Three spectacular and quite unique locations were selected to host this year’s social events: Manuc’s Inn (Ro: Hanu’ lui Manuc) will host the Early Bird reception; NORD Events Center by Globalworth will host the Welcome Reception; and the Palace of the Parliament will host the Gala Dinner and Party.
Early Bird Reception Venue – Manuc’s Inn (Hanu’ lui Manuc)
Today one of Europe’s last remaining caravanserai, currently laying in Old Town across the street from the ruins of the Old Princely Court of Vlad III, Manuc’s Inn was built in 1804 by the wealthy Armenian trader, better known under his Turkish name, Manuc-bei. Recognized, rewarded and pursued by all the empires fighting for influence over the Romanian Principalities at that time, Manuc-bei was, all at once, merchant, “banker“, entrepreneur, adventurer and secret agent. With 15 wholesalers, 23 retail stores, 107 rooms for offices or living, two receiving rooms and a pub, the inn was a favorite meeting place for tradesmen, craftsmen and travelers from all over the world.
The inn was the site of the preliminary talks for the Treaty of Bucharest, which put an end to the 1806-1812 Russian-Turkish war. Along time, Hanu’ lui Manuc housed Bucharest’s town hall, a theatre, and was the site of the first Romanian operetta recital.
Manuc’s Inn is easily reachable by foot, being located in Bucharest’s Old Town. It is located approximately 2 km (1.3 miles) from the Radisson Blu and the InterContinental Athenee Palace Hotels (the congress venues). The location is also easily reachable via public transportation, as well as via taxis and ride-sharing apps.
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Welcome Reception – NORD Events Center by Globalworth
NORD Events Center by Globalworth is the most technologized venue in Bucharest. It offers generous, modern, and ideal spaces for all types of remarkable events. A great hall, a spacious reception area, two fully-equipped meeting rooms, a green terrace, and limitless potential – all gathered in the perfect stand-out location.
NORD Events Center by Globalworth is easily reachable via the M2 metro line from Piata Romana (4 stops to the Pipera stop, direction Pipera), as well as other public transportation means.
Gala Dinner and Party – The Palace of the Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament, built at the special request of Nicolae Ceauşescu, the leader of Romania’s Communist Party, is a colossal construction meant to gather together all administrative bodies and protect the leaders in case of devastating earthquake and nuclear attack. Formerly known as the “People’s House” (Romanian: Casa Poporului), it is the world’s second largest administrative building after the U.S. Pentagon, the largest civil administrative building, and the heaviest and most expensive building in the world. The impressive construction incorporates 1,000,000 cubic meters of marble (about 5,305,491,057 pounds), 3,500 tons of crystal, 220,000 carpets and 2,800 chandeliers. Currently, about half of the total 1,100 rooms are finished and used.
The construction is the result of the effort of about 700 architects and more than 100,000 workers and 12,000 soldiers. Overall, more than 20,000 persons worked 24 hour three shifts per day in peak times. The main constructions took place over a period of 13 years (1984-1997). The works required the demolition of a fifth of Bucharest’s area (4.5 km in length and 2 km in width), the equivalent of a few Parisian districts and the total surface of Venice. This part of Bucharest was already significantly damaged by the devastating earthquake of 1977, felt throughout the Balkans. Although the initial project needed 80,000 sq.m, the final building occupies a surface 5 times bigger. Catherine Lalumiere, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, described it as “the palace of a megalomaniac man, but also a masterpiece of the Romanian people”.
Nowadays, the building hosts several Romanian public institutions: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate (the two houses of the Parliament of Romania), the Legislative Council and the Constitutional Court of Romania. In 2008, the Palace hosted the 20th summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to some urban legends and myths, the impressive 2,226 sq.m. (23,961 sq.ft.) Gala Dinner Unirii Hall was first designed to open so that the presidential helicopter could land inside the hall. Moreover, same say that the carpet in this Hall was made from a single piece and was brought in the hall using a crane, through the ceiling.
The Palace of the Parliament is easily reachable by foot, being located in the Civic Center of Bucharest, in close proximity to the Old Town. It is located approximately 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the Radisson Blu and the InterContinental Athenee Palace Hotels (the congress venues). The location is also easily reached via public transportation (3 stops from Romana Square to the Izvor stop, by metro lines M2/M3, change at Unirii stop, or bus 783 then metro M3 from Unirii stop), as well as via taxis and ride-sharing apps.
Access to all social events is based on the presentation of your EAA 2024 congress badge, so you must wear it all the time. Heavy security rules are particularly enforced at the Palace of the Parliament, as it is the headquarters of the Romanian Parliament, and its many official bodies.
Importantly, security screening will be conducted upon entrance at the Palace of the Parliament, similar to airport security checks, so you must avoid carrying heavy luggage and any piece of potentially dangerous items. You must also stay within the congress event’s designated areas.
You must wear the EAA 2024 congress badge at all times during the events, and leave the location at the end of the events.
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