The Bragadiru Palace in Bucharest and its gardens are up for sale, Artmark Historical Estate announced. The estimated price is of EUR 20 -25 million, Economica.net reported.

The palace is named after its founder, industrialist Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru (1842-1915), who was born in a poor family of workers and went on to become one of Europe's most important industrialists at the beginning of the 20th century.

At the end of the 19th century, he set up a brewery of the same name. At that time, there were only two such companies in Bucharest, both of German origin: Luther (the future Grivita brewery) and Oppler (later GIB). Near the brewery, he built a recreation center for employees, following an old tradition. Designed as a Palace of Culture, it was used as a brewery and a performance hall, but also to host several family events of the workers, according to a presentation at artmarkhistoricalestate.ro.

The Bragadiru Palace was built on the plans of Austrian architect Anton Shuckerl. It features spiral stairs in Norman style, stuccoes, statues inserted in the facade, Venetian mirrors and Victorian-style balconies.

In June 1948, the family's property was confiscated, and the palace became the Lenin Culture House of the city’s District 5, a purpose it served until 1989. After the fall of the communist regime, it was neglected, until 2003, when it was returned to Bragadiru’s descendants, who restored it.

(Photo: Andrei Mărgulescu/artmarkhistoricalestate.ro)

editor@romania-insider.com