Radio România Internațional

Tag: heritage

  • Culture and Cultures

    Culture and Cultures

    The Designers, Thinkers, Makers Association has created a program labelled “Culture and Cultures”. Its eventual aim is to highlight Romania’s cultural heritage. The program also seeks to revitalize Romanian culture, with special emphasis on promoting UNESCO sites and the local values, more often than not less well-known to the public.

    Initial steps have already been taken, to that effect, with the completion of the audio tour of Biertan.

    Architect Alexandra Mihailiciuc is the Association’s cultural programs coordinator Here she is, telling us where they started from and what the stages of the programs were.

    “This program, “Culture and Cultures”, we thought it out as some sort of cultural revitalizatio we have built in a bid to protect and capitalize on the values of Romania’s cultural heritage. It somehow speaks about culture, about the various ethnic cultures, but also about culture in its basic accepting, connected to the ground, that is about the territories around the house, the manor house, the village.

    Which means it’s equally about the care for our nearest but also about the care for the farthest, since they are tied by an umbilical cord. And the ultimate purpose of such a program, actually, is to use as many means as possible for the creation of a good climate, good for culture, and, at long last, good for the quality of life. Besides, one of the key components of this program is the education for heritage. We realized it matters for al social layers and for all ages.

    And I won’ t be mincing my words, saying that from our point of view, it is one of Romanian society’s emergencies. We see, around us, how much is being destroyed, how little the communities take responsibility for the heritage, how little it is loved and understood and how little it is capitalized on.

    This program has several cultural projects. The project we’ve carried this year, “Heritage Lab. Connecting the Dots”, is just one of the projects of this programs, which also has three streams: education, research and design.

    Architect Alexandra Mihailiciuc, the Designers Thinkers Makers Association’s cultural programs coordinator also gave us details on their work:

    “This year we have sought to think out the program which special emphasis laid on the cultural heritage of Transylvania’s Hills, especially of the UNESCO village of Biertan and the village of Chirpar, in a bid to highlight this valuable cultural heritage of the region and get the lay public acquainted with all that is unknown yet valuable, so, in a way, with everything that somehow exists yet it is not capitalized on. And we thought it would be better to begin with a UNESCO site, since UNESCO sites are the spearhead of world heritage, humankind’s most cherished treasures. And yet, with us, in our country, they haven’t just as yet been appropriated by the collective mindset. “

    A summer school followed, themed “Heritage Lab”, a school with a theoretical component whereby students surveyed the UNESCO sites, wrote about them, made their drawings, created interpretation materials, yet the school had a practical component as well, that of working with their own hands, where they learned how the traditional historical plastering is made, with lime, with sand, how the correct brick-based masonry is being made, architecture students needing these labs, these construction sites, so they can be prepared for their professional future.

    Alexandra Mihailiciuc once again:

    “ We have created two audio tours for the Biertan site and the village of Chirpar, bi-lingual, Romanian and English, and here we are, we even succeeded to launch the digital tour of UNESCO Biertan’s fortified church, with a program which, I believe, is multifarious, including the presentation of the project, going through the stations for the area’s relevant projects, but also an organ concert.

    The space was flooded by Transylvanian music of various timeframes, belonging to the Romantic period, somehow in tune with the age of the organ in the fortified church. But the novelty of it all was the fact that that organ concert actually turned into a musical workshop or into a musical living room, just like that, revolving around the organ, where we’ve been explained the working system and where little sound incursions have been performed, into the multiple qualities of this instrument.

    Those who came could go through the rest of the stations scattered all around the village, since that’s exactly the underlying idea, for us to invite tourists to discover not only the fortified church, but also everything around it, considering Culture and Cultures.

    And that is how they can take the journey, visiting one station after the next, about UNESCO and the sister churches about the village apothecary, which seems to be the first such store in rural Transylvania, about customs and traditions, about the multiculturalism of the place, about decorations, about, why not, Via Transilvanica cutting through the centre of the village. “

    Then an exhibition follows, about the precious Chirpar ceramics, the Stork Culture Workshops in Bucharest, a string of exhibitions, of film screening evenings, of architecture and craftsmanship and of workshops, also related to cultural heritage.

  • Walking on Brâncuși’s route in Gorj County

    Walking on Brâncuși’s route in Gorj County

    UNESCO included on its world heritage list, in 2024, the Heroes’ Path, a sculptural ensemble in Târgu Jiu made by Constantin Brâncuși. The ensemble includes four major works: The Table of Silence, the Alley of Chairs, The Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column. They were created and sculpted by the great Romanian sculptor between 1937 and 1938. The four works have been included in a cultural and tourist route, whose theme is culture, history, religion and monumental art. The route is called “The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and Gorj County’s cultural heritage.”

     

    Laura Dragu Popescu is the president of Gorjul Professional Tourism Employers’ Association. She told us that the objectives included in the route are the works of the great sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, to be found outdoors, in the city of Târgu Jiu. The route also includes the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul’s Church, the Sohodol Gorges, a traditional architecture museum, two famous monasteries, as well as memorial houses.

     

    So here we are travelling on Brâncuși’s route with our guide Laura Dragu Popescu: “If we were to interpret this monumental ensemble, we can say that, at the Table of Silence, the hero has the last supper with his family, before the battle. He then walks along the Alley of Chairs, where the chairs symbolize the persons who do not participate in the war. At the Gate of the Kiss, he gives one last embrace to his loved ones. After or during the battle, the hero’s soul travels to God. Man’s soul travels to God passing through Saint Apostles Peter and Paul’s Church. We then carry on along The Heroes’ Path with the road taking us to the Endless Column. This is how we can interpret this axis, which is part of the Cultural and Artistic Route called ‘The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and Gorj County’s cultural heritage’. This route includes visits to the Constantin Brâncuși Memorial House in Hobița, to Polovragi Monastery, to Tismana Monastery along the Sohodol Gorges to the Memorial House of Maria Apostol, a local and very popular traditional music vocalist, to Lainici Monastery, to the Traditional Architecture Museum in Gorj, inCurtișoara, where a manor that belonged to Tătărăscu family can be visited.“

     

    Then in the city of Târgu Jiu, the Ecaterina Teodoroiu Memorial House and Mausoleum can be visited. Along this route, full of culture, history, religion and monumental art,a beautiful part of the historical and picturesque Gorj is presented: “It is a delight even for the most demanding tourist who goes to Gorj County and chooses to cover this route. Tourists who visited Gorj in the past return in very large numbers. This happens in the case of both individuals and groups, who opt for spending three nights and four days as part of this tourist program, in Gorj County.If tourists from abroad choose to come to the historic and picturesque Gorj county, they can land at Bucharest airport. There are many travel options from Bucharest to Târgu Jiu, from regular buses, which have daily departures from the Militari Bus Station to trains that leave Bucharest and pass through Târgu Jiu.”

     

    About 30 km from the county seat, Târgu Jiu, following this route, you will reach the Tismana Monastery, a place full of spirituality, a place recommended by Laura Dragu Popescu, president of the Gorjul ProfessionalTourism Employers’ Association: “The monastery was founded by Saint Nicodemus the Holy, from Tismana. Next to the monastery, there is the Gold Museum, a historical objective, made with the help of the National Bank. It is a return into history, it is the place where the Treasure of Romania once rested (during the Second World War) during years laden with pain for the Romanian people. Around the Tismana Monastery, there are very beautiful trails, up to three hours long. The longest route is three hours long and is done on the top of the mountain that leads to Cioclovina de Sus. This route is wonderful and can be covered by people with normal physical resistance. On the way to the Tismana Monastery, tourists can see the memorial house of the great artist from Gorj, Constantin Brâncuși. Tismana Monastery is a success story among the unique places in beautiful Romania. Lovers seek to see the moonrise at Tismana. They say that the most spectacular moonrise is on the mountains around Tismana locality. Gastronomy in Tismana is special, the locality hosting the Trout Festival, which is always celebrated on Annunciation Day, on March 25.”

     

    On the other hand, in the Curtișoara Village Museum, tourists can see the traditional architecture specific to the area. The oldest house exhibited here was built over 200 years ago and dates back to 1802. The museum also exhibits two churches, one of which was established in 1821. Laura Dragu Popescu gives us more details: “There are many elements that appeal to lovers of traditional houses. Both themed tours and many musical productions take place here. Inside the museum, there is a house called Casa Gheorghe Zamfir. In the house, you can see objects that belonged to the panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir. As a curiosity, one will find, within the premises of this museum, a traditional house with interesting architecture from the Gilort area. Inside, there are personal items of other popular artists known in our area. So, the new and the old are valued in this museum of traditional folk architecture in Gorj County. It is located quite close about ten km from Târgu Jiu.”

     

    The cultural-tourist route ‘The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and the Gorj county’s cultural heritage’ can be covered by tourists who love originality in every season of the year. Moreover, the statistical data confirm that Gorj county is doing very well in terms of the number of accommodation places. Hotels and guesthouses will give you the opportunity to stay in a safe destination from three to seven days, basically a good part of a vacation. And whoever comes to the historic and picturesque Gorj once, will surely return. (EN, LS)

  • IA Day, the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse

    IA Day, the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse

    Every year, on June 24, the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse – IA Day is celebrated by the Romanian communities all over the world. Aside from their timeless beauty, these blouses are special as valuable anthropological artefacts, communicating through hand-embroidered symbols the identity of their wearer. Whether it has large and colorful hand-made embroidery, or is simply white, it is a symbol of ancestral traditions and an value of the Romanian culture. Originally made from home-woven hemp cloth, it has always represented the main piece of traditional Romanian women’s clothing.

     

    As time passed, it began to be made of linen and silk thread, the festive ones, or of linen and hemp with cotton warp, the ones that were worn every day. The difference  between traditional blouses depended on the region, having different motifs and decoration techniques, passed down from one generation to another. As a rule, the colors used for sewing are in two or three chromatic shades, but they are also sewn entirely with black thread, as is the case of the blouses in Mărginimea Sibiului. In keeping with the specificity of the area, pastel colors, metallic threads, flowers, butterflies and beads are added, and the motifs used for decoration include flowers, geometric figures, animals, cosmic elements, all rendered in stylized forms.

     

    The online community “La Blouse Roumaine” proposed, in 2012, that June 24, when the birth of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated and the ancient feast of Sânzienele and Drăgaica is marked, should become IA Day, a day dedicated to the traditional Romanian women’s blouse, a good opportunity to promote a wonderful Romanian tradition and also to create a country brand recognized all over the world. On June 2013, the first edition took place with the theme “Fairies dress the Planet in IE”, which triggered a real cultural movement and revived the traditional Romanian blouse and costume.

     

    This year, the theme of the Universal Day of IA was “A New Beginning – Give Credit”, all international fashion brands being invited “to come to Romania, respect our culture and if they want to be inspired, recognize the origins and involve creatively the people who, from generation to generation, have created, enriched, preserved and passed on the IA, the blouse and our traditional garment”, La Blouse Roumaine said in a Facebook post.

     

    The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse is currently celebrated in over 60 countries and 130 localities, with hundreds of events organized annually. The event entered the program of museums and cultural institutions in the country and abroad, being marked by both Romanian embassies and diplomatic missions, and, starting December 1, 2022, elements of “The art of the high-necked shirt – an element of cultural identity in Romania and the Republic of Moldova” have been included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

     

    This year, on this special day, Romanians from all over the world wrote history in Nuremberg, as the “Dumitru Dorin Prunariu” Romanian-Moldavian-German Cultural Center in Germany managed to enter the World Book of Records twice: for the longest Romanian traditional belt manufactured in three months, which measures 1,667.41 meters and for the heaviest traditional belt, which weighed 70 kilograms. The item was measured by a Book of Records delegation. More than 1000 people from numerous organizations, from New Zealand to the Republic of Moldova, participated in its manufacturing. (EE)

     

  • February 20, 2024 UPDATE

    February 20, 2024 UPDATE

    HERITAGE – Three prehistoric gold bracelets, from Romanian archaeological sites, were brought to the country on Tuesday by Romanian prosecutors and police. The objects were taken over from a museum in Antwerp, Belgium. The jewelry, protected by law as movable cultural assets of great value, had been stolen by unknown persons. The Belgian judicial authorities signaled the appearance of the three bracelets in an auction’s catalogue in Monte Carlo, and the Romanian police officers with the Service for the Protection of the National Cultural Heritage initiated procedures to retrieve them. The bracelets are now in the custody of Romania’s National History Museum.

     

    ELECTIONS – The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party in Romania’s ruling coalition are meeting again on Wednesday to decide on whether to merge this year’s elections, after the talks so far have failed. The Liberals want the local elections to take place this summer concurrently with the elections for the European Parliament, while the Social Democrats want the parliamentary elections due this autumn to be held jointly with the second round of the presidential election. Save Romania Union, in opposition, threatened to take any legislation merging the elections to the Constitutional Court. This year all 4 types of elections are scheduled in Romania (local, parliamentary, and presidential ballots, and elections for the EP).

     

    POLL – 50% of Romanians would agree with merging the elections, while a third consider it a bad idea, according to the results of a CURS survey made public on Tuesday. As regards the voting intention, if the European Parliament elections were held next Sunday, the PSD (the main party of the ruling coalition) would get 31%, followed by the PNL (also in power) and AUR (the nationalist opposition) – with 20% each. Also for the opposition, the United Right Alliance, formed by USR, PMP and the Force of the Right would get 13%. The populist party SOS Romania and UDMR would be below the electoral threshold, with 4% each. If PSD and PNL had joint lists of candidates for the European Parliament elections, they would get 50% of the votes, according to the recent survey.

     

    HEALTH – Some 3.3 million sick leaves were given in Romania last year, which is significantly below the over 4 million reported in 2022. Most sick leaves were taken by cancer patients and pregnant women. The head of the National Health Insurance Agency, Valeria Herdea, says this is not about the number of sick leave days taken by people, but about the fact that many citizens have health problems. Recently, the government has issued an order introducing a 10% tax on sick leave allowances. The authorities argued this was to discourage the practice of taking sick leaves for minor health problems. But the order triggered discontent especially among cancer patients. The Senate withdrew the provision, and the order is to be discussed next in the Chamber of Deputies.

     

    AUTOMOTIVE – The Romanian automotive market will likely see a moderate 5% growth this year, the Romanian Automobile Producers and Importers Association (APIA) announced. The Association expects electric vehicle sales to continue to increase, and sales of diesel vehicles to drop in 2024.

     

    MISSION – The European Union has launched its own naval mission to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Romania may also take part in the mission. Greece will provide a commander for its operational headquarters, while Italy will provide the force commander. According to the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani, since November Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial vessels on this route, allegedly in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza.

     

    MIGRANTS – Five citizens from Turkey, who attempted to illegally cross the border from Serbia into Romania, with the intention of reaching Western Europe, were caught by the Romanian border police. The migrants, aged 26 to 50, said they were heading for Italy.

     

    TABLE TENNIS – The Romanian men’s team have qualified to the round of 32 of the world table tennis championships in Busan, South Korea, after defeating Iran, 3-1 on Tuesday. On Monday, the Romanian women’s team went straight into the eighth-finals. Taking part in the men’s and women’s competition in South Korea are 40 teams. The top 8 teams at the World Championships are qualified in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. (EE)

  • L’héritage latin des Roumains

    L’héritage latin des Roumains

    Mais la contribution d’autres ethnies dans la formation de la nation roumaine d’aujourd’hui ne saura évidemment être ignorée. Davantage encore, les chercheurs s’attachent de comprendre au mieux la trace laissée par ces sources multiples dans l’imaginaire collectif, à travers les structures sociales qu’elles avaient développé à un moment donné, par exemple. Le président en exercice de l’Académie roumaine, l’historien Ioan-Aurel Pop, prône une approche critique face au concept d’identité nationale. Ecoutons-le :« Il faudrait essayer de comprendre un peu mieux qui on est, ce qu’on est, ce que nous avons hérité de nos ancêtres. Il faudrait accepter de mettre en doute les idées reçues. Mais une chose est sûre : nous sommes parvenus à durer, nous ne nous sommes pas laissés fondre dans les populations, dans les ethnies avec lesquelles nous avons eu de longues périodes de cohabitation : les Huns, les Gépides, les Avares, les Petchenègues, les Cumins. Et cela même en dépit de notre taille, car nos Etats ont toujours été d’une taille plutôt dérisoire, nous sommes parvenus à durer et à nous développer. »

    Mais, au fond, qui sommes-nous, nous, les Roumains ? Ioan-Aurel Pop : « A cette question, je répondrais que nous pouvons nous définir par notre langue, par nos patronymes, par la manière dont nous avons embrassé le christianisme. Et ces éléments nous rattachent à l’Occident. En revanche, si l’on regarde la nature du culte orthodoxe pratiqué en Roumanie, l’emploi de la langue slavonne et de l’alphabet cyrillique dans la pratique religieuse et dans les actes officiels issus au Moyen Âge, l’on se rend compte de notre appartenance à l’espace byzantin et de l’influence exercé par l’espace slave. Néanmoins, la latinité de la langue roumaine demeure un élément essentiel de notre identité nationale, surtout dans cette partie du monde ».

    Et il est vrai que partager une même langue définit souvent l’appartenance à une même nation. Ioan-Aurel Pop ajoute que les voyageurs étrangers qui visitaient l’espace roumain au Moyen Age remarquaient souvent la conscience des habitants de leur appartenance à un espace de latinité : « Les sources, il faut les prendre telles quelles. Sans faire de tri. En tant qu’historien, si j’aime avoir une image d’ensemble mettons du 16e siècle, je prends l’ensemble de sources, et j’essayes de reconstituer le puzzle. Je n’arriverai certainement pas à remplir toutes les cases, et dans ce cas je peux aussi me lancer dans des supputations, mais l’idée est de disposer d’autant de sources que possible. Prenez, le voyageur Francesco della Valle racontait avoir été hébergé une nuit par les moines du monastère Dealu. L’on est en 1536. Et c’est là qu’il apprend pour la première fois l’histoire de l’arrivée des légions romanes du temps de l’empereur Trajan dans ce pays. Je n’ai pas de raison de mettre en doute la véridicité de ses dires. D’autant que je peux les corroborer avec ce que racontent d’autres voyageurs qui racontent à peu près la même histoire, « un tel me disait que les Roumains sont des Romans à l’origine ». »

    C’est d’ailleurs autour de cette origine latine commune que s’était constitué le sentiment national et c’est toujours autour de la latinité qu’a été bâti l’Etat moderne au 19e siècle. Mais la conscience collective de l’appartenance à cet espace de latinité existait depuis bien plus longtemps, selon le président de l’Académie roumaine : « Les fils lettrés de boyards arrivent à étudier dans les écoles jésuites polonaises. C’est là qu’ils apprennent l’origine latine des Roumains et de leur langue. Ils rentrent ensuite au pays, et travaillent au développement de cette conscience commune, agencée autour de la latinité. C’est donc grâce aux érudits, aux intellectuels que cette conscience a pu être bâtie de la sorte. La chronique de Cantacuzène faisait déjà mention de ces deux moments fondateurs distincts : la conquête par les légions romanes de Trajan de la Dacie, ensuite, un millénaire plus tard, la descente de Rodolphe Bessaraba dit le Noir, le fondateur de la principauté de Valachie aux dépens des Hongrois. Maintenant, c’est à se demander si les moines du monastère Dealu dont je parlais tout à l’heure faisaient partie de ces érudits. Une chose est certaine : ils avaient très bien accueilli Francesco della Valle et ses comparses italiens, qui ont été bluffés par la générosité de cet accueil. Ensuite, au 17e siècle, voyez cette délégation suédoise essayer de nuer des contacts avec la noblesse magyare d’Oradea et de Cluj, en utilisant le latin. Peine perdue. Les nobles magyares ne connaissaient que le hongrois. Mais ensuite, dès que les Suédois traversent les Carpates vers le sud, ils s’aperçoivent que d’un coup tout le monde parlait le latin, même les paysans. Un latin vulgaire certes et truffé de mots d’emprunt, mais un latin qui leur était compréhensible. Ils entendent lapte pour lactis, le lait, ils entendent noapte pour noctis, la nuit. Et lorsqu’ils demandent aqua, de l’eau, on leur rapporte apa. »

    L’origine latine de la langue roumaine, souvent contestée par ceux qui ne voyez pas leur intérêt dans cette continuité de l’existence de ce que deviendra la nation roumaine dans l’espace roumain, demeure malgré tout l’incontestable liant de l’identité nationale. (Trad. Ionut Jugureanu)

  • Cultural tourism in Romania

    Cultural tourism in Romania

    The interest has been growing, in Romania, for the old noble residences, in recent years. Whether we speak about the increasing number of those who are anxious enough to set about roaming the villages in search of old manor houses, of whether it’s about the entrepreneurs who embark themselves upon the adventure of restoring such buildings to their pristine beauty, a trend can be noticed, whose widening scope targets the rediscovery of Romania’s out-of-town nobles’ castles and residences. If we take into account the built cultural heritage market, Romania has a very great Advantage. Or at least that’s a what the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, says.



    We have natural landscapes with absolutely unique anthropic elements. The people I meet belong to the category of tourists who are in search of something a little bit more than the star-monuments. Were we a standard tourism agency, we would most likely visit Bucharest, we would take a one-day trip somewhere on the Prahova valley, ticking the Bran Castle, the Peles Castle and, if the case, the Danube Delta, if we have enough time on our hands. Instead, we offer authentic experiences, which means that, if we also head from Bucharest to the North, we can have a stopover at the Cantacuzino Estate in Florești. Located nearby Ploiesti, it is an impressive estate, with a surface area of 150 hectares, it is a former hunting park, with a promenade park, a main building and the outhouses. There we would not visit the place only; we would not just take a walk around the beautiful estate. Tourists can get to know members of the local community, children and youngsters in the commune where they turn up every week, whenever an activity is on offer, staged by the foundation that manages the estate, and that is how they can have the chance to discover the real Romania and can make the most of the freshness of ideas of those who have been living in the rural regions all their lives and whose connection with nature is different, they have a different angle of seeing things. I think it is the most beautiful and the most rewarding experience in tourism. Many times I’ve been asked to offer such experiences, mainly by our partners in Europe.



    In north-eastern Romania’s Iasi County there is the Tibanesti commune. Here we have an architecture monument that stands out, which was built in the early 19th century. It was erected by the Carp family of boyars, hailing from the Baltic countries and settling there in the 16th century. It is another place where becoming familiar with the heritage ties in with the journey into the local craftsmen’s fascinating universe. Here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again.



    There, one year after the next, friends and partners of ours stage events, organize a summer school and have a complete multiannual program under the heading We strike the iron at the manor house. Were we to go there, we will most likely met craftsmen who do their work proper so we can have the fully-fledged experience of that. It is an experience where you can see the craftsman in his workshop and then you can have the chance to see that some of the elements there are little by little integrated into the process of the building which is a historical monument. Hopping from one part of Romania to the other, to southern Transylvania’s Apos locality, tourists who come with their families can write the names of their children themselves, on a tile manufactured by a traditional craftsman. We have a great many options. The thing is to seek that particular sort of activity, which has been more and more appreciated. Through the arch over time connecting those who have always lived like that to today’s, truly beautiful and rewarding things can come out of that, especially for the younger generation.



    The ARCHÉ Association is a non-governmental, non-profit organization carrying research, preservation, highlighting and promotion activities for the cultural heritage. As part of this organization’s activity, the only program has been developed, for the rediscovery of Romania’s less well-known castles, under the heading Castle Break. It happened ten years ago. At present, the big tourism agencies try to integrate those monuments, some of them being refurbished, in the packages they offer their clients. Actually, the profile of the tourist has changed throughout the years, says the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean.



    What I can say, though, at least as far as the post-pandemic period of time is concerned, is that people no longer seek a purely aesthetic discovery, they also want to leave their mark on the beautiful spot they’ve reached. Lat year, even two years ago, we came up with many such initiatives, so that the tourist can become a gardener for a whole afternoon, after we’ d got the required approvals. Works in a historical garden, that cannot be done by just anybody, so the experience is all the more precious given it complies with all the procedures and standards in place. Therefore, in autumn and in spring, we plant, we clean a garden and we’re aware our presence and visit on the premises will surely be felt there, and are there to last. That’s where the beauty of the heritage lies. Once you arrive in such a place, you realize you have hundreds of years of work in front of you, of work whose progress has been achieved little by little, in the buildup to the estate or the monument you hit upon. So what we have here is a kind of involvement tourism, while foreign tourists search for that in particular. They are quite used to participate, to have a quite active life. They’re young people, they’re still strong, and then, in turn, we try to offer them, in Romania, such standardized experiences, but that happens upon request, most of the time. We have an interdisciplinary team, architects, historians, art historians, PR specialists, we have all the professions related to cultural heritage. We can join them all along and explain true stories and not just fairy tales or legends of the place. They will learn something and will have something to eat straight from the farmer nearby or from the local cuisine. Some work will be done in the garden, for a little while, outdoors. Of course, beautiful photos, unavoidably, will also be there, but the experience is complete.



    Speaking about tourists’ reaction upon their departure from Romania, here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again, this time relishing in reminiscing a professional development project of the youngsters who chose heritage-related jobs for their career. Back then Alina accompanied a group from the Low Countries, who were on a sightseeing tour of Bucharest city center.



    The visit was not guided by someone exclusively specializing in tourism guidance, but by one of our colleagues, an architect, specializing in creative writing in London. They never imagined Bucharest had so many things to offer. The mix of styles, of cultures, people’s generosity to offer explanations, all that make a kind of experience which very powerful for those who arrive in Romania. They are very pleasantly surprised with what they’ve found and perhaps that’s where the beauty lies, of Romania and its places, that including the capital city. That may come as something surprising for the people, as on the website you cannot make sense of what’s in store for you. And maybe the feature we’re doing together right now does not clearly reveal what they can find there. Rather, it is obvious you need to show up with your heart open and allow yourself to be surprised.



    As we speak, roughly one thousand out-of-town urban residences of the local elites, from the 16th to the first half of the 20th century are preserved on the territory of Romania. Some of them have been restored, some are degrading, while others are the bone of contention for inheritors in various lawsuits. Castles can also be found in cities, some of them housing museums or playing host to various events.(EN)




  • May 19, 2023

    May 19, 2023

    FORUM
    Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the EU accession efforts of that country
    and of the Republic of Moldova are among the topics discussed in Bucharest in a
    forum devoted to security challenges at the Black Sea and in the Balkans. The
    2-day event comprises over 40 sessions, attended by senior civilian and
    military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO, as
    well as partner states. Attending the event, PM Nicolae Ciucă pleaded for a
    strengthened NATO presence at the Black Sea, where free maritime and air
    traffic are jeopardised by Russia’s threats.


    SOLAR
    POWER Individual households in Bucharest and Ilfov County may enroll, as of
    today, in a new session of the Photovoltaic Green Home programme, addressing
    people who want to install solar panels using state assistance. According to
    the environment ministry, the app used for enrolment is available for separate
    development regions, in alphabetical order, with 3 working days earmarked for
    each region. The programme has a budget of around EUR 35 mln, covering over 87,000
    photovoltaic systems.


    EDUCATION Members of the
    Senate’s committee on education have today resumed discussions on the
    undergraduate education bill. On Thursday the analysis of the higher education
    bill was finalized and a positive report was issued, with certain amendments. The
    Opposition criticized the final draft of the document, which they say fails to
    ensure a true reform of the system. On the other hand, the representatives of
    the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, National Liberal
    Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said the
    amendments improved the bill. Parliament is scheduled to vote on both education
    bills on Monday, when trade unions in the sector announced they would go on
    all-out strike. Negociations continue today to avoid a strike, but
    after the talks yesterday the unions announced they would not give up their
    planned strike unless their salary demands were met.


    UNESCO Codex Aureus, the
    best-known and most important illuminated medieval manuscript, currently in Alba
    Iulia, central Romania, has been included in the UNESCO heritage list. According
    to the National Library of Romania, the famous manuscript is part of the Memory
    of the World Register, which comprises 9 other 1,200-year old works from various
    countries in Europe. Most
    manuscripts are fragments of Latin gospel books, written in gold ink, and
    featuring portraits of the 4 evangelists.


    SANCTIONS The
    US and their G7 allies Friday announced new sanctions to reduce Russia’s
    ability to carry on its war in Ukraine. The sanctions, which target Russia’s
    highly profitable diamond exports, were decided right ahead of the G7 Summit in
    Hiroshima, Japan. Diamond exports, mainly to the UAE, India and EU member state
    Belgium, earn Moscow several billion US dollars a year. A
    EU official said India’s joining the new set of sanctions would be crucial. Invited to
    attend the summit in Hiroshima is also the Indian PM Narendra Modi, whose
    country has strong ties with Moscow and has been reluctant so far to condemning
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


    RADIO The Romanian and
    Bulgarian public radio broadcasters announced they would strengthen their
    cooperation. The president and director general of the Romanian Radio
    Broadcasting Corporation, Răzvan Ioan Dincă, and the head of the Bulgarian
    National Radio Corporation, Milen Mitev, will sign an agreement in Sofia, under
    which the 2 parties will exchange news and radio programmes free of charge,
    will produce joint programmes and will provide access to archive recordings to
    their respective listeners in the next 2 years.. Radio Romania International aired
    Bulgarian-language programmes between 1946 and 1949, and again between 1995 and
    2004. Since 2022 the Bulgarian National Radio has a Romanian-language web page.
    (AMP)

  • Cultural tourism in Romania

    Cultural tourism in Romania

    The interest has been growing, in Romania, for the old noble residences, in recent years. Whether we speak about the increasing number of those who are anxious enough to set about roaming the villages in search of old manor houses, of whether it’s about the entrepreneurs who embark themselves upon the adventure of restoring such buildings to their pristine beauty, a trend can be noticed, whose widening scope targets the rediscovery of Romania’s out-of-town nobles’ castles and residences. If we take into account the built cultural heritage market, Romania has a very great Advantage. Or at least that’s a what the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, says.



    We have natural landscapes with absolutely unique anthropic elements. The people I meet belong to the category of tourists who are in search of something a little bit more than the star-monuments. Were we a standard tourism agency, we would most likely visit Bucharest, we would take a one-day trip somewhere on the Prahova valley, ticking the Bran Castle, the Peles Castle and, if the case, the Danube Delta, if we have enough time on our hands. Instead, we offer authentic experiences, which means that, if we also head from Bucharest to the North, we can have a stopover at the Cantacuzino Estate in Florești. Located nearby Ploiesti, it is an impressive estate, with a surface area of 150 hectares, it is a former hunting park, with a promenade park, a main building and the outhouses. There we would not visit the place only; we would not just take a walk around the beautiful estate. Tourists can get to know members of the local community, children and youngsters in the commune where they turn up every week, whenever an activity is on offer, staged by the foundation that manages the estate, and that is how they can have the chance to discover the real Romania and can make the most of the freshness of ideas of those who have been living in the rural regions all their lives and whose connection with nature is different, they have a different angle of seeing things. I think it is the most beautiful and the most rewarding experience in tourism. Many times I’ve been asked to offer such experiences, mainly by our partners in Europe.



    In north-eastern Romania’s Iasi County there is the Tibanesti commune. Here we have an architecture monument that stands out, which was built in the early 19th century. It was erected by the Carp family of boyars, hailing from the Baltic countries and settling there in the 16th century. It is another place where becoming familiar with the heritage ties in with the journey into the local craftsmen’s fascinating universe. Here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again.



    There, one year after the next, friends and partners of ours stage events, organize a summer school and have a complete multiannual program under the heading We strike the iron at the manor house. Were we to go there, we will most likely met craftsmen who do their work proper so we can have the fully-fledged experience of that. It is an experience where you can see the craftsman in his workshop and then you can have the chance to see that some of the elements there are little by little integrated into the process of the building which is a historical monument. Hopping from one part of Romania to the other, to southern Transylvania’s Apos locality, tourists who come with their families can write the names of their children themselves, on a tile manufactured by a traditional craftsman. We have a great many options. The thing is to seek that particular sort of activity, which has been more and more appreciated. Through the arch over time connecting those who have always lived like that to today’s, truly beautiful and rewarding things can come out of that, especially for the younger generation.



    The ARCHÉ Association is a non-governmental, non-profit organization carrying research, preservation, highlighting and promotion activities for the cultural heritage. As part of this organization’s activity, the only program has been developed, for the rediscovery of Romania’s less well-known castles, under the heading Castle Break. It happened ten years ago. At present, the big tourism agencies try to integrate those monuments, some of them being refurbished, in the packages they offer their clients. Actually, the profile of the tourist has changed throughout the years, says the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean.



    What I can say, though, at least as far as the post-pandemic period of time is concerned, is that people no longer seek a purely aesthetic discovery, they also want to leave their mark on the beautiful spot they’ve reached. Lat year, even two years ago, we came up with many such initiatives, so that the tourist can become a gardener for a whole afternoon, after we’ d got the required approvals. Works in a historical garden, that cannot be done by just anybody, so the experience is all the more precious given it complies with all the procedures and standards in place. Therefore, in autumn and in spring, we plant, we clean a garden and we’re aware our presence and visit on the premises will surely be felt there, and are there to last. That’s where the beauty of the heritage lies. Once you arrive in such a place, you realize you have hundreds of years of work in front of you, of work whose progress has been achieved little by little, in the buildup to the estate or the monument you hit upon. So what we have here is a kind of involvement tourism, while foreign tourists search for that in particular. They are quite used to participate, to have a quite active life. They’re young people, they’re still strong, and then, in turn, we try to offer them, in Romania, such standardized experiences, but that happens upon request, most of the time. We have an interdisciplinary team, architects, historians, art historians, PR specialists, we have all the professions related to cultural heritage. We can join them all along and explain true stories and not just fairy tales or legends of the place. They will learn something and will have something to eat straight from the farmer nearby or from the local cuisine. Some work will be done in the garden, for a little while, outdoors. Of course, beautiful photos, unavoidably, will also be there, but the experience is complete.



    Speaking about tourists’ reaction upon their departure from Romania, here is the president of the ARCHÉ Association, Alina Chiciudean, once again, this time relishing in reminiscing a professional development project of the youngsters who chose heritage-related jobs for their career. Back then Alina accompanied a group from the Low Countries, who were on a sightseeing tour of Bucharest city center.



    The visit was not guided by someone exclusively specializing in tourism guidance, but by one of our colleagues, an architect, specializing in creative writing in London. They never imagined Bucharest had so many things to offer. The mix of styles, of cultures, people’s generosity to offer explanations, all that make a kind of experience which very powerful for those who arrive in Romania. They are very pleasantly surprised with what they’ve found and perhaps that’s where the beauty lies, of Romania and its places, that including the capital city. That may come as something surprising for the people, as on the website you cannot make sense of what’s in store for you. And maybe the feature we’re doing together right now does not clearly reveal what they can find there. Rather, it is obvious you need to show up with your heart open and allow yourself to be surprised.



    As we speak, roughly one thousand out-of-town urban residences of the local elites, from the 16th to the first half of the 20th century are preserved on the territory of Romania. Some of them have been restored, some are degrading, while others are the bone of contention for inheritors in various lawsuits. Castles can also be found in cities, some of them housing museums or playing host to various events.(EN)




  • Il était une fois Bucarest – La « braga » et les « bragagii »

    Il était une fois Bucarest – La « braga » et les « bragagii »

    « Ieftin ca braga/Aussi peu cher que la braga » est une phrase toujours utilisée en roumain, dans un langage familier, pour désigner des produits ou des services très accessibles en terme de prix à tout un chacun. L’origine de cette phrase est liée à une boisson rafraîchissante orientale, appelée « boza » dans les langues slaves et turque, que les Roumains avaient plébiscitée pendant des siècles pour son goût aigre-doux, avec une petite touche alcoolisée. La braga était préférée par les catégories de population moins aisées et notamment par les habitants de Bucarest, qui la sirotaient bien fraîche, même glacée, afin de faire face à la canicule estivale. Souvent, ils l’accompagnaient des célèbres « covrigi » – espèce de bretzels – que l’on peut toujours acheter dans les rues de la capitale. Pourtant, si la production et la consommation des covrigi n’ont pas connu de syncopes, la braga, elle, est devenue une rareté, surtout durant la dernière partie de la période communiste.

    Ce n’est que récemment, depuis juste quelques années, que la fabrication de cette boisson a repris, et les peu de « bragagii » – fabricants de braga – encore en vie ont ressorti les vieilles recettes pour les partager avec les nouveaux venus dans le métier.

    Dragoș Bogdan, qui est un d’entre eux, connait parfaitement l’histoire de la consommation de braga dans les Principautés roumaines : Il y avait jadis cette phrase – « aussi peu cher que la braga », qui se référait au prix très bas du produit, que tout un chacun pouvait acheter, mais aussi à la popularité de la boisson, très présente sur les foires, par exemple. Dans les campagnes, les bragagii arpentaient les villages en portant de gros seaux remplis de leur rafraichissement, sans se faire payer à chaque fois. Ils marquaient sur le chambranle de la porte d’entrée les verres de braga ingurgités par les enfants, qui jouaient dans la rue, et puis ils revenaient une semaine ou une dizaine de jours plus tard pour encaisser le sous dû par le père des enfants. La braga était tellement bon marché et consommée en une quantité telle, que le bragagiu était un habitué de la maison. Les temps modernes ont mis la braga en compétition avec les boissons rafraîchissantes qui apparaissent vers la fin du XIXème et le début du XXème siècle. Celles-ci étaient préparées dans de petites fabriques, à partir des recettes de boissons rafraîchissantes que nous connaissons si bien. Mis dans des bouteilles individuelles de capacité différente, ces rafraîchissements, que la main humaine n’avait pas touchés, ont poussé les fabricants à se faire de la pub, s’appuyant sur l’argument du respect des exigences de sécurité alimentaire. Cela explique peut-être pourquoi la braga a commencé à perdre du terrain devant les nouveaux-venus et à passer dans l’ombre. Cela est d’autant plus visible à Bucarest, y compris à cause de sa nouvelle qualité de capitale de la Grande Roumanie, que l’élite de l’époque veut transformer en une capitale d’un niveau européen. Une décision qui a non seulement enrichi la ville de bâtiments imposants et majestueux, mais qui a aussi voulu « nettoyer » les rues d’une partie des commerces ambulants. Les bragagii allaient donc migrer en quelque sorte vers la périphérie, devenant des habitués des faubourgs, qu’ils n’ont plus quittés. A la fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale et après l’installation du régime communiste en Roumanie, lorsque tout ce qui était commerce et production devient propriété de l’Etat, certains bragagii n’ont pas voulu se joindre aux coopératives ni aux fabriques de l’industrie alimentaire d’Etat, continuant à fabriquer leur braga de façon plus ou moins licite.

    Vers la fin des années 1980, la braga avait pratiquement disparu de Bucarest, où seulement les anciens bragagii la préparaient encore pour la famille et les ami. L’on avait cependant plus de chances de la savourer à Galați, Brăila, Turnu Severin et Giurgiu, des villes de régions danubiennes multiethniques, qui avaient entretenu des échanges culturels plus intenses avec les anciennes provinces de l’Empire ottoman.

    Mais comment prépare-t-on la braga ? Dragoș Bogdan répond à la question : En fait, tous les bragagii préparent à peu près la même chose, c’est-à-dire une boisson fermentée à base de céréales cuites à l’eau et mélangées ensuite avec du sucre ou du miel. Le mélange est filtré juste ce qu’il faut et puis il est laissé fermenter pendant quelques jours. La boisson doit être aigre-douce et un peu pétillante aussi. Mais chaque bragagiu a sa propre recette. Pourquoi ? Parce que c’est selon le goût de chacun. Si je constate que le produit final est meilleur en ajoutant ou en retirant un ingrédient ou en modifiant la quantité, je vais le préparer ainsi. Donc, les recettes de braga ne sont pas très strictes, mais le goût est à peu près le même, quel que soit le bragagiu. De toute façon, ils ne sont plus nombreux à travers le pays (…), mais ce qui est important c’est ce qui rapproche et ce qui différencie les variantes de la variante de base. Cela ne fait qu’enrichir l’héritage.

    Dragoș Bogdan veut partager sa passion pour la bragă et a ouvert sa propre « bragagerie/bar à braga » dans une zone historique de Bucarest, où il veut aussi renouer avec la gastronomie orientale prisée autrefois par les habitants de la capitale : Cette relation s’est construite dans le temps, parce que la braga a besoin de temps pour s’adapter et se faire connaitre, et plus on la connait plus on a des interrogations et des questions à poser. En 2013-2014, j’ai fait une recherche à travers les pays des Balkans qui avaient fait partie de l’Empire ottoman. J’ai cherché des recettes de Braga, des façons de la consommer, et j’ai constaté que là où elle existait, même si je ne connaissais pas la langue des lieux, les gens me traitaient comme si j’étais un frère ou quelqu’un de proche, avec lequel ils ont beaucoup de choses à partager. Je me suis donc rendu compte que la braga est un véhicule capable de nous transporter partout dans les Balkans et de nous rapprocher les uns des autres. Plus tard, en 2016, j’ai décidé d’ouvrir ma propre bragagerie, qui existe toujours, et d’y vendre ma propre production de bragă.

    Pour l’instant, c’est aussi l’un des peu nombreux endroits de Bucarest où l’on peut boire de la bragă artisanale, en espérant de pouvoir bientôt utiliser la phrase « ieftin ca braga/aussi peu cher que la braga » au sens très concret. (Trad. Ileana Ţăroi)

  • December 1, 2022 UPDATE

    December 1, 2022 UPDATE

    NATIONAL DAY Romania celebrated on Thursday 104 years since the Great
    Union of December 1, 1918. In the capital city Bucharest, over 1,500 troops and
    staff of the defence ministry, interior ministry, the Romanian Intelligence
    Service, the Special Telecommunications Service and the Penitentiary Agency as
    well as vehicles and 40 aircraft took part in a military parade. Ceremonies were
    also organised abroad, where Romanian troops are deployed. National Day events were
    also held elsewhere in the country and abroad. The Romanian Cultural Institute
    organises 50 events until December 10, to celebrate National
    Day in 31 cities in the world. Romania’s national day has been celebrated on December 1 since 1990.
    On this day in 1918, the National Assembly in Alba Iulia adopted a resolution
    regarding the union of all provinces inhabited by Romanians.


    MESSAGES Romanians need tangible and immediate progress to improve
    their living standards and wellbeing, president Klaus Iohannis said, and urged
    the authorities to use all the instruments they have available to this goal. At
    a reception given on National Day, he also emphasised that Romania is a pillar
    of security in a geopolitical area marked by uncertainty, and a stable country
    that has made significant progress in recent years. Let us prove that December
    1 is truly the day of our unity, the PM Nicolae Ciucă said in a message on
    National Day. Today, just like at the end of the First World War, the main
    topics on the national agenda are security, stability and the modernisation of
    Romania. Unlike in 1918, today we have European funds for reforms and
    development and the protection provided by NATO, the most powerful military
    alliance in history, the PM posted on Facebook on Thursday. On behalf of the
    United States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania as you celebrate
    Great Union Day, and I wish them a very happy national day, the US
    secretary of state Antony Blinken also said in a message on this occasion. The
    US official emphasised that 2022 is a special year, as it marks the
    25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the U.S. and Romania. The
    Ukrainian foreign ministry also sent a message congratulating the Romanian
    people and calling for unity for peace and solidarity in Europe.


    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will be on an official
    visit to Greece on Friday and Saturday. He will have meetings with his Greek
    counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and with the PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
    According to the Presidency, the agenda will include talks about the potential
    for development of the two countries’ relations in the economic and investment
    sectors, as well as in culture, education, civil protection and tourism.
    Special attention will be paid to infrastructure and inter-connection projects,
    including in the energy sector, in order to minimize the dependence on Russian
    natural gas and to improve Romania’s and Greece’s energy security.


    SCHENGEN The Justice and Home Affairs Council included on the agenda of its
    December 8-9 meeting topics related to the Schengen area. Specifically, the EU
    justice and interior ministers will discuss the full application of the
    Schengen acquis in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, which seek admission in the
    passport-free travel area. Romania has been trying to join Schengen for more than 10 years. European
    Commission experts found that Bucharest meets all EU border security standards.
    Romania’s accession will increase Europe’s security, rather than be a danger
    for the member states, Bucharest has repeatedly assured the few countries that
    are still reluctant to the idea.


    UNESCO The Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of
    the Intangible Cultural Heritage, convening in Rabat, Morocco, decided to
    include the file The Art of the Traditional Blouse with Embroidery on the
    Shoulder (Altiță) – an Element of Cultural Identity of Romania and the Republic
    of Moldova in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
    Heritage of Humanity. The announcement was made on Thursday by the MP Ana-Maria
    Cătăuţă, chair of the parliament’s special committee for UNESCO. The Romanian
    blouse, as everybody knows it, […] is one of the identity elements that give us
    strength and power, the Deputy Ana-Maria Cătăuţă said in a news release.


    OSCE The Romanian
    foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu took part on Thursday in a meeting of the
    Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
    held in Lodz, Poland. The Romanian diplomacy chief condemned the atrocities
    committed by Russia against Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure.
    The Romanian official reiterated the call for Moscow to immediately and
    unconditionally end its military aggression and to pull out its troops and
    equipment from Ukraine. Mr. Aurescu also spoke about the bilateral and
    international support for the R. of Moldova, heavily affected by the war in Ukraine. (AMP)

  • Romania’s National History Museum

    Romania’s National History Museum

    Museums are cultural spaces,
    public or private, where visitors admire objects or relive times that were
    long forgotten. A museum is a time machine of sorts, an escape from the hubbub
    of the daily world, from routine and from everybody’s daily chores. Also, a
    museum is a place quite similar to the pilgrimage sites where people try to find answers to the questions, old and new, they ask themselves.


    In a museum, we got used to coming
    across portly figureheads, great army commanders, great political leaders,
    cultural personalities. In a museum, we expect to witness heroic, exceptional
    moments as well. But the museums are also repositories of people’s daily lives,
    of the allegedly most insignificant objects people surround themselves with. As
    for such a universe of the ordinary, it is no less important than that of the unique
    or special objects, Ordinary objects become special, just because the passing
    of time makes them special. The museums are specialized sites, yet even the big
    museums, relevant for the memory of a community, can be repositories of
    personal or familiar objects collections. A telling example of that is Romania’s National History Museum.




    Romania’s National History
    Museum was established in 1970. The museum is a continuation of a Romanian
    tradition of history and archaeology museums that emerged in the second half of
    the 19th century. At Romania’s National History Museum, the most
    important treasures were brought. First, there were the treasures made of
    precious metal. They were stored in a place where safety and visibility could
    be provided. Home to the museums is one of Bucharest’s most representative
    buildings. Located in the city centre, the Post Office Palace does attract
    visitors due to its visibility.


    However, the National
    History Museum’s policy also targets the private collections, which should be
    added to the already existing heritage.


    Corina Chiriac is one of Romania’s
    most popular entertaining music vocalists. She has recently donated personal
    collection items to the National History Museum. Born in 1949, Corina is the
    daughter of two musicians. Her father was a composer and an academic with the
    National University of Music in Bucharest, while her mother was a pianist and
    also a professor there. When the donation act was signed the Director of the
    museum, Ernest Oberlander-Târnoveanu, was keen on stating that history was
    equally made by ordinary people and their objects, and by the great
    personalities.


    History is, after
    all, our life, it is everybody’s life. Our life, day by day, goes by, and turns
    into history. Not everybody is aware of that, that’s for sure, but I am
    convinced that through all that she does, Mrs Corina Chiriac does have this
    feeling, that she belongs to history. And I can acknowledge that myself, since,
    among other things, I was a listener of the songs she has performed for a
    couple for decades. In the landscape of Romanian entertaining music of the 70s,
    the 80s and the 90s, Mrs Corina Chiriac stands out as an unconventional character,
    quite all right.


    The donation made by Corina
    Chiriac is also important because of the donor-artist’s notoriety, who can set an
    example for other heritage owners.

    Ernest Oberlander Tarnoveanu:


    Mrs Corina
    Chiriac belongs to a generation that managed to do a lot of things in very
    difficult and complicated times. And, apart from the talent, the charisma, the
    hard work she put in, Mrs Corina Chiriac also has a personality trait we should
    all appreciate: she is also an aware citizen. What has happened today stands
    proof of her ladyship’s responsibility towards her family, towards those who
    preceded her, but also towards her won work. And I think there is no better
    place for these documents to be displayed, kept and put to good use, items she
    has donated to the National Museum, than this institution. This is their home, and
    I would be very happy if more fellow citizens followed the Mrs Corina Chiriac’s
    example. We herewith have the proof that we’re dealing with a great artist,
    with a free individual, with someone who is responsible for the heritage she
    received and who believes that such an institution as the National Museum is
    the best place for the objects to be kept and displayed.


    Corina Chiriac made a clean breast
    out of it: her museum-related childhood memories and the desire to share
    part of the personal treasure with other people prompted her to opt for the
    donation.

    Corina Chiriac:


    For a whole
    year I prepared for that, thinking of what I should do with all these objects that
    are so very important for me. And I realized that, after a life of journeys,
    with my parents or on my own, through the museums of the world, their place was
    not at home in a folder, but somewhere in a museum. I knocked at the door of
    the museum asking them whether they wanted an act of donation dated 1915, with
    an embossed stamp and with king Ferdinand’s portrait? I told them I was also in
    the possession of the baccalaureate diploma of my Armenian grandmother from
    Adapazari, in Turkey, dated 1901. And, little by little, in the sweltering heat
    of last summer, a team of the museum called in at my place and we started selecting
    the stuff. I am very happy that especially the documents of my parents, those
    of my grandparents and even mine from now on can also be viewed by someone
    else, without having to invite them at my place.


    Romania’s National History
    Museum is also a museum of the daily history with a national scope, and beyond.
    As for Corina Chiriac, she significantly contributed to the heritage of the museum.

    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)

  • Les manoirs du sud-ouest de la Roumanie, objet de recherche du projet “Monumentaliste”

    Les manoirs du sud-ouest de la Roumanie, objet de recherche du projet “Monumentaliste”

    Pour Dragoș Andreescu, le projet «Monumentaliste» associe son métier de graphiste et de photographe à sa passion pour les bâtiments patrimoniaux et la randonnée. Pour le grand public, le même projet signifie la découverte surprenante de beautés architecturales insoupçonnées et le voyage virtuel dans des coins du pays qu’il ne pourrait atteindre que très rarement, de façon concrète.

    Active depuis plusieurs années sur les réseaux sociaux, la page «Monumentaliste» présente les fruits des recherches sur des manoirs oubliés d’Oltenie, sous forme de documentation accompagnée de belles photographies artistiques. Son initiateur, Dragoș Andreescu, avoue avoir pensé pour la première fois à cette démarche, il y a 12 ans, en 2008 : J’ai commencé à découvrir certains manoirs, dont celui dit de Barbu Poenaru à Poiana Mare. Un édifice magnifique et impressionnant, mais malheureusement laissé à l’abandon. Entre temps, j’ai essayé de savoir s’il y en avait d’autres. Voilà cinq ou six ans que j’essaie de les trouver tous. En fouillant dans les archives, j’ai appris qu’il y en avait environ 1500 dans toute la région d’Olténie. Moi, j’en ai découvert quelque 800, les autres ayant été démolis ou modifiés à tels point qu’ils sont devenus méconnaissables. Nous avons également créé une communauté de «monumentalistes», qui compte plus d’un millier de membres dans tout le pays. C’est un grand groupe d’amateurs désireux de recueililr des documents dans leur coin de pays concernant tous ces joyaux architecturaux qui valent la peine d’être sauvés.

    La communauté de «monumentalistes» c’est plus d’un millier d’amoureux ou de passionnés de patrimoine. Il s’agit d’historiens de l’art, d’architectes, d’artistes ou bien d’ étudiants en architecture. Avec leur aide, la page Monumentaliste est pratiquement devenue un inventaire des manoirs de Craiova, de Calafat, de Caracal et de Târgu Jiu. A ces villes s’ajoute la zone rurale du sud-ouest de l’Oltenie. A première vue, en termes de patrimoine immobilier, elle ne présente pas d’intérêt particulier aux yeux d’un profane. Pourtant, à la parcourir à pied, elle réserve plein de surprises agréables, cachées au milieu de la nature.

    Le travail de documentation et de présentation comporte trois étapes postérieures à la découverte proprement dite du bâtiment: sa photographie sous tous les angles, la recherche dans les archives et sur Internet et l’image promotionnelle. Cette dernière est réalisée de manière à mettre en évidence même le charme des manoirs abandonnés ou en ruine, comme c’est malheureusement le cas de nombreuses découvertes des «monumentalistes». Dragoș Andreescu: 70% de ces manoirs ne sont pas rénovés, mais espérons que les gens comprendront que ces joyaux d’architecture sont très importants aussi bien pour eux, en tant que propriétaires, que pour la société, en général. C’est justement ce à quoi vise le projet que nous développons sur les réseaux sociaux: sensibiliser les gens à la valeur du patrimoine immobilier et en faire la promotion. En ce qui concerne la rénovation ou la restauration, nous avons réussi à amener l’Ambulance des monuments ici, en Olténie. On a donc créé l’Ambulance des monuments de l’Olténie du sud-ouest. Il y a eu, déjà, une première intervention: d’autres volontaires et moi, nous avons refait le toit de la cula Cioabă-Chintescu, dans le village de Șiacu, du comté de Gorj et résolu les problèmes de structure. Bref, on l’a mise en sécurité. C’est aux villageois de la remettre à neuf pour lui redonner l’éclat d’antan. Précisons que la cula est une sorte de maison fortifiée, spécifique à la région d’Olténie durant le 18e et le 19e siècle .

    L’Ambulance des monuments est une organisation non gouvernementale qui s’attache à sauvegarder le patrimoine immobilier en sécurisant des bâtiments classés. En 2020, elle a compté parmi les lauréats de la section Éducation, Formation et Sensibilisation des Prix européens du Patrimoine / Prix Europa Nostra. En mettant sur pied la filiale d’Olténie, Dragoș Andreescu espère que toujours plus de bâtiments historiques menacés seront sauvés avec l’aide des professionnels du domaine. Dragoș Andreescu : Nous essayons de gagner à notre cause les architectes, car, depuis un bon bout de temps, certains d’entre eux apposent leur signature sur des projets de démolition ou de sois-disant rénovations qui, en fait, n’ont rien à voir avec l’aspect originel du bâtiment Ce sont eux qui devraient parler davantage avec les propriétaires pour leur faire comprendre que ces joyaux architecturaux n’existeront plus, à un moment donné et qu’à force de démolir de plus en plus de bâtiments historiques, les villes et les villages finiront par perdre leur identité

    Dans un proche avenir, la communauté des «monumentalistes» espère éveiller l’intérêt des autorités locales pour la protection du patrimoine immobilier. Elle a déjà réussi son coup dans l’espace virtuel, où elle compte plusieurs dizaines de milliers d’adeptes.

  • Romania, recommended by Prince Charles

    Romania, recommended by Prince Charles

    Prince Charles encourages Romanians to spend their holidays in their home country and to rediscover its “incredible riches. In a roughly 5-minute long video presented on Tuesday at his residence in Valea Zălanului (central Romania), he describes the country as ‘admirable’ and ‘astonishingly diverse’. The clip by the British journalist Charlie Ottley, producer of the documentary series Wild Carpathia, is designed to support the Romanian tourism industry.



    Prince Charles mentions that he first came here 20 years ago, and that the country has held a special place in his heart ever since. Speaking about the diversity of the country, he lists the Danube Delta, the largest and most pristine wetland in Europe, the forests, springs and monasteries of Bucovina, Moldova and Maramureş, the hills of the Apuseni Mountains and the wilds of Harghita, the precious collections in Bucharests museums and the wild beauty of the Iron Gates Gorge on the Danube, the castles, mountains and Saxon villages of Transylvania and the remote valleys of Banat and Crişana.



    Such a huge wealth of natural and cultural diversity under a single flag is quite remarkable, the Prince of Wales adds, and is one of the features that make Romania a unique and special corner of Europe.



    His Highness urges Romanians to rediscover their country and to take pride in their nature, wildlife, cuisine, traditions, and culture. He explains that, amid the first major pandemic in contemporary history, people are experiencing moments of profound change, uncertainty and anxiety, and many countries have closed their borders.



    While deploring the devastating effect this situation has had on the travel industry, on hotels and restaurants that employed millions of people, Prince Charles argues that staying at home offers many wonderful opportunities to explore and discover. “Now is the ideal time to rediscover one’s roots and reconnect with one’s heritage. I have every confidence that Romanians who do so will find much to delight them and to give them the greatest pride in their country, the heir apparent to the British throne says.



    The Prince voices his regret that the coronavirus pandemic has prevented him from traveling to Romania this year, as he does regularly, and mentions in the video that the 15th Century Wallachian ruler Vlad Țepeș is among his forbearers, which explains why part of him feels at home in Romania.



    Producer Charlie Ottley, who in turn says he loves Romania more than any country in the world, has reinforced this message, calling on Romanians to spend their holidays in their home country and their money in Romania rather than abroad, so as to support domestic tourism.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Evangelical Church in Bistrita

    The Evangelical Church in Bistrita

    First documented in 1241, the city of Bistrita, in central Romania, actually started to develop a century earlier when the first German settlers, also known as Transylvanian Saxons, had arrived in the area. Bistrita was built after the model of the medieval cities in Western Europe to later grow into one the main seven Saxon-inhabited cities of Siebenburgen, as Transylvania was called back in the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Like most of Transylvanias medieval burgs, Bistrita developed around a church, which was Catholic at first then turned into a Reformed one. Here is historian Vasile Duda with more on the issue.



    Vasile Duda: “The church, a Roman-Catholic one at first had St. Nicholas as its patron. Upon the Reformation in 1543 it was turned into the Evangelical church we see today. Its history includes several construction stages, beginning with the Gothic style, which is still visible today, with a series of architectural elements reminiscent of the style before the 14th century. The church has also seen a series of reconstruction stages but initially it was built as a basilica with one central and two lateral naves as well as two steeples on its western side. In late 15th century, the church was more imposing and through its masonry elements belonged more to the Gothic style. Around 1560, an Italian stonemason called Petru Italus of Lugano added it a series of architectural elements specific to Renaissance. The final result was a Gothic structure with properly assimilated Renaissance elements.



    A distinctive element of the church in Bistrita is its 76 meter high steeple, which is believed to be the highest in Transylvania.



    Vasile Duda: “There is also an interesting legend recalling the rivalry with other medieval burgs in Transylvania, particularly with Sibiu, which wanted a higher steeple for their church. One of these legends has it that when the authorities of Medias started the construction of their church, those from Bistrita came and secretly cut their reel measuring tape so that they could not build a taller steeple. And that is true: the tower in Bistrita is taller than the ones in Sibiu and Medias. Even the famous Clock Tower in Timisoara is not much taller than that. Even the Black Church in Brasov, the tallest medieval church in Transylvania, doesn’t have a taller steeple than the one in Bistrita.



    What makes the Evangelical Church unique is not just its steeple, but also the furnishings, a few centuries old:



    Vasile Duda: “One memorable piece, a downright landmark, is the so called Master Anton’s Pew, which was made in 1508, signed by the latter. Another signature on the bench, dating back to 1516, was that of a master Johannes Begler. He wrote there himself: ‘Johannes Begler fecit’. It is a beautiful Renaissance pew, with insertions and carvings. It is spectacular because it is similar with furniture made in France. It shows us the ties between these distant regions were fairly close through workshops and monasteries.



    In addition to the furnishings, the banners of the guilds in the church are another important piece of the heritage. It is true that they were replaced in 1852, but the traditional symbols were preserved, as well as the pews of the guilds, depending on their weight within the community, with the most important being closer to the altar. The Evangelical Church in Bistrita, recently renovated after the fire in 2008 that destroyed the steeples, the bells, as well as the clock, has made a comeback as a major tourism and cultural objective, as well as a symbol of the city.


    (translated by: Daniel Bilt, Calin Cotoiu)

  • 2018, European Year of Cultural Heritage

    2018, European Year of Cultural Heritage

    The European Parliament and European Council have declared 2018 the European Year of Cultural Heritage. In April 2017, the European Parliament ratified a report on this topic drafted by Romanian MEP Mircea Diaconu, the vice-president of the European Parliaments Culture and Education Committee.



    Mircea Diaconu told Radio Romania how the year will unfold: “In 2018 each member state will present the elements that it considers best represents itself in terms of heritage and national identity to create a sort of European puzzle. The year is very promising, especially for Romania, a country that has a lot to say and that is still discovering itself. Its a very good opportunity for us. Maybe we will succeed to stand on a par with other states and bring something important to the table, our heritage, our history, our culture, something that makes us competitive. We can thus be perceived as a great nation, one of the greatest in Europe, culturally speaking.



    The project is unfolding under the heading: “Our heritage: where the past meets the future, and makes for an excellent opportunity to know and understand the role of Europes cultural heritage and to promote a common sense of ownership. Over the course of 2018 national authorities are set to organize events and awareness-raising campaigns to determine citizens to get involved in actions aimed at preserving cultural heritage.



    The European Commission, jointly with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and other partners, will be implementing 10 long-term projects. These include activities in schools, with a view to coming up with innovative solutions to repurpose heritage buildings and combat the traffic of cultural assets. The goal is to trigger a genuine change in the way people perceive, preserve and promote their heritage, so that 2018 should bring long-term benefits to all citizens.



    The European Year of Cultural Heritage has been allotted an €8-million budget. Cultural heritage includes monuments, sites, traditions, know-how and means of expressing human creativity, passed on from generation to generation, as well as collections of items stored and preserved in museums, libraries and archives. With over 453 registered sites, Europe as a region accounts for nearly half of UNESCOs World Heritage List. (Edited by D. Vijeu)