Ateneul „Nicolae Bălănescu“

The Ateneu in Giurgiu had existed since 1886 as the first provincial branch of the Ateneul Român in Bucharest, but for half a century it had no premises of its own. In 1935 the lawyer, journalist and member of parliament Nicolae Bălănescu, born in the town in 1866, demolished his house and gave the land; the building went up in 1940 and carries his name. It is entered on the national register of historic monuments and remains the room Giurgiu uses for concerts — orchestral programmes were given there in April and September 2009.