Victoria Department Store, Historic department store on Calea Victoriei, Bucharest, Romania.
The Victoria Department Store sits at 17 Calea Victoriei and features Art Deco design with large shop windows and multiple retail floors. The building stands out for its expansive glass frontage and well-organized sales areas.
The site began as a library and printing institute in 1880 and was completely transformed into a department store between 1928 and 1931. This architectural shift marked the arrival of large-scale retail in Romania.
The store drew design ideas from Paris and showed Romanians what modern shopping looked like. The spacious display areas and way products were arranged introduced people to a new kind of retail experience.
The building sits on a busy main street with excellent access by public transportation. Visitors should know that shops spread across the ground floor and several upper levels, so exploring the full space requires moving through different floors.
Few people know that two different architects shaped this building: Oskar Maugsch and Herman Clejan each left their mark on its structure. This collaboration between two designers created the distinctive form you see today.
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