Elisabeta Palace
| Elisabeta Palace Palatul Elisabeta | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Crown Princess Margareta flown at the Palace. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Moorish and Brâncovenesc style |
| Address | 26 Kiseleff Road Sector 1 |
| Town or city | Bucharest |
| Country |  Romania |
| Coordinates | 44°16′53″N 26°26′49″E / 44.2815°N 26.447°E |
| Current tenants | Official Romanian Residence of the Romanian Royal Family |
| Construction started | 1930 |
| Completed | 1936 |
| Inaugurated | 19 December 1937 |
| Client | Princess Elisabeth of Romania |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Duiliu Marcu |
Elisabeta Palace (Romanian: Palatul Elisabeta) is a palace on Kiseleff Road, Bucharest, built in 1936, is the official residence in Romania of the Romanian Royal Family where Crown Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu currently reside.
The Palace was designed in 1930 by the architect Marcu and built in 1936 for Princess Elisabeth, the daughter of the late King Ferdinand I and wife Queen Marie and also aunt of King Michael who was forced to abdicate on December 30, 1947.
In 2001 the Romanian Senate passed a bill in which states that the Palace would be of use only by the Former Royal Family.[1] Since then members of the Royal Family have been living there; Foreign heads of State, Royalty and Politicians are received there as well as Romanian Political, Cultural, Economic and Academic individuals where the events are conducted.[2]
History
In July 1935 Princess Elisabeth former Queen Consort of Greece divorced her second cousin: The deposed King George II of Greece. After her divorce she moved to Romania where she stayed at Banloc Castle.
In 1930 the plans for Elisabeta Palace were made by Romanian architect Duiliu Marcu who had designed Victoria Palace as well as many other buildings; Any building Plans were taken at a halt in the early 30's due to the Great Depression, however construction started soon and was finally built in 1936 and inaugurated in December 1937.
For Elisabeth, the Palace was the achievement of a long elusive dream, heightened during the dearth years spent in Greece, in her memoirs she wrote: "Perhaps the only thing that I really want is a house of my own something that I can call mine. It has always been my greatest longing since the age of 17. My house to create, to improve, to make perfect and love, offering hospitality to and rejoicing with all those who would love it too. I think the possession of a house would really make me happy. I lived on that hope when I came back to Romania".
The Palace was the official residence of Princess Elisabeth until 1944 where King Michael I performed his Coup and overthrew the Nazi Supporting Government; After the coup he left Cotroceni Palace, the Official Royal residence of the King of the Romanians and moved into Elisabeta Palace with his mother to be directly in the centre of the capital; Princess Elisabeth had moved to Copăceni Castle.
On the evening of 30 December 1947, with the Palace surrounded by troops from the Tudor Vladimirescu Division, an army unit completely loyal to the Communists; King Michael was held at gunpoint to sign a forced pre-typed instrument of abdication.[3]
Following King Michael's abdication and throughout the Socialist Republic of Romania, the Palace fell into disuse until 2001 when the former Royal Family returned to Romania after nearly 5 decades of exile and were given official use of the Palace by a Bill signed by Traian Băsescu, 4th President of Romania and approved by the Romanian Senate.[4]