Cărturești Carusel, Boutique bookstore in Old Town, Romania
Cărturești Carusel is a bookstore housed in a restored 1903 building spread across six floors with white spiral staircases and ornamental iron railings throughout. The shelves hold literature, music, stationery, and Romanian design items, with a café on the top level.
The building was constructed in 1903 as a banking house and functioned in this role for decades. A comprehensive renovation transformed it into a bookstore in 2015 while retaining its original architectural character.
The name references the French word "carrousel", reflecting how visitors move in circles through the central atrium while browsing shelves on each level. This flowing path has become central to how people experience and move through the space today.
The location sits in the heart of Old Town and is easy to reach, with multiple levels to explore at your own pace. Allow time to wander through different floors and rest at the café upstairs.
The central atrium rises through all six floors and allows natural light to flow in through a glass roof, transforming the interior into a bright and open space. This architectural feature creates an unexpected sense of openness inside a historic building.
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