Bucharest, Romania: Former German Embassy

Back in the day, Germany had a very impressive embassy located right in the middle of Bucharest. It bordered what now is called Revolution Square, and it is a few steps from many major attractions.

According to the guides, the building comes with a story. Germany and Romania became Allies in World War II, so the building was quite important at times. Indeed, Romania might have been Germany's biggest ally in Europe. 

So it was rather surprising when Romania turned the tables. King Michael I opted to join the Soviet Union late in the war. Here's the dramatic part of the story. The German ambassador heard about the news, and walked out into the public square. It was there that he committed suicide. 

It's hard to tell what's happening at the Embassy, which is closed and in some disrepair. The grounds looks as if they were quite nice, but it was difficult to get an unobstructed view. When I tried to peak inside, I received some nasty words in a language I'd didn't understand from a guard. There was a notice on the wall that something new would be constructed on the site in the near future, but we know how that sometimes works. If anything, a fixed-up area would be a nice improvement on the state of the area in 2023. 

Here's the story of the defection: