Discovering the Kretzulescu House
Construction of the Building
The building of the Ecole Française Internationale of Bucarest was constructed in 1839 on the order of Alexandru Villara, a member of the Romanian nobility. The site is located near Piața Romană, on Dacia Boulevard, and initially hosted the slum of Popa Cosma (also known as Dima Tabacu).
In the 19th century, the neighborhood was predominantly composed of boyar’s and other notable figures of the time’s houses. Alexandru Villara, one of the wealthiest boyars in the country, undertook the construction of a building even more imposing than the royal palace.
Once the works were completed, Alexandru Villara gifted the house to his daughter Elena as a wedding present to the politician Scarlat Kretzulescu. He undertook a series of renovations aimed at significantly beautifying the residence. An admirer of the wonders of Paris, Scarlat Kretzulescu developed a keen taste for beauty, which led him to add wrought iron railings to the balcony and along the main staircases, and to partially replace the flooring with beautifully decorated rosewood.
Silverware, furniture, porcelain, French and Italian paintings: under Scarlat Kretzulescu’s influence, the building became more elegant. The richly carved libraries are filled with a variety of books. The exteriors also transformed. A greenhouse was set up, and exotic flora flourished in the garden. In this oasis of beauty, Scarlat Kretzulescu even introduced an ibis from Egypt.
For his notable contribution to the beautification of the place, the man gave his name to the building, now called the “Scarlat Kretzulescu House.” He passed away in 1874, and his brother Constantin inherited it before selling to Baron Frank, the director of the Central Bank of Romania.
Transformation into a State House
In 1902, the building changed function, transitioning from a private residence to a state property. Its last owner, Baron Frank, sold the house to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction. The building underwent many changes between 1902 and 1963. It was first designated for the University of Bucharest, where it became the electrical laboratory led by the scientist Dragomir Hurmuzescu. Until 1948, it had various functions: a boarding school for girls, the library of the German embassy, and then the headquarters of the Romanian-Russian museum from 1948 to 1963, before the museum was dissolved.
The Kretzulescu House Hosts the Museum of Romanian Literature
In 1967, the Museum of Romanian Literature, initially based in the Toma Stelian House, was relocated to the Scarlat Kretzulescu House. The museum held over 300,000 items, organized into 250 collections (manuscripts, documents, photographs). Some displayed items were over 500 years old. The total value of the collection reached one billion euros. In 2002, the former owners claimed restitution of the building and were successful in 2014.
EFI Bucharest Continues the Legacy of the Kretzulescu House
Since 2019, the Casa Scarlat Kretzulescu has housed the Ecole Française Internationale of Bucarest, a member of the Odyssey International school network and accredited by the Ministry of National Education.
Our school draws its philosophy from the excellence of French education, multilingualism, international openness, and personal development. In a welcoming and dynamic environment, EFI Bucarest’s mission is to provide quality education to students of all nationalities, sharing together in the joys of learning.
Over the years, the building has been meticulously transformed to meet the needs of school life while preserving its rich heritage and historical charm. The result is a unique learning environment in Bucharest, where our students are inspired by both the past and the future— a future they are writing themselves. EFI Bucarest thus perpetuates the legacy of Casa Scarlat Kretzulescu in a lineage of excellence, knowledge, and education.
