Under the Sign of the Crown: The Jubilee of King Carol I and the 1906 Exhibition
We invite you to a new cooltural conference – a journey through time to one of the most spectacular moments in Romania’s modern history: the General Exhibition of 1906.
In June 2026, 120 years will have passed since this jubilee event, which marked not only a celebration, but also a powerful statement of national identity and modernity. The 1906 Exhibition was conceived as a moment of reflection, but even more so as a projection into the future.
The year 1906 carried a strong symbolic charge: it marked 40 years of reign for King Carol I and 25 years since the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania. To celebrate this jubilee, the Romanian authorities organized a large-scale general exhibition meant to showcase the country’s progress and aspirations.
The chosen site was Filaret Plain, also known as Liberty Plain, today’s Carol I Park. In just 11 months, the space was radically transformed into a true exhibition city. On June 6, 1906, the event was officially inaugurated in the presence of King Carol I, Queen Elisabeth, Crown Prince Ferdinand, and Princess Marie.
The exhibition was designed as a grand event, open to both Romanian and international audiences. It brought together local and regional pavilions dedicated to Transylvania, Bukovina, and various counties, alongside international pavilions from countries such as France, Austria, and Hungary. In this way, Romania symbolically joined the circuit of the great world exhibitions of the era.
A key role in the realization of the project was played by architects Victor G. Ștephănescu and Ștefan Burcuș, together with landscape architect Édouard Redont. Together, they created not just an exhibition space, but a modern urban vision.
Numerous structures were built for the occasion, some of which can still be seen today: Vlad Țepeș Castle, originally conceived as a water tower, and the Cuțitul de Argint Church, inspired by the Saint Nicholas Princely Church in Iași. At the heart of the exhibition stood the Palace of the Arts, later known as the Military Museum, unfortunately destroyed in the 1940s.
At its core, the 1906 Exhibition was a story about people—their dreams and achievements—and about how a nation constructs its image of itself. It was a moment when Romania told its past, affirmed its present, and, perhaps most importantly, imagined its future.
120 years later, we invite you to rediscover this unique moment not only as a page of history, but as a source of inspiration for how we relate today to heritage, identity, and community.
We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday, May 27, at 18:30, in an 1890s salon where ideas, projects, and visions for a modern Romania once took shape, for an exploration dedicated to one of the most remarkable moments in our history: the 1906 Jubilee General Exhibition.
The conference will take place in the elegant Captain Pandele House, and will be hosted by historian Anita Sterea, president of the Cooltural Association “Nouă ne pasă.”
This journey through time will be accompanied by archival images capturing the scale of the exhibition, the architecture of its pavilions, and the energy of a world in transformation—where past, present, and future converged in an ambitious national project.
📅 May 27, 18:30
📍 PLAN Patru, 4 Plantelor Street
🕰️ Duration: approximately 2 hours
☕ At the end: open discussion with the guest and a short social break with period-inspired sweets
🎟️ Participation is by ticket only, and places are limited
📩 For further information:
• About the venue: contact@planpatru.ro
• About the event content: asociatia.nouanepasa@gmail.com