Calamities have not been foreign to Bucharest, just as they have not been foreign to any other city in the world. There have been numerous epidemics of plague, floods, fires, and earthquakes that have affected Bucharest and changed its appearance over the centuries.
Open GaleriaPrintAmong the most devastating calamities was the great earthquake of 1802, an earthquake that practically split the earth in two, leaving deep "scars" on the city. It happened on October 14/26, a special day at that time, we could say, because it marked the beginning of a new reign of Constantin Ypsilanti.
According to eyewitness accounts, the earthquake would have lasted only about 10 minutes, something believable, however. It is certain that the seismic event caused very great damage to the city. From a contemporary testimony by Dionisie Eclesiarhul, it seems that the turrets of several churches in Bucharest collapsed, as did the Coltei Tower, which broke in half.
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The Coltei Tower was part of the Coltei architectural complex, founded by Mihai Cantacuzino at the beginning of the 18th century. It had been built with the help of King Charles XII of Sweden's soldiers and was demolished in 1888 by Mayor Pake Protopopescu due to the damage it had suffered and to widen the street. In 1802, the Coltei Tower was the tallest building in Bucharest.
Another building that collapsed because of that earthquake, and which was an important edifice of the Capital, was the Serban Voda inn, which was located where the National Bank is today.
Another great calamity that befell Bucharest was the fire of 1847, the most devastating of all that the city had ever endured. Started by a mistake on Easter Sunday of that year, the fire was devastating for most of the city, practically half of it being destroyed.
The one who triggered the fire was the son of a boyar who, dizzy from alcohol, wanted to shoot into the air, but the bullets from the pistol, some of them still lit, fell on the dry wooden porch of the house, which immediately ignited the whole city.
After this incident, the organization of a permanent fire service (called "tulumbagii" at the time) began to protect the city from a new such tragedy. A total of 2,000 houses seem to have burned in this fire, with damages amounting to almost 55 million lei.
