Cismigiu Gardens (Parcul Cișmigiu), the oldest public garden in the Romanian capital Bucharest, spans 14.6 to 17 hectares in the heart of the city. It started as a natural pond called Balta lui Dura neguțătorul (“Lake of Dura the merchant”) that served as a fishing spot in the 17th century before being transformed into a vineyard around a water source that provided relief during the 1795 plague epidemic.
During improvements to the public water supply in 1779, the Wallachian ruler Alexandru Ipsilanti established two fountains in the area to be managed by a ‘cișmigiu’—a Turkish term for fountain‑keeper. The surrounding area and the gardens obtained their name from this designation.
During the 1830s and 1840s Russian managed urban reforms led to the decision to turn the marshland into a public garden. City property status was declared in 1845 by decree and the German horticultural expertise of Wilhelm Friedrich Carl Meyer and Franz Hörer and Friedrich Rebhuhn received the mandate to design and landscape the space. Meyer along with his team created a romantic English-style garden by using 30,000 plants and trees from Romanian regions and from the Vienna and Brașov botanical gardens, including chestnuts, magnolias, and mountain species.
The development team excavated a lake and connected it to the Dâmbovița River by canal, then added to the area rock formations, flowerbeds, walking lanes and a music pavilion. The gardens were officially opened between 1847 and 1854 and public access started in March 1860, but Meyer died tragically from typhoid fever in 1852, just after his team completed most of their work. The layout of Cismigiu Gardens took its current form through the redesign efforts of Rebhuhn, beginning in 1910.
Cismigiu features tree-lined lanes, lawns, floral carpets, and many benches throughout its intimate garden-sized landscape. Lake Cișmigiu measures about 1.3 kilometers in length and 50 meters in width with maximum water depths reaching two meters. During winter months the lake becomes a ice-skating rink but Summer visitors can rent boats to row among the reed and shrub.
Artistic and architectural treasures at Cismigiu include the Rotonda Scriitorilor (Writers’ Rotunda) that exhibits the busts of twelve important Romanian writers’ busts such as Eminescu and Caragiale as well as the Monument to the French Heroes sculpted from Carrara marble by Ion Jalea, dedicated in 1922 to honor French soldiers who died in World War I. A Monument of American Heroes was established in 2002 to recognize U.S. military personnel who lost their lives in Romania during World War II.
Local communities have deeply cherished Cismigiu and historical preservation efforts protect it. The park appears in several literary works by Ion Luca Caragiale and serves as the backdrop for fictional characters Mitică and two novels by Grigore Băjenaru and Olivia Manning.
The garden suffered significant harm during both World Wars when German and later Soviet troops occupied it. Kiosks were destroyed for fuel needs and birds from the aviaries were consumed as a means of survival. The park underwent restoration work during the 1920s and again in the 1950s. Major restoration projects in the 2000s brought back historic benches and lighting fixtures as well as kiosks and water elements that were recreated from archived photographs. Commercial concessions including cafes and attractions function as financial sources for maintaining the garden.
Each weekend Cismigiu welcomes approximately 5,000 visitors who come to enjoy the green oasis while taking part in birdwatching, rowing, kiosk visits and cafe stops and musical performances and flower exhibitions and walking activities throughout the year. The park functions as a botanical archive that combines historical records with literary heritage and public engagement, a twentieth-century symbol of culture and elegance.