Description

The Old Court is the first royal court in Bucharest and became inoperative after the 1718 fire and after the 1738 earthquake. The entire Royal Court consisted of a palace – the Voievodal Palace, a church (the “Good News” Church, later known as the Old Court Church), houses with reception halls, royal chancery, stables and gardens. Not many details are known about the founder of the court, but according to the opinion of the researchers who have studied the history of Bucharest, the court seems to be built by Mircea cel Bătrân, somewhere at the end of the fourteenth century and the beginning of the fifteenth century. After the two calamities of the eighteenth century, which destroyed the court and the related buildings, a new royal court, the New Court, was built. At present, the ruins of the Voievodal Palace have become a protected archaeological site, and a museum, the The Old Court Museum, is being set up.

Over time, the city of Bucharest has undergone various urban changes, so that the old royal court no longer fully corresponds with the old descriptions. According to the old descriptions, the Old Court was located on a rather high hill, surrounded to the south by the very high bank of the Dâmboviţa River and by strong walls. Access to the royal court was possible through two opposite gates.