Historic fountain in Bucharest reopens following renovation

The refurbishment was supported by the Bucharest City Hall

Mioriţa Fountain, a historic monument in northern Bucharest, finally reopened after a lengthy renovation process. The refurbishment was carried out by Apa Nova, the company that manages water and sewage system in the Romanian capital, with support provided by the City Hall.

The fountain was inaugurated in 1936 and is located near to the Băneasa train station, in front of the Prof. Dr. Nicolae Minovici Museum. The monument was designed by architect Octav Doicescu. It is decorated with a mosaic designed by sculptor Milița Petrașcu, depicting scenes from the Miorița ballad - a folkloric poem depicted in many different versions across all regions of Romania.

The restoration of the mosaic was carried out separately from the structural and architectural intervention works and those concerning the replacement of the old piping and equipment. The artistic restoration was undertaken based on the original drawings and plans, using quality materials that preserve the authenticity of the work. Now, the historic fountain is equipped with technologies that allow it to work automatically, thus reducing energy consumption.

The condition of the mosaic, created more than 80 years ago, was far too deteriorated to be restored where it stood. Therefore, it was removed with the approval of the Culture Ministry, restored and reattached to the fountain after the consolidation works were completed.

The longest choreographed fountain system in the world

Some months ago, Apa Nova inaugurated the refurbished fountains at Unirii Square in Bucharest, thanks to a 7 million euro investment. The World Record Academy recently recognized the fountains as the longest choreographed fountain system in the world.

The 44 fountains spread across a total distance of 1.4 km, sprawling between Constitutiei Square and Alba Iulia Square. After the revamp, they have become the setting for many music and light shows. There are also four integrated "water screens" aimed at the four cardinal points, meant to create a huge multimedia platform for videos and laser projections.