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The lovely palace at MOGOSOAIA , 10km northwest of Bucharest along the DN1, is perhaps Wallachia's most important non-religious monument. Designed by Constantin Brancoveanu in 1698-1702, it's a two-storey building of red brick with a Venetian-style loggia overlooking a lake (Tues-Sun 10am-6pm). After Brancoveanu's execution the palace became an inn, then, after a fire destroyed the interior, a warehouse. While the interior of the palace - consisting of a series of furniture-less rooms, a rather naked modern art collection and a cellar full of pottery and stoneworks - is nothing special, the exterior is quite stunning, and the lush, atmospheric gardens alone make a visit worthwhile. Elizabeth Asquith, daughter of the British statesman and wife of Romanian prince Anton Bibescu (a descendant of Brancoveanu), is buried here; her epitaph reads: "My soul has gained the freedom of the night." Hidden away on waste ground behind the old kitchen wall is a mammoth statue of Lenin, removed from Piata Presei Libera and dumped here after the 1989 revolution; next to the prostrate Lenin is the statue of the former communist prime minister Petru Groza. The easiest way to get to Mogosoaia is by maxitaxi (heading for Buftea), or bus #460/461 from the Laromet tram terminus. A less enticing option is to take one of the five daily local trains (to Urziceni), although  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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this entails a 3km walk back along the tracks into the village. A good forty kilometres west of the city (on the DJ401A, between the old DN7 and the newer motorway to Pitesti) lies the small village of POTLOGI , site of another palace, built in 1698. This is one of the most beautiful of Brancoveanu's buildings, although not nearly as well preserved as the one at Mogosoaia, and well worth the slow, crowded one-hour bus ride (weekdays only) from Bucharest's Militari terminal.
Your Tips For Mogosoaia and Potlogi
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