A TRIUMPHAL ARCH IN THE northern part of Bucharest, Romania, the Arcul de Triumf has had several iterations along Kiseleff Road since it was first hurriedly constructed out of wood in 1878 when Romania gained its independence. That first arch was erected just so that the troops could march under it on their way into the city. And then the Arcul de Triumf was rebuilt in the same site in 1922 after World War I. That second temporary structure managed to stand for about 13 years before being knocked down to make way for the current arch, which is built from a much longer-lasting material: Deva granite.

House of the Free Press

An impressive edifice standing somewhat menacingly at the entrance to the capital, Casa Scanteii (as it is still universally known) was designed by architect Horia Maicu and completed in 1956, one year after the strikingly similar (though much taller) Palace of Science and Culture in Warsaw, Poland (both buildings were based on the Lomonosov Moscow State University). Originally built to house the editorial offices of almost all of the capital's newspapers and magazines (it was far easier for the censor if they were all in one place), it today carries out pretty much the same function - publishers can rent office space here at a discount - although the dwindling number of print publications in Romania means that a fair amount of the building is empty. The impressive archive of Rompres, the state press and photo agency, is housed here.