Manuc's Inn (Hanul lui Manuc) in Bucharest is not only one of the oldest places in the Romanian capital, but also a major presence on the map of the collective memory of those who live here. Despite the fact that not so many of them have ever visited it, everyone knows where it is, anyone could tell even a small story or legend about it and so the Manuc's Inn remains an ever so popular place. Being a major touristic place, a historical monument and a beautiful place, the Manuc's Inn was actually founded by Manuc Bei (1769-1817) also called Manuc Mirzaian or Manuc Mirzaiam. His actual name was most likely Emanuel Marzaian, an Armenian who was a merchant and diplomat, but also a very appreciated person by the Ottoman authorities. Born in Rousse (today in Bulgaria) he must have been both inteligent and a very good diplomat, to be so valuable for the Ottoman Empire. He must have been, for at one time he was appointed the Bei for Moldavia.
Stories about his life are largely just stories, and we have little about this misterious Bei, and surely he would have been forgotten if it wasn't for the inn. In about 1806 Manuc first came to Bucharest and eventually settled here, most likely due to the hardships of the Turkish - Russian war, during which he must have also acted as a negociator. Far from the dangers of the conflict, Manuc decided to use the time and wealth to start a business, in a thriving city which was to his liking. And an inn seemed like the best ideea, as the number of travellers and merchants grew day by day. Manuc Bei bought the piece of land that we know today, and also a great number of estates near Bucharest (but not only). He began building the inn, and all was completed in 1808.
While we don't know how the inn looked originally, for no drawings survived, it must have been an impressive structure. A list compiled at the beginning of the 19th century said that Manuc's Inn had 15 cellars, 23 stores on the ground level, two large halls, 10 storage places, several servant's chambers, kitchens and a tunnel. Upstairs, there were over one hundred rooms, most of them rented for guests. In the interior court there was even a little coffee house and a small garden, with a fountain. Facing Dambovita, the river that cut Bucharest in half, the Bei built a stone pier. Later, by this facade several new stores were opened.
By all means, even if this list would have several stlight exagerations, the inn was huge compared to other structures in Bucharest, especially in those times. After the Russian-Turkish war, Manuc moved to one of his estates in the country, Hancesti, and eventually decided to sell the famous inn, for he didn't find the time to take care of it properly. He must have asked for a large sum of money, for in 1817, when he died, he still hadn't found a buyer. As his children were still underaged, his entire legacy - including the inn -was managed by a custody. To ease all this, in 1827 the custodes decided to lease most of the properties, including the inn, to Dimitrie Dedu and Nicolae Alexiu.
A devastating earthquake that ravaged Bucharest in 1838 also severely damaged Manuc's Inn, and most of it's structure was afected. The authorities decided to demolish a large part of the inn, and then to rebuild it, but Murat, the son of Manuc, was opposed to this projects. After several years of pressures from both sides, in 1841 - 1842 Murat finally decided to sell the inn, as he didn't have the money to repair it. Manuc's Inn was bought by Dimitrie Iconomidis (Economu), together with another two investors, and the three would run the inn until 1860, when it was once again on lease, this time to Milan Lomovici. It was once again sold, in 1861 or 1862, this time to Lambru Vasilescu, who changed it's name to "Grand Hotel de la Dacie", which in short time became an important place for high life parties and a popular place in Bucharest. It would also host theatre and illusionism spectacles, dances, parties. The Manuc's inn was renovated in 1848, 1863, 1966-1970 and 1991-1992 and is now going through another rebuilding, mixing it's former beauty and glory and nowadays style and needs. It is surely not the end for Manuc's Inn.
Photo : wikipedia.org
2007-11-28
