The Athenaeum is an architectural genre adopted in the wake of Romania’s extensive and accelerated processes of modernization at the end of the 19th century. Like many other civilizational forms of the West, it was introduced to span the developmental gap after the nation’s long Ottoman rule and emphasize the new direction towards humanistic values and a rational society. However, the Athenaeum did not retain the status of a foreign form but instead launched into motion the forces eager for emancipation and progress of Romania, playing an active role in the decisive stages of affirming its national identity.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/archandurb.2025.59.1-2.1
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