Bucharest is Romania’s capital and the largest city of the country. According to the legend, the name of the city derives from Bucur, a shepherd who is said to have established a nearby hermitage. The first historical record of Bucharest dates back to 1459, under voivode Vlad Țepeș. Between 1459 and 1660, Bucharest was the seat of Wallachian rulers, at the same time as the old capital of Târgoviște was still in function; after 1660, Bucharest remained the sole capital. Beginning with the XIVth century, the city underwent a great economic development, as a result of the trade connections with the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish merchants, and would extend gradually until 1862, when it became the capital of the United Romanian Principalities and later of Romania. Its elegant architecture and atmosphere brought it the title of “Little Paris”, during interwar years.
