Bucharest, Romania

Описание: In August 2023 we visited Bucharest, Romania for one week. This was our second trip to Bucharest, but far more meaningful than our previous 30 hour trip here. Upon arrival, we purchased a 7 day surface and metro pass and were on our way. After a small setback with our lodging accommodations not having AC (which was completely our fault for not double checking the listed amenities in the listing) during a record heat wave, we settled in and started exploring the city. Aside from the well known sites around the old town, we put our transit passes to good use and explored the outskirts a bit. The highlight of our week was a visit to the Primăverii Palace (former residence of the Ceaușescu family) and historic Fortul XIII Jilava prison.

Jilava was originally built as one of 18 forts, commissioned between 1870 and 1890, by King Carol I of Romania to protect against possible Ottoman attack. Until 1907 it operated as an ammunition depot and military garrison. From 1907 to 1948 Jilava operated as a military prison. Afterward, it operated as a civilian prison. Today, the fort is no longer used to hold prisoners, however it is located behind the gates of an active prison.

Many atrocities occurred at Jilava when it was a prison. You can read more about the its history at the following sites. Turn on your browsers translate function if you are not fluent in Romanian.
https://anp.gov.ro/penitenciarul-bucu...
https://adevarul.ro/stiri-locale/cala...
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortul_...
https://www.trecator.ro/europa/romani...

We did not realize a formal request had to be made or arrangements via an approved agency to access the prison. We were fortunate that a group of British tourists had an appointment to visit the site when we arrived, and their tour guide and the prison guards were kind enough to allow us to tag along.

As of August 2023, https://anp.gov.ro/penitenciarul-bucu..., provides the current active prisons contact information for visiting the historic prison.

This video contains images from our time spent in Bucharest. We were not allowed to take cell phones or electronics of any sort into Jilava, however the Penitentiary Police Inspector who was also our guide through the prison was kind enough to snap a few photos and WhatApp them to us.

00:00 – Bucharest, Romania
00:07 – Around Town
04:13 – Primaverii Palace
12:35 – Mănăstirea Chiajna
13:17 – Fortul XIII Jilava