When anti-communist revolutionaries stormed the House of Ceauşescu in 1989, they were shocked by the opulence they found. While they went cold and hungry under the austere policies of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, the country's leaders lived like royalty.

Much of the villa's contents were pillaged by protesters, but what remains is a reminder of these tumultuous events. Visiting the Ceauşescu Mansion is one of the best things to do in Bucharest for an arresting fix of cultural history.