The National Bank (BNR) stands on the site of one of the most famous buildings in Romania: the Hanul Serban Voda, which from 1678 until 1883 was the home of various things, from a pub, to an inn to a dormitory for a nearby girl's school. After two fires gutted the building however, the land was levelled and in 1883 work began on the BNR, completed to the designs of French architects Cassien Bernard and Albert Galleron in 1885. The building boasts a facade with Corinthian columns, and an enormous central banking hall. You can take a tour of the building from Monday to Friday, for free, at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. You need to make a reservation at least two days in advance, send an email to muzeul@bnro.ro.