts, in a stylish way and atmosphere. A landmark of Bucharest, it surely must be discovered, never to be forgotten.
Photo : ici.ro
2007-11-15
