Today packed with cafes - most of which offer hookah pipes and exotic tobaccos - Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse was built in 1891 as a conduit between Calea Victoriei – then the busiest street in the city – and the National Bank. It is named for a Catalan architect, Xavier Villacrosse, who from 1840-50 was the chief architect of Bucharest, and Mihalache Macca, son-in-law of the building’s architect, Felix Xenopol. It is covered with an arcade yellow glass roof to allow natural light, also intended to encourage commerce at street level. In other words, this was Bucharest’s first shopping mall. During the communist period the passage was known by the name Pasajul Bijuteriei (Jewellery Passage) and hosted the city’s largest jewellers. It’s original name was restored in 1990.
