CEC Palace, Bucharest, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

The CEC Palace is a domed bank headquarters on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, finished in 1900 to designs by the French architect Paul Gottereau. It houses CEC Bank, Romania's oldest savings institution, and is one of the best-known 19th-century buildings in the city centre.

The story behind it

CEC, short for Casa de Economii și Consemnațiuni, was founded in 1864 by a decree of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, ruler of the United Principalities. It was meant to encourage ordinary people to save, and it became the country's oldest banking institution. The palace came later, as a statement of the bank's standing.

The site has an older past. A monastery and inn dedicated to Saint John the Great stood here from the sixteenth century, and Constantin Brâncoveanu rebuilt it in stone in the early eighteenth century. The buildings fell into decay and were demolished in 1875. The foundation stone of the palace was laid in 1897 in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta, and the building was completed in 1900.

What to look for

• The central dome of glass and metal, which crowns the building and is easy to spot from along Calea Victoriei.
• The stone facade with its columns and carved decoration, a fine example of the French-influenced style of Bucharest's late 19th century.
• The contrast with the Post Palace across the street, which houses the National Museum of Romanian History, so two grand buildings face each other.
• The nearby Zlătari church, a small Orthodox church from the goldsmiths' quarter that now sits among much taller modern buildings.

Tips for your visit

• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to admire the exterior and take photos; give yourself longer if you combine it with the street's other sights.
• It is a working bank, so access inside is limited. Check current opening hours and whether any public areas are open before you plan to go in.
• Morning light is good for photographing the facade, and the street is calmer earlier in the day.
• The Old Town (Lipscani), Stavropoleos Monastery and the National Museum of Romanian History are all a short walk away.

See it on a quest

The Beer Trail of Bucharest brings you to the palace on foot as one stop on a longer route through the centre. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Communism in Bucharest: One Absurd Day is a good fit if you want the street's 20th-century story as well as the architecture. You walk between the stops, hear about each one on the spot and solve a puzzle at each place. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Haunting File: Bucharest - What the City Lost suits the site's layered past, from the old monastery to the bank. You reach the palace as part of a longer walk, the app explains it when you get there, and a puzzle makes you look closely at the surroundings. One ticket covers the whole group.