Cărturești Carusel is a bookstore at 55 Lipscani Street in the old town of Bucharest. The building was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century by the Chrissoveloni banking family and served for decades as their bank headquarters before becoming a general store during the communist period. After the fall of communism in 1989, the building was abandoned and fell into decay until a five-year restoration and structural reinforcement project brought it back to life, opening in 2015. The space spans approximately 1,000 square meters across six floors, housing over 10,000 books, 5,000 albums and DVDs, a multimedia area in the basement, an art gallery on the first floor, and a café-bistro at the top. The name translates as "Carousel of Light," a reference to the sinuous shape of the floors, which creates a dynamic atmosphere reminiscent of a moving carousel. Its global reputation is well established: 75 people contributed a combined 20,000 hours of work over five years to rebuild and customize every detail, producing a result considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
The store has been featured in The Telegraph's ranking of the world's most beautiful bookstores and is frequently described as the most Instagrammable bookstore in the world.
In 2018, Cărturești was shortlisted for the Bookstore of the Year at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, and in 2021 the chain went on to win the title outright, with judges praising its sense of community responsibility and its strikingly converted building.
Cărturești Carusel stands today as a cultural, architectural, and touristic landmark of contemporary Bucharest.
