In 1891, at the 25th anniversary of his reign, Charles I of Romania donated the necessary money to build a university close to his royal residence. Some 4 years later, the institution was ready for inauguration.

Among the objectives HM set for the university was building a library, which initially hosted 3,400 volumes, most of which were donated by His Majesty himself (this being the first university library); facilitating the study for undergraduate and for postgraduate degrees; providing bursaries for poor, though brilliant students; and also printing students’ works and PhD thesis. While in the beginning there was a pretty high control from the side of His Majesty, after gaining some experience, the institution also gained more independence.

The number of students grew steadily, so by 1914, a second building, the one in today’s University Square, had been bought. Both buildings were designed by the French architect Paul Gottereau, an influential architect in Bucharest of that time (his are also the plans for the headquarters of the Economies’ House).

It is the achievement of HM Charles I that up until World War I, the University of Bucharest was able to make ends meet within its budget, as the Royal Family in fact administered its finances and made sure to keep it without the reach of political parties. Charles I dies in October 1914, and his successor, a nephew of his, Ferdinand, decides under the pressure of the political parties to enter the war. Just a few months later, Bucharest and half of the country sees itself occupied by the allied armies of the Austrian empire and Bulgaria. The University of Bucharest had to stop any teaching and research activity during these times. After the war, the national currency was strongly devalued and the university could not maintain itself from its own budget, so it needed subsidies.