The Hill of Cotroceni was once covered by the forest of Vlăsia, which covered most of today's Bucharest. Here, in 1679 a monastery was built by Șerban Cantacuzino, later to be transformed into a palace in 1888 by KingCarol I. Houses were built in the area near the palace by the royal servants and by high-ranking military personnel.
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Carol I also build a royal train station named Gara Cotroceni [ro] near the palace. The train station was relocated by the communist regime and was later used for transporting materials for the construction of Casa Poporului.[2]