Revolution Square is located on Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue), north of Lipscani. Many monuments are located here, including: the National Museum of Art, the Romanian Athenaeum, a statue of Carol the 1st, and also the Central University Library of the University of Bucharest.
Up until 1989, this square was known as the Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej Square (President of Romania from 1961 to 1965). In December 1989, following the protests in the city of Timisoara, Ceaușescu, who was in Iran at the time, was forced to return to Romania on December 20th in order to calm the situation. The next day he delivered a speech from the balcony of the Central Committee building (also located in the Square). During his speech, the crowd began chanting revolutionary slogans, and Ceaușescu looked on in disbelief as his wife tried to calm the situation.
The presidential couple was forced to flee by helicopter. They were quickly caught north of Bucharest, convicted, and executed during a 45 minute television broadcast. Despite the departure of the death of the dictator, violence continued at Revolution Square, with a total of 600 deaths in Bucharest alone.
Many questions remain regarding the events of December 1989, with a lot of issues still unresolved. The murder of the communist leader seems to hide the interests of former State Security members (government offices), which allowed them to keep their positions in the government after the revolution. Similarly, many sources believe that the orders came from Russia, who Ceaușescu had turned his back on several years earlier.
In a tribute to those who fought for freedom, a monument was built in the Square in 2005. The Memorial of Rebirth is located opposite the famous balcony, and is inscribed with the names of the revolutionaries who died in the name of freedom and democracy. The monument has created mixed feelings among the Romanian population, due to it costing 5.6 million lei. For this reason, the last protests that took place in Bucharest were not held in the Square.