French Embassy celebrates 120 years with photography book

France’s Embassy in Bucharest has marked 120 years since the inauguration of its building by launching a book of photographs of the premises, in which Franco-Romanian relations have been nurtured over the years.

“We wanted to do this because everyone in Bucharest knows this house but no one knows its true history: there are many rumors and myths about the building, but nobody has so far conducted historical research into the house to explain what it is and what it was. So this matter has been on my mind since the beginning,” said France’s Ambassador Philippe Gustin at the December 3 launch event.

The book, entitled France’s Residence in Romania, consists of three parts: the history of the building from an architectural standpoint and how it fitted into Bucharest’s 19th century landscape; a “tour” of the house, with descriptions of each piece of furniture and each painting; and contributions by cultural and political figures such as former president Ion Iliescu and ambassadors and their wives, who share their memories of France’s Residence in Romania.

Architect Bogdan Fezi, one of the authors, considers the building a flagship landmark of Franco-Romanian relations. Gustin commented, “General Berthelot was in this house, the black moments of communism were also lived there and de Gaulle stayed here for four days,” adding that Gaulle’s visit to Bucharest in 1968 marked a revival of Franco-Romanian relations. He also mentioned the agreement with carmaker Dacia, and the establishment of the Oltcit plant among the pivotal occasions that have taken place under the embassy roof.

“All those things were decided here, in this house, during a face-to-face discussion between Ceausescu and de Gaulle, in a small room. On December 25, 1989, emergency medical specialists that had been brought in from Paris started to arrive at the house, because we thought the Revolution would be extremely bloody,” Gustin added.