Pipera: from a Village Next to an Airfield to North Bucharest’s Office District
Pipera was a small village in Ilfov County, with 122 inhabitants in the late 19th century. Today it is a neighborhood of Voluntari, on the border with Sectors 1 and 2, with the metro station that ends line M2.
From Quartier du Nord The Gardens
- 2.5 km · about 33 min walk
- 2.5 km by car
Pipera is a neighborhood in the north of the capital, administratively part of Voluntari, in Ilfov County. It borders Sectors 1 and 2 of Bucharest and lies about 7 kilometers from the city center, according to Wikipedia. For someone living in the north, Pipera means the terminus metro station of line M2 and a boulevard leading to Tunari and Balotești.
A village in Ilfov
In the late 19th century, Pipera was a village in the commune of Băneasa-Herăstrău, in Dâmbovița district, Ilfov County. It had 122 inhabitants and the Saint Elijah Church (Biserica Sfântul Ilie). The village was also known as Tătărani.
In 1925, the village appeared in the commune of Colentina-Fundeni. From 1950, the villages of Voluntari and Pipera became part of the 1 Mai district of Bucharest, and in 1968 the two villages merged into one, Voluntari. Voluntari has been a town since April 2004.
Pipera Airfield
The Pipera airfield operated in the area. According to English-language Wikipedia, it was founded in 1915 and closed in 1958, on the northern edge of the city, near Voluntari. The runway was replaced by Bulevardul Dimitrie Pompeiu and an office building, while some hangars were preserved and incorporated into the aviation museum, inaugurated on March 18, 2006. The same article notes that the Pipera industrial zone stands on the site of the former airfield.
What you will find today
Bulevardul Pipera (Pipera Boulevard), formerly Șoseaua Pipera-Tunari, runs along county road DJ200B, which leads to Tunari and Balotești. Strada Erou Iancu Nicolae branches off from it, toward the Băneasa Zoo and the Police Academy. The Bucharest–Ploiești motorway (A3) passes through the partly wooded area that separates Pipera from the rest of Voluntari.
The Saint Elijah Church in Pipera-Tătăranu, from the 18th century, is the only local historic monument in Voluntari.
Transport
Pipera metro station opened in October 1987 and is the northern terminus of line M2. According to Wikipedia, the station is far from the village proper. An Economica.net article reports that in September 2025 a protocol was signed to extend M2 by about 1.6 km of double track and two new stations, on the Pipera–Petricani section.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pipera part of Bucharest?
No. Pipera is a neighborhood of Voluntari, in Ilfov County, but it borders Sectors 1 and 2 of the capital directly.
How do you get to Pipera by metro?
Take line M2 to Pipera station, the end of the line.
Where was Pipera Airfield?
On the northern edge of the city, near Voluntari. The runway was replaced by Bulevardul Dimitrie Pompeiu and an office building, and a few hangars are now part of the aviation museum.
