The Execution of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the end of communism

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Piaka Revolukiei

  Revolution Square is a square in central Bucharest, on Calea Victoriei. It was renamed after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. The square houses the building of the former Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (from where Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife fled by helicopter on December 22, 1989). In 1990, the building became the seat of the Senate and since 2006 it houses the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2
  Ceausescu Mansion

  There’s no better place to visit in Romania than Ceausescu Mansion to understand the double standards of the communist regime or the absurd cult of personality of one of its most ruthless dictators. Opened in 2016 for visitors, Ceausescu Mansion was back in the dark and freezing communist days one of the best-kept secrets of the regime. Only the closest members of the family and the highest rank party members had access to Ceausescu’s residence. Why all the secrecy you wonder if he was ‘the first son of the nation’ who was guiding Romania to the ‘Golden Age’?

  1 hour • Admission ticket free
• 3
  House of the Free Press

  The House of the Free Press (Casa Presei Libere), formerly called Casa Scânteii, is one of the landmarks of Bucharest reminiscent of the communist regime. The edifice was built during the regime (between 1952 and 1957) and served as headquarters of the party’s publication (Scânteia) being, thus, by design, an institution completely subject to the communist authorities. In reaction to this juncture, subsequently to the 1989 Revolution, the name of the building was changed into the House of the Free Press. The building combines elements promoted by the Russian Soviet architecture with details typical of the religious architecture cultivated in Wallachia and Moldavia. Just like most of the megastructures erected during the communist regime, the building strikes by its dimensions. The horizontal coordinate of the edifice exceeds its vertical line, and the difference is so considerable, that the aesthetic impact can hardly be overlooked.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4

  Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena Ceausescu fled Bucharest on December 22, 1989 as a result of the beginning of the anti-communist revolution. On the same day they were arrested and imprisoned in the military base in Targoviste for the next three days. On December 25, they were tried for genocide in the same building. They were considered guilty and sentenced to death. They were shot in the inner courtyard of the building shortly after the court hearings were completed.

  1 hour • Admission ticket free
• 5
  Palace of Parliament

  Exterior

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  University's Square

  R

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Embark on a captivating journey through time to explore the dark, grand, and dramatic history of communist Romania. This comprehensive tour takes you from the monumental ambitions of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu to the very spots where the regime crumbled in blood and revolution. Tour Highlights • Constitution Square (Piața Constituției) & The Palace of the Parliament Our journey begins with a stop outside the colossal Palace of the Parliament. As the largest and most expensive construction ever initiated by Nicolae Ceaușescu, this jaw-dropping building stands as a massive monument to megalomania. You will learn about the ancient neighborhoods destroyed to make way for it. • 21 December 1989 Square Next, we visit the sacred ground where the Romanian Revolution truly ignited in Bucharest. Feel the history as your guide narrates the chaotic first moments of the popular uprising and the bravery of the citizens who stood against the regime. • Revolution Square (Piața Revoluției) We move on to Revolution Square to view the exterior of the infamous Central Committee Building. This is the exact site of Ceaușescu’s final, disastrous speech and the balcony from which he fled by helicopter. • The Ceaușescu Mansion (Primaverii Palace) – Inside Visit Step inside the private life of the dictator. Located in the exclusive Primăverii neighborhood, we will take a 45-minute guided interior tour of the mansion where the Ceaușescu family lived in absolute luxury, contrasting sharply with the austerity forced upon the Romanian public. • House of the Free Press (Casa Presei Libere) A striking example of Stalinist architecture, this stop provides the perfect backdrop to discuss the powerful machinery of communist propaganda, state control, and censorship. • The Final Chapter: Târgoviște (The Execution Site) We leave Bucharest and travel 80 km northwest to the city of Târgoviște. Here, you will visit the chilling, authentic site where Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu spent their final days. Explore the military barracks where they were arrested, tried for genocide in a hasty tribunal, and executed on Christmas Day, December 25, 1989.

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