{"id":70700,"date":"2026-11-05T17:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/uncategorized-en\/vacaresti-bucharests-future-forest-photo-gallery\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T17:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:25:17","slug":"vacaresti-bucharests-future-forest-photo-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/nature\/vacaresti-bucharests-future-forest-photo-gallery\/","title":{"rendered":"V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti, Bucharest\u2019s Future Forest \/ Photo Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the site of the demolished V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Monastery and the surrounding buildings\u2014on the site of what was intended in the 1980s to be a recreational area in the form of a dammed lake with various attractions\u2014and precisely as a result of this plan, a unique ecosystem emerged. Nature evolved freely, unhindered for many years. The area was gradually discovered by Bucharest residents, then by those interested in building there, and finally, exactly ten years ago, it was designated a protected area.<\/p>\n

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The Largest Body of Water in V\u0103c\u0103resti Natural Park, 2026; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

There are other natural parks in Europe, in Berlin, Vienna, and London. Charles, then Prince of Wales, requested to visit V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti. And he did so in May 2017\u2014discreetly, without meeting with city or national officials. Furthermore, he planted a poplar tree\u2014\u201cCharles\u2019s Poplar,\u201d as the Bucharest Natural Park Association calls it. It receives no special care; it is left to grow freely and is not marked in any way, but it can be found along the park\u2019s main trail. The only intervention in the park\u2019s vegetation has been to clear the main trails.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCharles\u2019s Poplar\u201d in V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park, 2026; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

Nature Reborn from Concrete<\/h2>\n

The \u201cclassic\u201d tour covers 5,000\u20136,000 steps and includes rest stops, observation points, signs, and informational panels. Right at the entrance from Gl\u0103di\u021bei Street, there is a map and instructions on how to best navigate the trail.<\/p>\n

The scene that has unfolded over the past four decades on a layer of concrete covering much of the pond\u2019s bottom is spectacular. Also in November. \u201cNew\u201d swans \u2014 meaning those hatched this year \u2014 coexist with teals, cormorants, as well as the red-breasted woodpecker, frogs (and turtles), and snakes.<\/p>\n

\"broasc\u0103,

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park, 2026; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

About 200 species of birds and more than 40 species of woody plants\u2014trees, shrubs, and vines\u2014have been identified. Among them are the white willow, maple, walnut, and ash. Some grew naturally, while others were introduced through planting or by accident.<\/p>\n

\"parcul

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park, 2026; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

\"parcul

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park, 2026; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThis is a park that has the potential to positively influence Bucharest\u2019s development in terms of biodiversity and the way parks are managed. (\u2026) Fifteen years ago, this place looked completely different, with just one or two willow trees. The vegetation you see now \u2014 the trees, shrubs, and a fairly diverse array of wild flora \u2014 represents evolution. In ten years, everything will certainly be different. We\u2019ll be talking about a true urban forest, with bodies of water in the middle,\u201d explained Dan B\u0103rbulescu, director of the Bucharest Natural Park Association, during a tour marking the Romanian premiere of the series \u201cEvolution\u201d on BBC Earth.<\/p>\n

It was this organization that succeeded in securing protected natural area status for the site and then in establishing the first nature park in an urban setting in Romania.<\/p>\n

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti – a brief history<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The site has a history spanning more than three centuries. The V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Monastery was built in the natural marshy floodplain of the D\u00e2mbovi\u021ba River, on the site where a shopping mall stands today. It was an important monastic center in the region, and the artifacts and documents that have been recovered will be on display at the Mogo\u0219oaia Palace in a new section.<\/p>\n

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti later housed a prison. The entire complex was demolished, and it was decided to integrate the site into the water management infrastructure network, with the goal of creating a recreational area as well, as explained by Mircea Calnegru, director of the V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park Administration. During the construction of the massive concrete basin in the late 1980s, in preparation for a visit by Nicolae Ceau\u0219escu, the basin was filled with water as a demonstration; however, since it was not yet finished or sealed, it flooded.<\/p>\n

\"foto

Archival photograph; curatorial<\/p><\/div>\n

The construction site was abandoned in 1989, one year after the more than 5-kilometer-long dike had been built, and was then forgotten for a long time. As a result, a typical wetland habitat developed. zon\u0103 umed\u0103<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Located in the city, yet so far from the hustle and bustle, V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Nature Park is a great place to spend some time. Admission is free, and guided tours are organized periodically; details are available at anpv.ro.<\/p>\n

V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Natural Park is one of six such protected areas in the Bucharest area. The list is rounded out by Lunca D\u00e2mbovi\u021bei, B\u0103neasa Forest, Petricani Meadow, Valea Saulei<\/a> , and the Dobroe\u0219ti Reed Beds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the site of the demolished V\u0103c\u0103re\u0219ti Monastery and the surrounding buildings\u2014on the site of what was intended in the 1980s to be a recreational area in the form of a dammed lake with various attractions\u2014and precisely as a result […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":70578,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6966],"tags":[7088,8689,8690],"class_list":{"0":"post-70700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nature","8":"tag-ecology","9":"tag-mediul-inconjurator","10":"tag-parc-natural"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatorial.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}