Under the reign of Ceausescu, Romanian writers, artists and performers suffered censorship and prosecution. However, many (such as writers Norman Manea and Herta Müller) fled the country. Nowadays, with the arrival of capitalism, artists and intellectuals will be facing a new danger, which Manea terms 'economic censorship'. However, with a strong artistic tradition and resilience, Bucharest prevails as the beating heart of Romania's cultural and artistic activity.

Listings and information on cultural events in Bucharest are available online at www.sapteseri.ro.

Music: One of the most magnificent places to hear classical music performed is at the Ateneul Roman (Romanian Athenaeum), Strada Franklin 1-3 (tel: (021) 315 6875, website: http://fge.org.ro). This splendid 19th-century building (looking like Bucharest's answer to London's St Paul's Cathedral) presents a fairytale backdrop, splendid acoustics and plays host to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and other leading groups. The lobby has a beautifully painted ceiling decorated in gold leaf.

Classical chamber music concerts also take place at the Sala Radio (Radio Room), Strada General Berthelot 60-64 (tel: (021) 303 1211). Outdoor summer concerts are held in Cismigiu and Tineretului parks.

Theatre: The enormous Theatrul National (National Theatre), Bulevardul Balcescu 2 (tel: (021) 314 7171; website: www.tnb.ro), is Bucharest's theatrical heart. Classic and contemporary plays are performed in three auditoria - but almost always in Romanian. A theatre that bridges the language barrier is the excellent Tandarica Puppet Theatre, Strada Eremia Grigorescu 24 (tel: (021) 315 2377). With shows for both children and adults, the action is easily followed without understanding Romanian. Tickets for both venues are great value.

Dance: Ballet can be seen at the Opera Romana, Bulevardul Mihail Kogalniceanu 70-72 (tel: (021) 314 6980; website: www.operanb.ro), which is used by two ballet companies. Ballet, as well as modern dance, is also performed at the 'Ion Dacian' Operetta Theatre, Bulevardul Nicolae Balcescu 2 (tel: (021) 313 6348; website: www.opereta.ro). For traditional Romanian dance, see Nightlife.

Film: Foreign films are generally shown in the original language with Romanian subtitles. Current film listings are available in Romanian-language Sapte Seri magazine, free in Bucharest bars or online (website in English: www.sapteseri.ro). Tickets are cheap by western standards, and even cheaper for cinematecas (see below). Older cinemas line Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta and Bulevardul General Magheru, while state-of-the-art ones include Cinema Pro, Strada Bratianu 6 (tel: (021) 824 1360), City Plex, Sos Oltenitei 2 (tel: (021) 319 8226, website: www.cityplex.ro) and Hollywood Multiplex, Bucuresti Mall, Calea Vitan 55-59 (tel: (021) 327 7020; website: www.hmultiplex.ro), with eight screens. Cinemas showing old movie classics are called cinematecas, such as the Cinemateca Eforie, Strada Eforie 2 (tel: (021) 313 0483), above Café Indigo.

Romanian film is undergoing a powerful renaissance this decade, with new directors like Cristian Mungui (whose 2007 film 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days won a Palme d'Or) and Cristian Nemescu whose 2007 film California Dreamin' (Endless) explores Romanian attitudes to American involvement in the Balkans. Some overseas films have been shot on location in mountainous areas of Romania, including Borat and Cold Mountain.

Literary Notes: Bucharest's cultural heyday ran from the last half of the 19th century to the first few decades of the 20th, when its thriving cafe society produced poets, writers and philosophers galore. The man seen as having given birth to these literary glory days is Romania's national poet, Mihai Eminescu (1850-89). The epitome of a Romantic poet, his verses celebrated Romania's history and folklore, at a time when it was struggling to develop a culture independent of foreign influence. His most famous poem, Luceafarul (The Evening Star) has become a classic of Romanian literature. Eminescu belonged to Bucharest's Junimea (Youth) literary society, dedicated to discussing Romania's cultural direction. In recent years, some of his works have been misinterpreted by some ultraconservative, xenophobic groups. A more light-hearted contemporary of Eminescu's, and co-member of Junimea, was the equally beloved playwright Ion Luca Caragiale (1852-1912), known for his absurd takes on urban Romanian life.

In the early 20th century, symbolist poets like Tristan Tzara (1896-1963) experimented with the meanings of words through their sounds. Tzara left for Zurich to form the Dada movement in 1916. He and other symbolist poets influenced the absurdist playwright, Eugène Ionesco (1909-94). Meanwhile, Romania's tradition of lyric poetry was continued by Ion Barbu (1895-1961) and Tudor Arghezi (1880-1967).

Between the World Wars, a generation of Socialist Realist writers emerged, including the novelists Liviu Rebreanu (1885-1944) and Mihai Sadoveanu (1880-1961). But after WW1, the shackles of communism forced many good writers to pursue their careers in the West - or be silenced. Some novelists who managed to break through the communist mould are Eugen Barbu (1924-93) with his 1957 novel Groapa (The Pit), about a seedy Bucharest neighbourhood, and Augustin Buzura (1938-) with 1984's Refugii (Places of Refuge), about life under Ceausescu. Although set in Timisoara, German-Romanian writer Herta Müller (1953-) gives a frightening portrayal of political and personal unrest during Ceausescu's reign, in The Land of Green Plums (1996), winner of the IMPAC Dublin literary award in 1998.

For a crash course in Romanian literary heroes, visitors should stroll around the Writers' Circle in Cismigiu Park, where busts of Romania's major writers have been erected.