In 1905 Cincinat Sfinţescu was admitted to the National School of Bridges and Roads (Școala Națională de Poduri și Șosele) in Bucharest. Ever since his first year of study he obtained a scholarship from the Romanian Academy, the “Vasile Adamachi” Fund (1200 lei). He graduated in 1910, being ranked third out of 11 graduates of his year.
Starting with 1899, the National School of Bridges and Roads was managed by engineer Constantin Mironescu, who graduated from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (the National School of Bridges and Roads) in Paris and was one of the major contributors to the evolution of Romanian technical education. At his initiative, the school syllabus was enriched through the inclusion of several courses necessary to the Romanian engineers’ specialization, particularly with a view to an easier access to the labour market. Thus, during his studenthood, Cincinat Sfinţescu attended different disciplines supporting a thorough consolidation of an engineer’s practical knowledge, ranging from projective geometry and graphical statics to specialized courses like artillery, fortifications and military art. Well-known personalities such as Anghel Saligny, Spiru Haret and Grigore Cerkez were among his professors. During this period students also took part in activities concerning their professional practice in factories and oil and industrial installations.
A new “Vasile Adamachi” scholarship, this time for international training, was a decisive aspect for his professional training. Sfinţescu, together with his colleague Nicolae Muşat, obtained a scholarship for specialisation in urban planning; their internship took place in Berlin – Charlottenburg between 1910 and 1913. Sfinţescu undertook several study trips, the most important one was in the summer of 1912 when he visited numerous garden-cities throughout Europe. On that trip he visited The Garden Village Hull, New Earswick (York), Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool Garden Suburb, Port Sunlight, Harbore and Boumville (Birmingham), Letchworth, Hampstead and Ealing (London). As a result, the following year Sfinţescu published the first study in Romanian specialized literature focused on the theme of garden-cities. In his article, Sfinţescu not only translated Howard’s theory, but also discussed the manner in which it was applied in various cities that he visited. He minutely and carefully analyzed various themes of interest for the field of urban planning at that time; therefore, his research represented an authentic novelty for Romanian theory in a context in which such topics were not even approached by urban legislation as it rather focused on public space and on the relation established between buildings and this type of space (missing important themes for the conformation of the minor urban tissue).Ever since his last student year, Sfinţescu was appointed third-class engineer within the Romanian Railways Oil Pipelines Department, being promoted in 1914. It was during the same year that he started his engagement with the Municipality of Bucharest as Head of the Bucharest Planning Department; this experience played a major part in his training and recognition with respect to his urban planning career.
Relevant information for Cincinat Sfinţescu’s studenthood
Școala Națională de Poduri și Șosele din București (ŞNPŞ) (The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest)
Director Gh. Duca (April 1881-April 1888):
- it was founded to train engineers for public services
- the preparatory division was established – a preparatory and eliminatory year for the admission at ŞNPŞ; included courses in mathematics; since 1885 there was an entrance exam for this division
- during the first years, although 130 students were constantly registered, only 30 students, at the most, succeeded in graduating from the preparatory year and only 18 were admitted in the first year
- a 4-year period of study – with courses, drawing and projects
- a 3-week period for practice during the summer vacation – topography for the first-year students, then railways engineering works
- in 1885 military courses were also introduced; the graduates became lieutenants military engineers and the students wore uniforms at school
- the scholarships were granted for merit only to eminent students
- ŞNPŞ functioned as a boarding school for all the students
- the admission was based on the baccalaureate and an admission exam for the Preparatory Division and for the first year of study
- since 1890 the licentiates acquired the right to be admitted in the Technical Corps with an engineer’s degree; the ŞNPŞ Committee was established in order to certify the Romanian and foreign diplomas (until 1890 the ones who graduated from ŞNPŞ were admitted to the Technical Corps as engineering interns, only the ones who graduated from foreign schools were admitted directly as engineers)
- in 1905 the school guidelines were approved; they remained valid until its transformation into the Polytechnic School in 1920
- the professors and several students received distinctions at the Romanian General Jubilee Exhibition in 1906, opened on the occasion of celebrating 40 years since King Carol’s arrival in Romania
- there was an average of 9 engineers in the graduation series from the period 1906-1909
Courses held at ŞNPŞ at that time
Projective geometry and graphical statics - Prof. Constantin Mironescu
(B.A. in Mathematics and Law from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Paris; director of ŞNPŞ until 1915)
Bridges and foundations - Prof. Anghel Saligny
(1854-1925, he graduated from The Polytechnic School in Charlottenburg; Chief Engineer for the construction of the Adjud-Târgul Ocna railway line, Chief of the Romanian Railways Bridges and New Works Department; Docks Chief Engineer at Brăila and Galaţi and at the Feteşti-Cernavodă-Saligny railway line; General Director of the Romanian Railways; General Director of Bridges and Water Transport; General Director of Land Reclamations; President of the Superior Technical Council; President of the Polytechnic Society; President of the Romanian Academy; Minister of the Public Works in 1918-1919; constructor of the “King Carol I” Bridge over the Danube at Cernavodă; honorary professor of the School since 1914 – the first time when this distinction has been granted)
Electrical engineering – Prof. Nicolae Vasilescu-Karpen
(He graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest and The School of Electricity in Paris, with a Ph.D in Physical Sciences; former professor at Lille University; director of ŞNPŞ between 1918 and 1920. He is the one who transformed the institution into the Polytechnic School and was its first rector for a period of 20 years, until 1938; member of the Romanian Academy)
Mineralogy, metallurgy and geology – Prof. Constantin Botea
(Engineer, he graduated from The Mining School in Paris; director within the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and State Domains, professor until 1908)
Railways – Prof. Mihail M. Romniceanu
(Director of the Romanian Railways New Works Department, member of the Romanian Academy)
Topography, levelling, notions of geodesy, technology and machines generally used in construction – Prof. Grigore Cerkez
(1850-1927, architect, he graduated from The Central School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris; member of the Superior Technical Council, General Director of the Postal Service, Telegraphy and Telephones, professor at the School of Architecture; director of ŞNPŞ in 1889 and between 1919 and 1920)
Rational mechanics – Prof. George Kirilov
(?-1908, B.A. in Mathematics, Paris)
Rational mechanics – Prof. Andrei Ioachimescu
(He graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest, B.A. in Mathematics, Paris)
Chemistry – Prof. Grigore Pfeiffer
(Ph.D. in Chemistry, Zurich)
Hydraulics – Prof. Ioan Baiulescu
(1852-1911, engineer, he graduated from The Polytechnic School in Vienna, being ranked first out of 276 graduates; Secondary Chief of the Construction Department for the Feteşti-Cernavodă-Saligny railway line; Railway Maintenance Manager; professor until 1911)
Analytical geometry – Prof. Spiru Haret
(1851-1912, the first Romanian holding a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences of the Sorbonne University; Minister of Public Instruction and Culture for almost 11 years; founder of exact sciences high schools; member of the Romanian Academy; professor until 1911)
Elementary mathematics and analysis – Prof. David Emanuel
(Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences in Paris)
Industrial physics – Prof. Nicolae Cerkez
(He graduated from The National School of Arts and Manufacture in Paris; director of the Hydraulic Department; professor until 1911)
Physics – Prof. Dionisie Many
(1866-1920, B.A. in Physical Sciences, Paris; General Secretary at the Ministry of State Domains and Finances; Director of the School Museum)
Steam engine machines construction – Prof. Teodor Dragu
(1848-1925, he graduated from The National School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris, engineer at the Romanian Railways, director of the Cernavodă-Constanţa railway, director of the Romanian Railways Workshop and Traction Department, director of the Paper factory in Câmpulung, member of the Superior Technical Council; president of the Polytechnic Society, professor until 1915)
Internal and maritime navigation – Prof. I.B.Cantacuzino
(?-1929, he graduated from The Polytechnic School in Zurich; director of the Romanian Railways New Works Department, the Hydraulic Department and the Port of Constanţa; member of the Superior Technical Council, professor until 1910)
Graphical works and material resistance – Prof. Hermann O. Sclawe
(he graduated from The School of Civil Engineering of the Gand University; engineer at the Docks Department and the Port of Constanţa; director of the Docks Department, agent of the central powers during the war; General Director of the Romanian Railways during the enemy occupation; professor until 1915; teaching assistants Traian Lalescu and Gh.Em. Filipescu)
Building materials technology and construction procedures - Prof. Emil Balaban
(1857-1921, he graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Paris; subdirector of the Port of Constanţa, director of the Romanian Railways New Works Department and Commercial Department, director of the Postal Service and Telegraphy; member of the Superior Technical Council, professor at the School of Road Surveyors; director of ŞNPŞ between 1915 and 1919, professor until 1919)
Municipal administration, trigonometry, bridges and civil construction – Prof. Elie Radu
(1853-1931, he graduated from The School of Civil Engineering of the Brussels University; honorary member of the Romanian Academy; president of the Superior Technical Council; General Director at the Ministry of Public Works; he supervised the building of the 650 km-long Târgu Ocna-Comăneşti-Palanca railway line; he coordinated the construction of the 8 bridges over the Siret river; he coordinated the creation of the groundwater storage point at Bragadiru - unique in Europe - the water supply of large Romanian cities, the design of approximately 60 railway stations and the building of the Ministry of Public Works) (In 1940 in Urbanismul Cincinat Sfinţescu expressed his regret of not having Elie Radu as teacher)
Installations and industrial exploitation – Prof. Nicolae Zanne
(He graduated from The National School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris; professor until 1916)
Fermentation industry – Prof. Iuliu Zanne
(1855-?, he graduated from The National School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris, General Secretary at the Ministry of State Domains and Public Works, member of the Superior Technical Council; professor until 1919)
Descriptive geometry and stereotomy – Prof. Nestor Urechia
(He graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Paris)
Drawing – Prof. Edgar Dupenex
(1866-?, he graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest; Chief of the Hydraulic Department Technical Bureau, director of the Technical Department of the Ministry of State Domains, professor until 1919)
Graphical work, bridge projects, industrial projects and graphical statics and material resistance – Prof. Ioan Ionescu
(He graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest, professor until 1914)
Graphical work - Prof. Dimitrie Văsescu
(?-1909, he graduated from The Superior School of Electricity in Paris, engineer at the Romanian Railways)
Political economy – Prof. Victor Fotescu
(1867-?, Ph.D. in Law, Paris)
Petroleum geology – Prof. Ludovic Mrazek
(?-1923, Ph.D. in Natural Sciences, member of the Romanian Academy)
Oil explorations – Prof. Victor Gutzu
(1871-?, he graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest, special studies in the oil industry in the U.S.A., engineer at the Ministry of State Domains and the Romanian Railways)
Oil industry – Prof. Constantin R. Mircea
(He graduated from the Mining School in Paris)
Hydraulics – Prof. Alexandru Davidescu
(?-1936, he graduated from The National School of Bridges and Roads in Paris, professor until 1936)
Artillery – General P. Vasiliu-Năsturel
(1854-1920, he graduated from The Polytechnic School in Paris and the School in Fontainbleau; director of The School of Applied Military Engineering and Artillery; director of the Army Pyrotechnics; he published works on the military field and natural history, professor until the cancellation of military courses in 1915)
Fortifications – Colonel Nicolae Săulescu
(General, professor until the cancellation of military courses in 1915)
Military Art – Lieutenant colonel Eracle Pretorian
(General, professor until the cancellation of military courses in 1915)
Class of 1910, according to the grade point average and with the functions owned in 1931:
Dumitrescu Nicolae, director of the Bridges and Roads Regional Branch in Timişoara
Sfinţescu, Cincinat, General Director of the Bucharest Public Works Department, professor at The School of Architecture
Muşat Nicolae, public works enterpriser in Bucharest
Palade Ştefan, director of the 8th Bridges and Roads Regional Branch
Paşcan Florea, engineer at the General Bridges and Roads Management in Bucharest
Jalba Teodor, deceased
Tipărescu Nicolae, public works enterpriser in Bucharest
Tudoran Mihail, division chief at the General Railway Construction Management in Târgu Jiu
Drăgănescu Mihail, deceased
Măinescu Gheroghe, main inspector at the LXI Inspectorate in Galaţi