The Days of the King (23 page)

Cotroceni
is a hill and district in western Bucharest. şrban Cantacuzino, Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688, founded a monastery on Cotroceni Hill in 1679. Cuza converted the monastery into a summer residence, which was also used by King Carol I, as the wooded Cotroceni Hill provided a place of refuge from the torrid heat of Bucharest in the summer months. In 1888, King Carol I had the old monastery buildings demolished and commissioned French architect Paul Gottereau to design a palace, which nowadays is the official residence of the President of Romania.