#Bucharest560: Emblematic parks

There are dozens of public parks and gardens in the Capital. Out of these, at least six are emblematic both in terms of their history and due to their landmass, and the attractions which delight visitors. * The King Mihai I Park, still known as "Herastrau Park", is located on the shore of the homonymous lake, in the northern side of Bucharest, between Aviatorilor and Constantin Prezan (formerly Trandafirilor Alley) boulevards, Kiseleff Road, Bucharest-Ploiesti Road, Baneasa Road and North Road.   It actually is a large complex of parks located around Herastrau Lake, being made up of: Expoflora - a representative area, Herastrau-Kiseleff Park, Herastrau-North Park and Bordei Park. It covers 187 hectares, having been arranged between 1936-1939. In the current location of the park, there was a marshy area that was drained between 1930-1935, the pmb.ro website shows. The landscaping of this park was designed by architects Pinard and Rebhun, and the alleys were designed by architect Octav Dobrescu.   The special vegetal composition is the work of architect Fr. Rebhun and includes willows, poplars, maples, ash and linden trees, a characteristic tree of the area being Albizia julibrissin (Persian silk tree). At the entrance of the park from the Charles De Gaulle Square, the statue of General de Gaulle, with a height of 4.7 meters and weighing about five tons, was unveiled on September 2006, on the occasion of La Francophonie Sommet (Summit) in Bucharest.   One of the oldest outdoor ethnographic museums in Romania and around the world, the "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum is located on the waterside of Herastrau Lake. The Japanese Garden, set up in 1998 with the support of Japan's Embassy to Romania and the Japan World Exposition Commemorative Fund represents one of the main attractions of the park. *The Cismigiu Park (or the Cismigiu Garden), created by landscape architect Carl F. W. Meyer, is located in the center of the Capital and is the oldest park in Bucharest, being inaugurated in March 1860, according to pmb.ro website. Spread over an area of approximately 14 ha, it is bordered by Regina Elisabeta (south), Schitu Magureanu (west) Boulevards and by Stirbei Voda (north) and Brezoianu (east) Streets.   The "Gheorghe Lazar" National College is situated in the south-eastern part of the Garden. The Cismigiu Garden is designed in the style of English parks and has several entrances: two of them through Regina Elisabeta Boulevard, two entrances through the Schitu Magureanu Boulevard and one entrance, through Stirbei Voda Street. In the beginning of the 19th century, on the site of the current park there was a grove with a lake formed from the natural springs at the base of the terrace from Stirbei Voda Street.   The uniqueness of the Cismigiu Garden lies in the design and diversity of the dendrological species, with examples of protected trees such as: the London plane (Platanus x acerifolia), red spruce (Picea excelsa inversa), toreia (Torreya nucifera and Torreya californica), Japanese red cedar (Cedrus atlantica), but also a relict tree locally from China, Ginkgo biloba (the tree of pagodas). The garden of roses, the Roman Round and the lake, landscaped ever since 1910 and which turns into an ice rink during the winter, is one of the attractions of the park, infoghidromania.com website shows. * The "Dimitrie Brandza" Botanical Garden is located at the following address: Cotroceni Road, No. 32, District 6 of the Capital. It was established in 1860, during the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859-1866), next to the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, according to the gradina-botanica.unibuc.ro website.   In 1884, the land on which it is currently located is assigned to the Garden, in the western part of the Capital, on the right bank of the Dambovita River, with the landscaping works being carried out under the guidance of scientist Dimitrie Brandza, who is also the founder of the Botanical Institute. For the exotic plant species, the garden has been provided with greenhouses and installations which ensure the suitable climate conditions. In 1976, a new set of greenhouses (the first greenhouse dating from 1891) was put into service, occupying an area of over 2,100 square meters and having all the necessary technical equipment, capable of sheltering the 3,500 species of plants.   The Botanical Garden has an area of 18.2 hectares and is organized in outdoor sectors (among which the ones called "Decorative," "Rare plants," "Flora of Dobrogea," "Flora of Asia," etc.) and indoor sectors (Greenhouses, Herbarium, Center for Ecological Education, Library). The collection of live plants of the Botanical Garden has about 3,000 taxa and the Herbarium General houses over 300,000 samples, unibuc.ro website shows. * The "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" Park, also known as the IOR Park or the Titan Park, is located in the central-eastern part of Bucharest, in the Titan neighborhood of District 3, in a perimeter made up of the following streets: Camil Ressu, Liviu Rebreanu, Campia Libertatii, Baba Novac, Constantin Brancusi and Nicolae Grigorescu.   It is one of the largest parks of Bucharest, spreading on 48 hectares of greenery and facilities. Together with the lake, it reaches 85 hectares. The landscaping of the park began in 1965 and was completed five years later. The Titan Lake is of natural origin, being divided into two segments by the Liviu Rebreanu Bridge: the Titan Lake 1 and the Titan Lake 2. The lake includes five islands, known as: "the Island of the Pensioners", "the Island of IOR", "the Island of Dogs", "the Island of Roses" and "the Island of the Drowned." Today's official name "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" is also underscored by the ruler's statue, located at the entrance from Baba Novac Street, next to the fountain which bears the same name. Over the past years, the park has been modernised, an amphitheatre, synthetic soccer and basketball courts, wood turrets, "Chess-players' Club" being set up.   In the park, the Church of the Holy Spirit Descent, a wooden building, with a design belonging to the Maramures region, built after a project prepared by the "Architect Constantin Joja" group, is located. The tower is 45 meters high. The place of worship was erected between 1994 and 1996, at the initiative of priest Adrian Niculcea. * The Youth's Park is located in District 4 of the Capital, at the end of Dimitrie Cantemir Boulevard. With an area of over 80 hectares, it was included in the systematization sketch as early as 1935, but its construction started in 1965 and ended in 1974, cmpgb.ro website shows. Prior to being a park, the area was a marsh, known as ''Cocioc '' or ''Valley of Weeping.''   The project of the park was designed by architect Valentin Donose. Near the inhabited areas, there were large play areas for children, lounging areas, a pier. The designer proposed the creation of a large lake, with an area of 13 hectares, fed naturally from the groundwater. In the park, the Sports and Culture Palace, currently the Polyvalent Hall National Sports Complex was inaugurated on 10 August 1974, according to the http://salapolivalenta.ro/ website.   In the immediate vicinity of the park there is the National Children's Palace, originally called the Palace of the Pioneers and Falcons of the Fatherland. The activity in the palace began on 1 September 1985 and the official inauguration took place on 1 June 1986. The group of architects who designed the building was awarded in 1985 with the the Union of Architects Prize. * The Carol Park or the Liberty Park is located at the bottom of the Filaret Hill, in District 4 of the Capital and was designed between 1900-1906, according to the plans of French landscape architect Eduard Redont, according to cimec.ro website. It was inaugurated in 1906, on an initial area of 36 hectares to celebrate 40 years of King Carol I's reign.   The central alley is built in a geometric style, with the vegetation being grouped so as to create images close to the natural landscapes, whereas the rest of the park is made up of winding alleys. On the plateau overlooking the Carol Park, where the Palace of Arts and the waterfall in front of it are situated, the "Monument of the Heroes for the Freedom of the People and of the Motherland, for Socialism" was built. Erected following the plans of architects Horia Maicu and Nicolae Cucu, the monument has a height of 48 meters and was inaugurated on 30 December 1963. In 1991, the mausoleum was decommissioned, the remains of the communist representatives being exhumed and transferred to other cemeteries. In their place, the remains of the fallen soldiers of the First World War, from the Mausoleum of Marasesti were deposited. The mausoleum and the monument in front of it were dedicated in honor of the memory of the "Unknown Soldier."   Within the Carol I Park, the National Technical Museum of Bucharest is located, founded in 1909 by engineer Dimitrie Leonida. The "Henri Coandă Collection" operates within the museum. Also located in the Carol Park there are: the Tepes Castle, built in 1906 and inspired by the architecture of the Poenari Fortress; the Cantacuzino Fountain, a neoclassical art monument dating from 1870, decorated on the facade and sides with bas-reliefs and ceramic tiles representing medieval knights and coats of arms; the Roman Arenas, located peripherally, with a capacity of 5,500 outdoor seats, a space for organizing performances. In the immediate vicinity of the park, on the Cutitul de Argint Street, No. 5, the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy is located. This article is part of the #Bucharest560 editorial project, launched by AGERPRES National News Agency, on the occasion of the 560th anniversary since the first documented mention of the city of Bucharest on 20 September 2019. AGERPRES (RO - Documentary: Horia Plugaru, editor: Liviu Tatu; EN - author: Rodica State, editors: Simona Iacob, Maria Voican)