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The Soseaua Kiseleff , a long avenue lined with lime trees, extends north from the Piata Victoriei towards the Herastrau Park and the Village Museum, the best of Romania's open-air museums of vernacular architecture, before heading out towards the airports and the main road to Transylvania. Modelled on the Parisian chaussees - though named after a Russian general - Soseaua Kiseleff is a product of the Francophilia that swept Romania's educated classes during the nineteenth century; it even has its own Arc de Triumf. Just east of Soseaua Kiseleff, the Zambaccian Museum , Str. Muzeul Zambaccian 21 (Wed-Sun 10am-6pm), is worth a detour. This little known museum houses a small but terrific collection of art accumulated by wealthy businessman Krikor H. Zambaccian (1889-1962), and is notable for its paintings by established Romanian artists such as Grigorescu, Andreescu and Lucian, and French artists Renoir and Matisse; it also houses the only painting in the country by Cezanne, as well as a few pieces of sculpture from Brancusi and Storck. About 1km north along Sos. Kiseleff you'll come to the Arc de Triumf , built in 1878 for an independence parade, and patched together in 1922 for another parade to celebrate Romania's participation on the winning side in World War I and the gains achieved at the Versailles peace conference. Originally made of wood, it was more fittingly rebuilt in stone in 1935-36, in the style of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Immediately beyond the Arc de Triumf is Herastrau Park , which is best reached by metro - the Aviatorilor stop is at its southeastern corner. Paths run past formal flower beds to the shore of Lake Herastrau , one of the largest of a dozen lakes strung along the River Colentina. These lakes were created by Carol II to drain the unhealthy marshes that surrounded Bucharest and form a continuous line across the northern suburbs. Arched bridges lead via a small and fragrant Island of Roses to a bar and restaurant, from where rowing boats can be rented. Also located within the park is the "Expo-market", a vast indoor shopping arena. The residential area east of the park is one of Bucharest's most exclusive. It is where the Communist elite once lived, cordoned off from the masses they governed; the Ceausescus lived in the Vila Primavera, at the east end of Bulevardul Primaverii. The area is still inhabited by technocrats, favoured artists and other members of the ruling elite
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