This article is scheduled in three parts in which I present one of the most exquisite artefacts of Bucharest’s period architecture from the years around 1900s, namely the IRON BALCONIES, an often overlooked architectural element which nevertheless is representative within the city’s great panoply of styles and buildings.
Bucharest 1900s residential building with wrough iron balcony (©Valentin Mandache)
The era of railways made iron a widely available material employed in all domains, notably in the building industry. The architecture of the period reflected the use of that important metal, cast or wrought, in many examples of remarkable artistic design from gates, fences, roofs, stair rails to of course balconies (a type of fence or rail).
The intricately worked iron balconies that emerged in late Victorian era complemented and enhanced the architectural detail of the building façade, conferring it a distinguished personality. In tows like New Orleans and Paris, many of the late 19th – early 20th century period buildings became thus famous for their emblematic iron balconies.
