Foișorul de Foc: the 19th-century fire lookout of Bucharest
Foișorul de Foc, the Fire Tower, is a 42-metre-high tower in Bucharest, standing between Obor, Calea Moșilor and Nerva-Traian. Built in the early 1890s as a lookout for spotting fires, it has housed a firefighters’ museum since 1963 and reopened in 2024 after restoration, a quirky stop among the city’s monuments.
Foișorul de Foc was also meant to be a water tower, but once it was built the local waterworks had no pumps strong enough to fill it. It stayed a fire lookout instead.
The history of Foișorul de Foc
The story of Foișorul de Foc begins with the tower it replaced. Turnul Colței, a tall tower built between 1709 and 1714 beside the Colțea hospital with the help of Swedish soldiers, was the highest building in Bucharest for more than a century. An earthquake in 1802 destroyed its upper part, and although the upper floors were rebuilt in wood and the tower went on serving as a watchtower, it was damaged again by the earthquakes of 1829 and 1838. In 1888 it was demolished completely.
Bucharest needed a new lookout from which watchmen could spot fires across the roofs, and the new tower rose within a few years. Foișorul de Foc was built in the early 1890s to plans by George Mandrea, then chief architect of Bucharest. The sources give slightly different years, from 1890 to 1892, but they agree on the designer and on the purpose. It stands 42 metres high, at the crossing of Traian street and Regele Ferdinand boulevard, in the middle of a small square that carries its name and where several other streets meet.
The tower was meant to do two jobs. Besides serving as a fire lookout, it was conceived as a water tower. In practice, once it was finished, the local waterworks, the Grozăvești water plant, did not have pumps powerful enough to fill it, so the second role never worked and the building remained a watchtower.
The firefighters used it until 1935. By then more and more tall buildings were going up in Bucharest, which blocked the view, and the arrival of telephony made a watch tower unnecessary. Since 1963 the building has been a firefighters’ museum, known today as the National Firefighters’ Museum. Its collection covers military and civil firefighters, the equipment used to fight fires as technology advanced, and the acts of courage of firefighters during floods, earthquakes and other emergencies. The tower is a listed historic monument. Restoration work started in 2021, and the museum reopened in September 2024.
Curiosities about Foișorul de Foc
- The tower was designed with a second purpose in mind, as a water tower, but the local waterworks had no pumps strong enough to fill it.
- Its predecessor, Turnul Colței, was reportedly the tallest building in Bucharest for over a century and was built with the help of Swedish soldiers of King Charles XII.
- Turnul Colței was demolished in 1888, and Foișorul de Foc was built only a few years later to take over its role as a lookout.
- The sources give the construction date as 1890, 1891–1892 or 1892; they agree it was built in the early 1890s to plans by the city’s chief architect, George Mandrea.
- Firefighters stopped using it as a lookout in 1935, when taller buildings and telephony made it ineffective.
- Romanian Wikipedia names three other firefighters’ museums elsewhere in the country, at Jimbolia, Teremia Mare and Lipova.
Tours near Foișorul de Foc
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Foișorul de Foc: what to see
- The tower itself is the main sight: a 42-metre lookout tower rising from a small square.
- Inside, the National Firefighters’ Museum displays material on military and civil firefighters and on firefighting equipment through the ages.
- The museum reopened in September 2024 after restoration, so exhibits and access may differ from older descriptions; check the current opening hours before you go.
- Next to the tower stands the Oborul Vechi church, and the Obor area and Calea Moșilor are close by.
- The nearest other places on this site are Kretzulescu Church, Radu Vodă Monastery and Stavropoleos Monastery, each about 2 km away, and Antim Monastery, about 3 km.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Foișorul de Foc is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Foișorul de Foc
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Questions
What is Foișorul de Foc?
It is the Fire Tower of Bucharest, a 42-metre-high tower built in the early 1890s as a lookout for spotting fires. It now houses a firefighters’ museum.
Where is Foișorul de Foc?
It stands in Bucharest, between Obor, Calea Moșilor and Nerva-Traian, at the crossing of Traian street and Regele Ferdinand boulevard, next to the Oborul Vechi church.
Who designed Foișorul de Foc?
George Mandrea, the chief architect of Bucharest at the time, drew up the plans.
Was Foișorul de Foc a water tower?
It was designed to be one as well, but the Grozăvești waterworks had no pumps strong enough to fill it, so it served only as a lookout.
When did Foișorul de Foc stop being used by firefighters?
In 1935, when taller buildings in the city and the arrival of telephony made a watch tower ineffective. It became a firefighters’ museum in 1963.
Is Foișorul de Foc open to visitors?
The museum reopened in September 2024 after restoration, but opening arrangements can change, so check the current opening hours before you go.
Also nearby
Kretzulescu Church
Bucharest · Brâncovenesc church by Revolution Square
2 km away
Stavropoleos Monastery
Bucharest · 1724 Brâncovenesc church and nuns’ monastery
2 km away
Radu Vodă Monastery
Bucharest · monastery on a hill settled since prehistory
2 km away
Antim Monastery
Bucharest · 1715 monastery with carved stone and a snail emblem
2.5 km away