Banca Românească. Date ascunse, istorii descoperite
The Romanian Bank. Hidden data, discovered histories

Summary/Abstract: Since the medieval period, the city center of Bucharest has been characterized by an intense commercial activity, with market stalls, merchant shops, broker warehouses, or inns being found there. In the second half of the 19th century, starting with the modernizing of administrative structures and the orientation of Wallachian society towards the West, the Oriental current gradually faded away. The shops are turned into stores, the inns become hotels or are replaced by financial and banking institutions, configuring thus a specific center defined by Calea Victoriei and Doamnei, Smârdan, and Stavropoleos Streets. On Smârdan Street, near the Șerban-Vodă Inn and Saint Nicholas “of the Saddlers” Church, the Zerlendi family developed its business; during that period, the family was known for its commercial activities in the agriculture and banking fields. In the beginning of the 20th century, the buildings owned by the Zerlendi family were bought by the Romanian Commercial Bank (3 Smârdan Street) and the Romanian Bank (5 Smârdan Street), the latter experiencing a considerable development in the following decades. For meeting the specific requirements of a modern financial institution, extensive transformations were carried out in the 1920s, under the supervision of architect Petre Antonescu. The communist regime’s 1948 nationalization determined the restructuring of the Romanian banking system, eliminating any private initiative. After an intense visible presence over 36 years, the Romanian Bank closed its operation, its assets and activities being taken over by the National Bank.

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