Băneasa

The Băneasa area borders the Băneasa-Otopeni and Pipera Nord office hubs, where more than 30,000 people work.

District 1 covers the northern and north-western part of Bucharest. With 264,185 residents, it is the least populous of the six administrative sectors, accounting for 12.5% of Bucharest's population of 2,108,049. At 68 km², however, it is by far the largest by land area — more than a quarter of the city's 236 km² — and holds 163,088 dwellings, or 15.1% of the capital's housing stock of 1,082,392.

About the area

The area, at a glance

Băneasa combines forest and lake with modern residential complexes and villas, in the north of the city. The area draws families looking for space and fresh air, with the trade-off of DN1 traffic at peak hours. Its own commercial infrastructure makes it self-sufficient from the centre.

History

The name comes from a 17th-century estate held by a ban (a boyar title) named Mareș; after his death, his widow, the "băneasa", extended the property and gave it its current name. In the 18th-19th centuries the estate passed to the boyar Văcărescu family, and Ienăchiță Văcărescu built a manor house and the Saint Nicholas Church here. On 10 May 1866, the future King Carol I entered Bucharest and ceremonially received the key to the city at Băneasa. A railway station has operated here since the autumn of 1886, serving the Royal Family, including for the funeral cortège of Carol I in 1914. In 1909, the French aviator Louis Blériot made the first flights on Romanian territory from the Băneasa racecourse designed by the architect Ion D. Berindey, and in 1912 Prince George Valentin Bibescu opened here one of the first Romanian military pilot schools.

Amenities and access

The area is crossed by Șoseaua București-Ploiești (DN1), which links the city centre to Henri Coandă Airport and the A3 motorway towards Ploiești.

Metro: Aviatorilor and Aurel Vlaicu stations (M2), with buses 301 and 335 to Băneasa Shopping City; a new station, "Aeroportul Băneasa", has been under construction since June 2023, with completion estimated for the second half of 2027
Băneasa Airport (Aurel Vlaicu), for business aviation, right in the district
Băneasa Forest and Tunari Forest border the area, along with Băneasa Park
The Miorița Fountain, a granite monument unveiled in 1936, 16 m long
Băneasa Shopping City, opened in April 2008, and MedLife Băneasa Hyperclinic, opened in 2010 at 10 Șos. București-Ploiești (about 1,600 sqm, 30 specialities)
Saint Nicholas Church, built next to the Văcărescu family manor