While walking down Victoriei Boulevard accompanied by a resident from the Civic Centre, a shocking element stands out in the boulevard landscape, somehow ruining the familiarity of the area. It is a hotel that has been built on the premises of a former kindergarten. The presence of children in the bygone days, of blue napkins and, finally, the idea of a common space have been replaced with the signs of privatisation: the poles on the pavement delineate the hotel area, the private nature of the car park.
“This used to be a kindergarten; they took it away and transformed it into a hotel. Why did the kindergarten and nursery disappear? This corner, they didn’t manage to demolish it so strong it was built. A railway used to run here, and the Romanian Railways used to have a building. All these buildings... they were like bunkers in the basement, they weren’t able to demolish them. The kindergarten had one floor and you could hear the children from behind; they were all wearing blue napkins, they were so cute. And we used to enjoy walking by and seeing them call us: “Missus., missus.!”
