An eastern European city and capital of Romania, Bucharest gained notoriety through the dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, who fled the city when an uprising (the Romanian Revolution in 1989) threatened to depose him. In homage to himself, Ceausescu's legacy of vanity is the Palace of the Parliament (housing the National Museum of Contemporary Art), the 2nd largest building in the world, rivalled only by the Pentagon. The city has many examples of French style architecture like the Arcul de Triumf (Arc de Triomphe) which gained it the nickname "Paris of the East". However, in a blitz of destruction in the '80's when the dictator ordered a huge number of historic buildings to be razed to the ground to make way for the hideous Civic Centre, it is a miracle there is anything of interest left in Bucharest. With the city finally emerging from the clutches of Communism, Bucharest today is enjoying a retail boom and has an eclectic cultural life. The performing arts is one of the strongest cultural elements and theatre, concert halls, opera and music venues are dotted right throughout the city. Many excellent museums and art galleries (with world class collections), the neoclassical Romanian Athenaeum hosting classical music recitals and the National Museum of Art of Romania now thrive in the city which was once a barren desert. Like many great European cities, Bucharest is built on seven hills and has a small artifical lake in the centre which is surrounded by Cismigiu Gardens. Locals stroll the park and enjoy a green amenity right in the heart of the city. The historic Old Town, Lipscani, is now a bustling centre of open air cafes, bars (even Irish pubs!), local bistros and restaurants and is both a student haven and a tourist mecca. The city is enjoying a complete revival and, despite some grey reminders of socialism and bullet holes on the Piata Revolutiei, Bucharest is a thriving modern city with a huge heart and a lot to offer.