to the Romanian central government, while the city kept its part of the forest where the public garden was located. Later on, however, prime minister Ion C. Brătianu agreed to a request by the city council for the Buzău municipality to be given ownership over the entire Crâng forest: After taking over the forest, the city took steps to enlarge the public garden and create a large park. In 1890, three sculptures were placed in the park, Lion and boar, Lion and deer and Horseman attacked by lion. In 1897, the Crâng Restaurant building was erected. The Restaurant is built in an architectural style inspired by peasant houses from the Chiojdu region. At the same time, the lake was set up, with an island in the middle, and a bridge to provide access to the island. Also, a pavilion was prepared for a fanfare band to perform. Near the lake, the municipality built a water tower, to provide the city with running water. By 1898, the Park Boulevard was finished. The boulevard, nowadays named the Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard runs from the city center to the Crâng Park. At the time, it had five lanes, of which the center one was used by horse-driven coaches, two by pedestrians and the outer two were for horseback riders. Nowadays, the boulevard has two lanes for automobiles, and large sidewalks. The part of the boulevard next to the park is closed to the traffic on Sundays, to be used only by pedestrians. In 1922, a small church, named the St. Filofteea church was built. In 1957, the lake was expanded, and included two more islands, located East of the previous one. The initial island lost the bridge connection and became isolated. One of the new islands (the central one) is now connected to the mainland via a metal bridge. The Buzău 1600 Obelisk, designed by sculptor Gheorghe Coman, was inaugurated in 1976, to celebrate 1,600 years since Buzău's first recorded historical attestation. The obelisk is 26.8 meters tall and has a foundation 14 meters deep. Notes References Parks in Romania Buzău Tourist attractions in Buzău County