Bucharest in Romania has an ancient history but only became the capital of the country late in the nineteenth century.
Empires have dominated the territories in which the city stands.
Many wars and invasions have swept across this part of Europe so it may be said that the city has a turbulent past.
Bucharest became a splendid capital city when a new kingdom was created with the union of Wallachia and Moldavia in 1861.
This was the hey day of the city and many fine new buildings were erected in the style of Parisian architecture.
Many people referred to the capital of Romania as the 'The Paris of the East'.
The city lies beside a large river which is a tributary of the Danube.
It was subject to flooding for many years and this prevented development.
When the river Dambovito was channeled in 1883 the chances of flooding were diminished and development prospects improved.
Europe suffered at the hands of power mongers during the twentieth century and the people of Bucharest were tormented along with other Europeans.
During the First World War it was occupied by the Germans.
There was a brief period of prosperity between the two world wars but the Second World War was bad for Romania.
First it was one of the Axis powers, then taken over by the Allies and was bombed twice in the course of the changes.
When the dust settled after the War Romania found itself under the iron rule of a puppet dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
He managed to destroy much of historic Bucharest, replacing historic architectural treasures with ugly tower blocks and functional iron monuments to communism.
By the time he found himself in a car in 1989, fleeing for his life he had destroyed much of the architectural treasure of the capital city.
In historical terms, Stalin's annexation of East European countries was short-lived.
Communist dictators were ousted and various political movements began to explore the prospects for freedom and development.
In the capital new suburbs began to grow, expanding the metropolitan areas around the city.
Bucharest occupies more than two hundred square kilometers of the Romanian plain.
The area was once forest, and is low-lying although the city has seven hills, like Rome.
The population is more than two million, many of whom commute into the city on a daily basis.
This well watered city has many lakes and gardens strewn across it.
There are botanical gardens and museums the most famous being those that have been established around the artificial Lake Cismigui.
Restoration work is being carried out to restore much of the city's historic facades and architectural features.
Membership of the European Economic community became a reality in 2006 when Romania and Bulgaria were admitted simultaneously.
The economic significance of this is manifest in improved property markets and retail shops as investors have been attracted to Bucharest Romania.
The quality of life in the city is still relatively low though it is moving up.
This equates with good economic and investment opportunities, as the city seems set to enter another phase of growth.