One of the oldest streets in Bucharest, the history of Lipscani begins in the 17th century when it was the link between the main central street in Saint George’s Square and Podul Mogosoaiei (nowadays Calea Victoriei). Like most streets in Bucharest until the late 19th century, it was paved with wood. In fact, the last wood beams were replaced during World War I. Due to its central location, it played mainly a commercial role: it was lined with inns and the best shops with imported goods. The shops belonged to the merchants of various nationalities: Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian, Armenian, proof of how cosmopolitan Bucharest was. These shops used to be stocked up with merchandise from the famous market in the German town of Leipzig, which was named in Romanian “Lipsca”, giving this street its name.