The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-07
PARIS OF BALKANS Is
THE CAPITAL CAPTURED

nouuced by Berlin,
PARIS OF BALKANS Is
THE CAPITAL CAPTURED
Apart from its Importance as the
capital OF Rumania, Bucharest Is
classed in military sense as q fort
ress of the first rank
In recent years the city has been
surrounded by line OF Notifications
forty miles IN circumference, design
ed on a tremendous scale. Among
the novel features introduced into
these works were forts with revolving
turrets,
A Belgian engineer. General Rrial-
mont, designed the defenses. which
included thirty-six armored forts and
batteries arranged in a polyEonal line
about the city, protected by an outer
circle Of forts
The city also contained before the
war barracks for more than go 600
cavalry and infantry. an arsenal.
military hospital and three military
academies,
Bucharest is sometimes called the
rarts OF the East because OF tts
xsiety and It's open houlevards and
avenues
Sometimes. too II is called the
City ~ JOY" This name arises from
legend OF victory over the Turks
won by Prince Mircea. of WalIachia.
about the end OF the fourteenth CEN
fury.
There Is an Albanian word, "Ru-
Sur" meaning Joy" and from this
the name bucharest is said TO have
bCen derived
The glitterinE picturesqueness OF
The Rumanian capital has laid a spell
ou many visitors and spurred them TO
fAats Of word painting. DR.. William
baTard Hale. in a dispatch from
Bucharest to this paper recently call
ed IL "A half Oriental city of won
derful fascination, staring stucco
walls relieved by gardens OF cyca-
more. acacia and olive, with swarm
ing peddlers with aStrakhan turbans
crying their wares or asleep among
the melons and plums. Every corner
= ahiaze by day with gaudy aaters
and iris. and throhhing at night witt
gypsy music"
Another recent visitor commented
on the evidences of wealth in Ruch-
Arrest as differentat,ng ii from other
cities OF the Balkans. Its general
postotfice. ne said, was five times as
large as those of Belgrade and Sofia
put together.
All Activities On Goodly Scale.
"All the public esta hishments IN
Bucharest he continued. rank with
those Of Budapest rather than with
hose OF the Trans Danuhian States
Barracks. hospitals, savings banks
are all on n respectable scale
The restaurant gardens outside the
town remind one of the similar gar.
dens In PetroErad and. as in Russia
the gypsy music of those pleasure re,
sorts does not cease tn morning and
champagne flows freely"
Among the capitals industries ar,
petroleum refining, extraction Of vege
table oils, tanning. brandy dstilling
furniture making, manufacture of ma
chinery. metal ware. nails, wire. ce
menf. paper starch. cardboard. tex
tiles. soap, candies. pearl buttons
ropes. glucose. leather goods and army
vupplies.
The population was 2S2.07i In 1900
These included 1924 Jews and $685.
aliens
Many Churches There.
multitude OF churches flash theI
silded cupolas uron the eyes Of tn,
approaching traveller and strike tn,
frst dominant note Of the picturesqu.
with which Bucharest invariably an
nounces Itself Dominating the CAPT
tsl from an emin.uce rise the thre,
towers Of the cathedral. presided owe
~ The metropolitan primate Of Ru
mania. II dates from 1885 and is bull
in the shape Of a Greek cross sur
rounded by a wide cloister
There ~ also Roman Catholic
~cathedral that Of 81 Joseph, at which
an archbishop officiates, but the ma
fority Of the churches in the city ar,
of the Eastern branch, the Roman
Catholics having only three or syna
-gognea- there Is no lakeland the-Prn
tesiants, Armenians and other secre
tarians have their own places OF wor
ship
The city blooms with gardens Pop
lars and acacias rear themselves be
tween the low roofs OF ancient ram
bling houses. The streets are kaleido
sccpic with gay native costumes ans
the iiveries Of Russian coachmen anC
sleigh drivers
The Rumanian capital is uncommon,
~ rich in schools. There is a univer.
sitf that extends free tuition, Will.
the national library is famed among
scholars for It's rare collection Of orr
entail documents.
The Turk. the Russian and the Aus.
trian fought many fierce battles 70,
gay Bucharest during the eighteenth
century.
In 1875 the Russian captured i, ant
year later presented II 10 the Prince
of waliachia
Again In 1885, Bucharest was oc,
cupied by Russian troops This wa,
sequel to Rumanian rebellion
against Prince Bibescu. After that ths
Austrians took control an&% kept i
for three years.
Bucharest was chosen as the meetlnp
place Of the International Congress
by which. In 1858, 8 Encouragement wa,
effected OF the Balkan States Thres
a. years later. when the union of Wal
sch Mffl