Direct military occupation of the country lasted until 1958. During wars in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Bucharest was often the scene of severe fighting. During the 1980s much of the old city was demolished on the orders of Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, making way for new state buildings such as the Museum of Romanian History, in which his body was to be entombed. In 1977, a Richter 6.5 earthquake caused extensive damage and the loss of more than 1,500 lives in Bucharest. Another Richter 6.0 earthquake occurred in 1990, but produced only minor damage.
Earthquakes originate from the fault at the curve of the Carpathian mountains.
The 11-storey structure, equipped with an underground railway stop and bomb shelter, was the most ambitious building project of Romania s Communist president Nicolae Ceausescu. During the last ten years that he was in office, Ceausescu ordered many historic churches, temples, parks, and 19th-century homes be torn down to make way for the palace. In addition to the university, the Polytechnic Institute, and other schools, cultural and educational institutions in Bucharest include the Romanian Athenaeum, the Central State Library, the Romanian Art Museum, and the Village Museum.