05 Bucharest

Welcome to Bucharest
"Questionable Past - dynamic Future"

The booming city of Bucharest is a sophisticated metropolis with a high contrast of old- and new-world architecture. Nicknamed "Little Paris," Bucharest reflects a strong French influence in the 20th-century architecture, the locals' gravitation towards the high life, and the city's very own Arc de Triomphe. The Palace of Parliament is perhaps Bucharest's largest tourist attraction and the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. And while Romania's capital city may often get a bad reputation for its communist past, this funky town where industry meets cobblestone pedestrian streets is not to be missed.

Host City / Bucharest, Romania
Venue / The Romanian Athenaeum
Hosts / Maia Morgenstern and Marcel Iures

Participating countries / 21
Debuting countries / Moldova and Venezuela
Returning countries / Greece, Lithuania, Malta and Spain
Withdrawing countries / Albania, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and USA

Debuting players / Javier for Lithuania, Pedro for Venezuela, Sebastian for Moldova and Vasilis for Greece

Returning Artists

Anna Vissi / for Greece / placing 9th
Samira Said / for Morocco / placing 10th
Tijana Dapcevic / for Macedonia / placing 7th

The Result

Countries receiving most 12 points / United Kingdom, 4
Countries giving 12 points to the winner / Spain and Morocco
Countries receiving points from most juries / Romania, 14
Highest placing country not scoring a top mark / Macedonia in 4th place with 10 points from Malta as highest mark
Lowest placing country scoring a top mark / Israel in 18th place getting 12 points from Moldova

Again we had a very close voting sequence with the lead changing hands with almost every set of votes. In the end Romania became the first country to not only win twice, but also back-to-back. Spain won the silver after a tie with Slovenia, who eventually went home with the bronze. Macedonia and United Kingdom rounded out the top 5.

Romania has taken part in all 5 editions so far. Following a 12th place finish on their first participation, Romania has set the scoreboard on fire for the last four editions. They took the bronze medal in GM02 and followed that up with a silver medal in GM03 and their first gold medal in GM04. And now, on home soil, they claim victory yet again. Well done Romania, K1 and Adrian!