The University Square has been a major junction in the Romanian capital city since the early 19th century. This is basically where North, South, East & West intersect. In the roundabout stands the I. C. Bratianu monument, dedicated to one of Romania’s leading political personalities, a member of the nobility, prime minister between 1876 & 1888 and one of the main proponents of the independence of Romania. The original memorial was erected in his honour in 1903, when Romania was a monarchy. By 1948, the Communists had come to power and decided to take down and melt this reminder of the aristocracy. Thankfully, in 2019 it was remade from scratch and put back in the square.