After the establishment of communism in Romania , the city continued growing . New districts were constructed , most of them dominated by tower blocks . During Nicolae Ceaușescu 's leadership ( 1965 – 89 ) , much of the historic part of the city was demolished and replaced by " Socialist realism " style development : ( 1 ) the Centrul Civic ( the Civic Centre ) and ( 2 ) the Palace of the Parliament , for which an entire historic quarter was razed to make way for Ceaușescu 's megalomaniac plans . On 4 March 1977 , an earthquake centered in Vrancea , about away , claimed 1,500 lives and caused further damage to the historic centre
earthquake centered in Vrancea
1977 Vrancea earthquake
Bucharest