University Square (Piața Universității) is the busy crossroads in central Bucharest where the city's main boulevards meet, beside the University of Bucharest and on the edge of the Old Town. Romanians know it less for its buildings than for 1989 and 1990: the first victims of the revolution in Bucharest fell here, and a few months later students turned it into what they called a zone free of neo-communism.
University Square at a glance
- Where: the crossing of Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta and Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu, above Universitate metro station, at the north-eastern edge of the Old Town.
- Built: the square took shape in the second half of the 19th century around the University Palace, begun in 1857 to designs by Alexandru Orăscu; the statues in front of it followed from the 1870s.
- What it is today: a traffic hub and the city's traditional place of protest, with a row of memorial crosses for the victims of December 1989.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes to see the crosses, the statues and the buildings around the square.
From revolution to the Golaniad
On 21 December 1989 Nicolae Ceaușescu's rally at the Central Committee building, on today's Revolution Square, turned against him. Protesters moved to University Square and built barricades in front of the InterContinental hotel. That evening the first victim of the revolution in Bucharest, Mihai Gâtlan, was killed here, and during the night forces loyal to the regime, along with conscripts who barely knew what was happening, fired into the crowd and cleared the square before dawn. The next day Ceaușescu fled the capital.
The square became a symbol again in 1990. On 22 April students and other protesters began a long occupation, objecting that former communists dominated the new government. They called it the first zone free of neo-communism; when President Ion Iliescu dismissed them as golani (hooligans), they took the word as a badge of honour, and the protest became known as the Golaniad. Police began clearing the square on 13 June, and on 14 June thousands of miners from the Jiu Valley arrived in Bucharest. Two days of violence against protesters, students and opposition offices followed, remembered as the Mineriad.
What to look for
- The memorial crosses: ten stone crosses on the traffic island in the middle of Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu, for the people killed during the revolution. A black cross at number 18 marks where Mihai Gâtlan died.
- The four statues in front of the University: the equestrian Michael the Brave by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse; the writer Ion Heliade Rădulescu by Ettore Ferrari; Gheorghe Lazăr, who founded the first school in Bucharest to teach in Romanian, by Ion Georgescu; and the education reformer Spiru Haret by Ion Jalea.
- The University Palace itself, with its long neoclassical front along the boulevard. Its facade was extended in the 20th century, but the building remains the core of the University of Bucharest.
- The National Theatre across the square: a 1970s building that was given a new, futuristic look in a refurbishment completed in late 2014.
- The InterContinental hotel tower, built in 1968–1970 and still one of the tallest buildings in Bucharest. The 1989 barricades stood in front of it.
The square's nickname
In 1990 the protesters spoke of the square as kilometre zero of Romanian democracy, and the name stuck. Since then University Square has been the default meeting point for demonstrations and celebrations in Bucharest, and on the anniversary of the revolution in late December people still come to lay flowers and light candles at the crosses.
Tips for your visit
- Pedestrians cannot cross the boulevards at street level: use the underground passage, which links all four corners with the metro station.
- Start at the crosses on Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu, then cross to the University side to see the statues up close.
- On 21 and 22 December the square fills with wreaths and candles. Visitors are welcome to watch quietly or leave a flower.
Nearby
- Șuțu Palace: the 1830s neo-Gothic palace on the corner of the square, home of the Bucharest City Museum.
- Colțea Church and Hospital: an early 18th-century church and one of the city's oldest hospitals, a short walk south along the boulevard.
- Cărturești Carusel: the white, multi-storey bookshop in a restored 19th-century building on Lipscani Street in the Old Town, a few minutes' walk away.
- Stavropoleos Monastery Church: a small 1720s church in the Old Town, with a carved stone portico and a quiet courtyard of old gravestones.
See Bucharest with World City Trail
Our Bucharest scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 44 minutes of walking. It includes the National Museum of Romanian History, Stavropoleos Monastery Church and the Cărturești Carusel bookshop. You can play in English, German, French, Italian or Romanian.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Bucharest.
Play the Bucharest scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Bucharest →
Play the outdoor escape game in Bucharest →
Facts checked in October 2026.