Following the 1977 Vrancea earthquake , Bucharest 's city center suffered significant damage , and a large number of historic buildings were demolished to make way for the new Centrul Civic ( '' Civic Center '' ; see systematization and Ceaușima ) . As part of the project , '' Bulevardul Unirii '' was to be Communist Romania 's answer to Paris 's '' Avenue des Champs-Élysées '' , with a length of 3,500 m. Construction began on June 25 , 1984 . Initially called '' Bulevardul Victoria Socialismului '' ( '' Victory of Socialism Boulevard '' ) , the road is lined with socialist-realist apartment blocks of North Korean inspiration
1977 Vrancea earthquake
1977 Vrancea earthquake
Bulevardul Unirii