2007The Old Bucharest - Souvenir Sheet

Romfilatelia, the company specialized in editing and trading Romanian postage stamps, introduces into circulation the postage stamp issue The Old Bucharest.

Lost in the mist of times, the legends about the founding of Bucharest bear till our present days the mystery of the first beginnings. And probably the most famous and widely accepted is the one of Bucur the Shepherd (Bucur Ciobanul).

The first mention of the existence of Bucharest settlement dates back to 20th of September 1459 and it is included in a letter patent of Vlad Tepes, whereas the oldest document which attests "the Citadel of the Throne Bucharest", dates from 14th of October 1465 and belongs to Radu the Handsome (Radu cel Frumos). Establishing the princely residence in Bucharest has had a decisive role in the subsequent evolution of the settlement. From the 15th century, the surface of the city is doubled and merchants’ districts appear in the Sf. Gheorghe, Unirii Square, Coltea and "Ulita Mare" areas, the Lipscani street of present days.