Bucharest's airport had been built in the 1940s to serve as a military airport. In 1965, the growing traffic in the other airport of the capital was encumbering this last airport. That's why Bucharest-Coandă, previously named Otopeni, from the name of the locality where is this airport, was transformed into a civilian airport. At the end of 2012, the new terminal is completed. It is in this one that Dacii România has its counters and boarding gates.

To get more information about this airport, click here.

History

The history of Bucharest is older than its status as capital of Romania, which only dates from the mid nineteenth century. According to legend, it was founded by a shepherd named Bucur (which means joy in Romanian ). Bucharest is called first " fortress of Bucharest" in 1459. Burned by the Ottomans in 1595, Bucharest was rebuilt and continued to grow in size and prosperity.

In the nineteenth century, Bucharest was frequently occupied and plundered by the Ottomans, the Austrians and Russians. These are disappearing ravages much of the ancient heritage. In 1861, when the union of Wallachia and Moldavia, Bucharest became the capital of the new principality of Romania. With the new status of Bucharest, the population of the city increased dramatically in the second half of the nineteenth century and a new era of urban development began. Architectural wealth and cosmopolitan culture of this period worth in Bucharest the nickname of East Paris, with the Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei) as the Champs Elysées.

After World War I, Bucharest became the capital of the Kingdom of Unified Romania, which includes, inter alia, the return of Transylvania. Between the wars, the city had the nickname of Little Paris, as the French were numerous.

During World War II, Bucharest suffered a lot of the Anglo-American bombing (Romania's General Antonescu was then an ally of Nazi Germany). In 1977, an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 on the Richter scale killed 1500 people and provided a "boost" to the Communist program for cleaning traces of the past bourgeois-aristocratic. Indeed, under the chairmanship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, most of the historic center of the city is destroyed and replaced by Soviet-style buildings. Similarly, an entire historic quarter was razed to these constructions. Nevertheless, some historic neighborhoods are still standing today.

Since 1990, with the restoration of democracy and the opening of borders, the city is rapidly changing. Numerous shops are open and the number of individual vehicles explode, posing traffic problems also hinder urban transport and injure the health of Bucharest .

After 2000, taking advantage of the early economical boom in Romania, the city has modernized. Several residential and commercial developments are underway, particularly in the northern districts, while Bucharest's historic center is undergoing a major restoration.