This particular day I was on a mission… to find what is reputed to be the most beautiful bookstore in the world… and on the way, past some of the most beautiful scenery and buildings…
…and here it is! Cărturești Carusel Bookstore…
Built in 1903 by a wealthy family of Greek bankers, it was confiscated by the Communist regime in the 1950s, turned into a general store and later abandoned and left to decay as Communism collapsed.
The grandson of the banker, who originally bought the building back in 1903 requested that it would be returned to his family, as legal heirs. It took 24 years of battles in court, but he finally won the case in 2007. He took possession of what was by then a derelict building and began its remarkable transformation to the Cărturești Carusel (“Carousel of Light”) bookstore that stands today.
Seventy-five people put in a combined 20,000 hours of work over the course of five years to compete the transformation…
Even the bike rack out the front is beautiful in its own way…
…then off to sit for a while…
…and on to my next adventure…
