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Casa Cap a

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"Cap a" redirects here. For the village in Neam County, see Bicaz.
Casa Capa !"#$$%
Casa Capa !&$"$%
Casa Cap a is a historic restaurant in Bucharest, 'omania, first esta(lished in ")*&. +t various
times it has also included a hotel, most recently, it reopened as a -".room hotel "/ 0une &$$1.2"3
"4long a sym(ol of Bucharest for its inha(itants4 Cap a is not only associated 5ith its e67uisite
pastry products, (ut also for a hectic literary life of yore4 a 5elcoming place for 'omanian 5riters
5here they could meet, talk and4associate." 2&3
8he restaurant stands on Calea 9ictoriei at the corner of :dgar ;uinet <treet, across from the =otel
Capitol and diagonally across from the Cercul >ilitar Naional.
Contents
" 8he restaurant, confectionery, and coffee house
& 8he hotel
1 Notes
? :6ternal links
The restaurant, confectionery, and coffee house
@n ")*&, +nton and 9asile Cap a founded the first confectionery shop on Calea 9ictoriei, some5hat
north of the present Casa Cap a, 5hich 5as founded (y their younger (rother Arigore Cap a !")?".
"#$&% in ")-).2"3 2&3 +nton and 9asile had financed Arigore through four years of courses at the
reno5ned Boissier in Baris, 5here he turned do5n an opportunity to (ecome the supplier for the
French @mperial Court.213 8he French.inspired confectionery of Casa Cap a soon esta(lished a
continent.5ide reputation. 8he (usiness e6panded in "))" to a full.service restaurant, at a time
5hen 7uality restaurants along Western :uropean lines 5ere still 7uite a rarity in 'omania.2"3 2&3
@n Cecem(er "#"-, during World War @, follo5ing the Battle of Bucharest and the occupation of the
city (y the Central Bo5ers, the restaurant 5as re7uisitioned (y troops of the Dingdom of BulgariaEs
army. 'eportedly, these left the place in a deplora(le condition for an e6tended period of time.2?3
Casa Cap a invented the all. chocolate 0offre cake in honor of a visit to 'omania (y 0oseph 0offre
after the 5ar, and they 5ere the first to introduce ice cream to the country.2&3
8he coffee house, esta(lished ")#", 5as an important literary and artistic gathering place, (ut never
turned a profit, "(ecause the 5riters and artists 5ho 5ent there usually ordered mineral 5ater and
coffee and made them last for hours on end."213 @n contrast to the elegant restaurant and
confectioner, the coffee house had simple, uncovered 5ooden ta(les. 8udor +rghezi referred to it as
an "+cademy", one could make a literary reputation (y reading oneEs te6ts there.213 +ctors also
5ere among the regularsF at the time the 'omanian National 8heatre 5as nearly across the street,
adGacent to the 8erasa Htetele anu, no5 the site of the Balatul 8elefoanelor.2*3
When the 'omanian Communist Barty took po5er in "#?), they closed Casa Cap a. 8he restaurant
operated during most of the communist era as the "Bucharest 'estaurant", regaining the Cap a
name in "#)?.213 @t 5as at the Cap a that the poet Nicolae Ia(i stood up in Novem(er "#*- and
loudly recited >ihai :minescuEs (anned patriotic poem "Coina", a fe5 5eeks later, after spending
some time at the Cap a, Ia(i 5as fatally hit (y a tram, Gust a short distance a5ay. 2-3 2/3
8he In Your Pocket guide series descri(es it as having (een "4the chosen venue for the (eautiful
people at the turn of the 2"#th3 century4 it degenerated into a Communist party haunt for the
illiterate and intellectually unendo5ed party (osses." 2)3 >ioara @oni J 5rites, "@ts fame remains,
(ut it has lost some of its pre.5ar glamour. @t e6ists as such, (ut the spirit that animated it has
vanished."213
The hotel
8he enterprise 5as e6panded in "))- to include the Cap a =otel, initially a guest house for
mem(ers of parliament from out of to5n.2&3 8he French manager had formerly managed the =Ktel
CafL +nglais in Baris. @n "#$), the British magazine John Bull ranked it "among the (est hotels in
the 5orld". +ccording to the revived hotelEs 5e( site, "@t 5as considered for a long time the only
suita(le residence of the artists, rich and aristocratic families or high rank politiciens [sic] and
diplomats visiting 'omania,"2"3 a role it 5ould eventually yield to the +thLnLe Balace.
+mong the hotelEs guests in its heyday 5ere Aerman Daisers Wilhelm @ and Wilhelm @@, +ustro.
=ungarian emperor Franz 0osef @, several mem(ers of the @mperial 'ussian royal family, including
8sar +le6ander @@, all four 'omanian monarchs and their 7ueens consort, kings of Areece, <er(ia,
and Bulgaria, and such other nota(les as 0osephine Baker, <arah Bernhardt, :nrico Caruso, Aeorge
:nescu, W. +verell =arriman, 0Mzef BiNsudski, and 'aymond BoincarL.2"3
Notes
". Capa =otel =istory on Casa Cap aEs official site. +ccessed "/ >arch &$$-.
&. 8he Capa Coffee =ouse on 'adio 'omania @nternational2dead link3. Iast ellipsis !"and4
associate"% in original. +ccessed >arch "/, &$$-.
1. >ioara @oni J, cited at 8he Capa Coffee =ouse on 'adio 'omania @nternational. +ccessed
>arch "/, &$$-.
?. (Romanian) Corina 8omescu, "Nemii interzic (ucuretenilor sJ se mai urce On trJsurJ",
Historia, Novem(er ", &$"$, accessed Novem(er "-, &$"1
*. Iist of Names and Blaces :6plainedF 8he 8elephone Balace, in Bucharest Between the Wars:
A Modernity With Fringes, 'omanian +cademy Ii(rary, accessed ? 0anuary &$$-.
-. (Romanian) "Nod in calea nemuririi", (y Carmen Cragomir, Jurnalul a ional , +ugust &),
&$$-
/. (Romanian) "Nicolae Ia(i a fost tras de paltonP", (y Camelian Bropina iu, !e"ista Agero
). Casa Capa on @nQourBocket.com. +ccessed >arch "/, &$$-.
External links
Casa Capa =otel !official site%
CoordinatesF ??R&-S/.#$TN &-R*S*1.$/T:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casa Capa.
CategoriesF
=otels in Bucharest
'estaurants in 'omania
")*& esta(lishments
=istoric monuments in Bucharest
Calea 9ictoriei
8his page 5as last modified on "/ Novem(er &$"1 at $&F?).

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