Curtea Nouă

Alexander Mourousis welcoming the British ambassador in Curtea Nouă

Curtea Nouă (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈkurte̯a ˈnowə], New Court) was the residence of the Princes of Wallachia between 1776 and 1812.

Located near the Mihai Vodă Monastery, on Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, it was built between 1775-1776 during the rule of Alexander Ypsilantis, and it meant to replace the old princely court at Curtea Veche.

Curtea Nouă was described as being in Byzantine style, having three floors, four staircases and three towers. The palace burnt to the ground in 1812 and became known as Curtea Arsă ("Burnt Court").

In the 20th century, archeologists discovered under the place where the palace stood two cellars and two secret passages.

References

• Florian Georgescu et al., Istoria Oraşului Bucureşti, Muzeul de Istorie a Oraşului Bucureşti, 1965, p. 227