Radio România Internațional

Tag: museums

May 19, 2024

OIL Romania’s crude oil output dropped 3.4% in the first quarter of 2024, while imports went down 15.1% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. According to the National Statistics Institute, in Q1 2024 Romania produced over 682,000 tonnes of equivalent oil less than in the corresponding period of 2023, while crude imports exceeded 1.7 mln toe. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, Romania’s crude output will be on a downward trend until 2026, with an average annual drop of 2.2%, as a result of the natural decline in deposits. On the other hand, the Commission predicts an increase in crude imports by an annual 4.1%.

MUSEUMS Around 250 cultural institutions in Romania were opened last night as part of the White Night of Museums, organized concurrently in several European countries. Taking part in the anniversary 20^th edition of the event were museums, historic house museums, art galleries, creative studios, theatres, opera houses and philharmonic orchestras in over 70 towns and cities in Romania and several in neighbouring Moldova. Most participating venues were in the capital city Bucharest, and in Sibiu, a former European Capital of Culture in 2007, several museums and other institutions could also be visited free of charge. Exhibitions, interactive tours, performances, street events and concerts were organized on this occasion. The number of participating institutions was nonetheless smaller than usual, because of personnel protests over salary levels. On Saturday, hundreds of museum staff picketed the Ministry of Culture and the Government building. They say they feel abandoned by the government and demand a fair salary structure. PM Marcel Ciolacu has recently announced the culture ministry submitted proposals concerning museum staff pay raises. The finance ministry will analyse the proposals, the PM promised, and next week salary increases may be granted.

NUCLEAR The Cernavodă nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 has been shut down for regular maintenance works today, Nuclearelectrica announced. The company promised the works will be safe for the power plant personnel, for citizens and for the environment. The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the only one in Romania, has 2 operational units with an installed production capacity of 700 MW. The 2 reactors in Cernavoda cover around 20% of Romania’s energy consumption. The plant uses the Canadian technology CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium), using natural uranium as a fuel.

REFUGEES The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated on Saturday that 800,000 people have fled the clashes in Rafah since May 6, when the Israeli army launched land operations in this town in the south of Gaza, France Presse and Reuters report. According to the Agency director, Philippe Lazzarini, all these people were forced to leave their town without benefiting from safe passage or protection, and are heading for areas where water resources and hygiene conditions are poor. On the other hand, Austria announced it would resume financing for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, suspended following Israeli claims that Agency staff were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, AFP writes. As a result of Israel’s accusations, around 15 states suspended their contributions to this UN agency. Many of them, including Germany, Sweden, Canada and Japan, have since resumed donations.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse (aged 26, no. 148 WTA) failed to qualify for the Trophee Clarins tournament final in Paris. On Saturday she was defeated by Emma Navarro of the US (aged 22, no. 22 WTA), 6-0, 6-2. In the doubles competition, Monica Niculescu/Lin Zhu (Romania / China) were outperformed in the final by Asia Muhammad (USA)/Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia), 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 11-9. Other Romanian players taking part in the Paris tournament were Simona Halep (who retired in the second set of the match against McCartney Kessler of the US) and Ana Bogdan (who also retired in the match against the French Varvara Gracheva). (AMP)

19 May 2024
August 9, 2023 UPDATE

Coalition. The Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă has ruled
out the possibility of breaking up the governing coalition or triggering early
elections, saying that together with the Social Democrats, solutions will be
found so that the tax reform should not involve new taxes for companies. The
clarifications come after new discussions with Prime Minister and leader of the
Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu about the reforms envisaged by the
government through an emergency order relating to the administration and the
tax area. The Prime Minister says he is ready to resign if the Liberal Party
withdraws its support for this package of measures aimed at maintaining the
budget deficit within the limits agreed upon with the European experts. New
consultations between the coalition partners are announced for these days. The
draft emergency order on the elimination of a number of tax facilities and the
modification of a number of taxes is still under debate. The measures are aimed,
among others, at increasing taxes for small and medium-sized enterprises, changing
the VAT or taxing the salaries of programmers earning more than 2,000 euros.
The goal is to increase revenues to the state budget and comply with the
commitments assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The
representatives of IT companies have criticised the proposed tax measures,
saying they would seriously affect this field and that some companies are
already considering moving their businesses to nearby countries.

Inflation. The National Bank of Romania has revised
upward its inflation forecast for the end of this year to 7.5% and to 4.4% for
the end of 2024, according to the data presented on Wednesday by the bank’s
governor, Mugur Isărescu. The Central Bank estimated, in May 2023, an inflation
rate of 7.1% for the end of 2023. Mugur Isărescu pointed out that only some tax
increases are leading to a higher inflation rate, namely direct taxes on
consumption, excise taxes and VAT taxes. The report mentions uncertainties regarding the projected
trajectory in the context of the likely adoption of some tax correction
measures to boost budget revenues, which are likely to have a direct impact on
inflation, such as increases in indirect taxes – the VAT and excises.

Kidnapping. The Romanian citizen
kidnapped eight years ago in Burkina Fasso has been released and has safely
reached Romania. The foreign ministry, which made this announcement, thanked
all its international partners, especially the Moroccan authorities, for their
support in solving this case, which it described as extremely complicated.
Iulian Gherguţ, who was working for a security firm at a mine in Burkina Fasso,
was kidnapped in 2015 by armed Islamist groups who later sold him to other
groups in Mali.

Museums.
The Long Night of Museums in the Village, a new Romanian nationwide cultural
event, will take place, for the first time, this year, on September 2, with
Radio Romania’s regional stations partnering with the event. The number of
institutions participating in this first edition has so far reached 79, from 27
different counties. The registration session is open until August 15, and the
goal of the organisers is to get 100 institutions to sign up. On the occasion
of this first edition of the Long Night of Museums in the Village, the National
Network of Museums in Romania will launch a national support campaign for the
development of educational programmes for children and young people from rural
communities.

9 August 2023
Countryside Museums

The only Romanian online platform devoted to countryside museums takes users around over 50 museums
across rural Romania. Each museum tour is an interactive 3D tour, produced with
high-performance equipment and integrated with Google Street View, Google Maps
and Google Earth.

The platform Muzee de la sat is
aimed at promoting the Romanian village and museums in the countryside using
state-of-the-art technology so as to engage the young, the project manager
Ionuț Teoderașcu explains:

Ionuț Teoderașcu: This project, muzeedelasat.ro, started
nearly 2 years ago. First we scanned and visited museums in Moldavia, in the
east of the country, because the project is implemented in stages, by region.
So we started with Moldavia and then moved to Wallachia and recently, about a
month ago, we reached Dobrogea. We’re taking it step by step. So far we have
explored over 10,000 km, Dobrogea included, and more than 70 museums. The
platform currently includes 53 museums, and we are working on the materials for
the museums in the 2 counties in Dobrogea, Tulcea and Constanța.

The only online platform devoted
to museums in the countryside places great emphasis on the rural and the
traditional, as Ionuț Teoderașcu adds:

Ionuț Teoderașcu: In a first section of the website we
introduce ourselves and present our goal, which is exploring the entire
territory of Romania and see all the museums in rural communities. Obviously,
we have an interactive map of Romania, featuring the counties that we have
covered so far. When users select a county, a tab opens listing the museums in
that county that can be explored using the virtual tour on our platform. For
instance, if we choose Iași, we find 2 museums: the Alexandru Ioan Cuza
Memorial in Ruginoasa and the Cucuteni Museum. The website is translated into
English as well, which is very important since we target not only Romanian
nationals, but foreigners as well. We had extensive media coverage, so those
interested in finding out more about the project may read about the story
behind it.

The eligibility criteria included
safety and functionality. A museum must be hosted in an adequate building and
opening hours must be complied with, so that tourists who plan to visit it may
be sure that they can do so. The response from both users and museum curators
during these 2 years has been positive, according to Ionuț Teoderașcu.

Ionuț Teoderașcu: Museum curators told us this kind of
promotion was very helpful, because users checked out the museum on the
internet and then visited the respective museums in person as well. Many times
tourists said they saw the virtual tour on our platform and were persuaded to
come visit the museum. Users are delighted. For those cannot travel there, this
is a very good way to see something new and to explore these museums from the
comfort of their home. There are cases of people in poorer health, who are
unable to travel, so we facilitate this contact between rural culture and urban
users who explores the world on their tablets, phones or laptops.

Ionuț Teoderașcu, project manager with muzeedelasat.ro,
has chosen two of the objectives presented to the public with the
recommendation to visit them. The list is very big and the choice subjective
but you can get a clear picture of the objectives proposed.

Ionut Toderascu: I have recently discovered when I have been to Dobrogea, the preserved traditional
household in Enisala, the Tulcea county, where we can see a traditional
architecture specific to North Dobrogea, with various tools on the premises. We
can see how households had been built, for instance, on stone foundations with
adobe walls. This is a very beautiful household with vivid colours, but also
interesting, especially for foreign tourists. Here tehy can discover a new
culture and see how people used to live in the past. This household, for
instance had two houses: the main house with two rooms, the living room and
what they used to call the good room or the beautiful room, where events were
being staged, the dowry stored etc. Not
everybody was allowed into that room. Another museum can be found in the region
of Moldavia. It is the Palace of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in Ruginoasa, the county
of Iasi, and it’s completely different from a traditional peasant household of
course. This is like the name says, a palace, which was the summer residence of
Romania’s ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The furniture here is very beautiful and
interesting. It was purchased by the ruler’s wife, Elena Cuza, from Paris. We
are speaking about a different period of time here and, of course, another type
of village museum. Being located in Ruginoasa, it is also a village museum and
can be explored on our website.

The iniatiators of this project intend to cover the
entire Romania and get as many visitors as possible. This large-scale project
has also a social component:

Ionut Toderascu: We are also going to the disadvantaged areas of Romania with VR galsses
and show these museums to children who have probably never been to a museum.
They are using these headsets and go around the museums by means of the
joysticks. They are asking us things and are practically exploring the museums
for themselves. We’d like to reach out
to these children and show them the cultural value of the village, the museums,
but at the same time to develop the platform and go further to other counties
to see other museums, scan them and complete Romania’s interactive map.

By using this interactive map,
depending on the area you are visiting,
you can create your own route so that you may visit as many of these
museums as you can and get a clear picture of the rural life. (AMP&bill)

29 June 2023
May 12, 2023 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT The Government of Romania passed an emergency
order on rebalancing the state budget, in a special meeting on Friday, the
finance minister Adrian Câciu announced. He outlined the key measures in the plan, including a 10% reduction on
expenditure with products and services, except for expenses in public
healthcare and education, and a ban on procuring, leasing and rentals of automobiles
and office equipment in public institutions. One exception is the car scrapping
programme for the public authorities purchasing non-polluting vehicles. The
programme is designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport
sector, by encouraging the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The
finance minister also announced that the number of advisers to officials in
central administration structures, currently standing at around 900, will be
reduced by one-half following the implementation of the emergency order aimed
at making public spending more efficient.

INFLATION In Romania,
the year-on-year inflation rate dropped significantly in April, to 11.23% compared
to nearly 15% in March. While this does not mean that products and services are
growing cheaper, the rise in prices has nonetheless slowed down. According to
data released by the National Statistics Institute on Friday, there are
products that were more affordable in April than in March, including sunflower
oil. Also on Friday, the National Bank confirmed that this downward trend in
consumer price increase will continue. But the central bank governor Mugur
Isărescu also warned those who have or are planning to take out loans in
foreign currencies, and said that interest rates for the euro and US dollar
will increase further. The National Bank forecasts a 7.1% inflation rate for
the end of this year, as against 7% announced previously, and a 4.2% rate for
the end of next year. Mugur Isărescu added that prices for fruit and vegetables
will likely continue to go up for another 2 months, as the yield will be
affected by the weather conditions in Europe, the drought in Spain and the
aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey.

ENERGY The Polytechnic University in Bucharest officially launched
the first NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Centre outside the United States on
Friday. The centre hosts a simulator of the NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ small
modular reactor (SMR) power plant control room, and will educate and train the
next generation of nuclear engineers to operate advanced civil nuclear reactor
technologies while establishing Romania as a regional educational and training
hub for the next stage of civil nuclear deployments across Romania and Europe,
reads a news release issued by the US Embassy in Bucharest.

MUSEUMS
The National Network of Romanian Museums has announced an absolute record
number of cultural events enlisted as part of the Night of Museums – 297 in
Romania and 14 in the Republic of Moldova. Bucharest will host around 60 events
proposed by museums, art galleries, cultural centres, opera houses, choirs,
palaces, institutes, high schools and music festivals. The special guest of the
current edition is the War Childhood Museum, for the first time in Romania. The
exhibition, entitled Listen, is hosted by the Romanian Peasant Museum. Access
is free of charge.

AWARD – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive the Franz
Werfel Human Rights Award granted by the German Centre against Expulsions, DPA
reports. Aged 63, Iohannis will become the 11th winner of this award, granted
to him for his tireless and multilateral commitment to defending human rights
and minority rights in Romania and Europe. The award, granted every two years,
comes along with a money prize of 10,000 euros. Among the previous laureates
are former German president Joachim Gauck, the winner of Nobel prize in
Literature, Herta Muller and historian Karl Schlögel. The prize will be awarded
during a ceremony held on June 4 in Frankfurt, Germany, when a congratulatory
speech will delivered by former European Commission President Jean Claude
Juncker.

YOUTH Over 1,400 Romanian 18-year olds are among the 35,000 beneficiaries
of free EU travel passes granted this year under the Discover EU programme. In
order to find out more about the culture and history of the EU and to come in
touch with people across the continent, the beneficiaries will be able to
travel by train, individually or in groups of up to 5 people, between June 2023
and September 2024. The current round of the programme saw more than 145,000 applicants
from EU member states and Erasmus Plus countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). (AMP)

12 May 2023
May 13, 2022

AUTOMOBILES Starting today until the end of the month the second stage of a car-scrapping programme takes place in Romania, with the government providing substantial bonuses to people who buy new automobiles. The total budget is around EUR 60 million. The programme also covers the purchase of new electric or hybrid vehicles. The scrapping bonus is EUR 1,200 for petrol-powered car purchases and EUR 10,000 for EV purchases. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Romania is a European leader in promoting EV sales. In the first quarter of this year more than 2,000 electric cars were sold, accounting for a 400% increase since the corresponding period of 2021.

INFLATION The Romanian Central Bank has updated its inflation forecast to 12.5% for end-2022 and to 6.7% for end-2023, governor Mugur Isarescu announced on Thursday. In February, the central bank estimated inflation would stand at 9.6% at the end of 2022 and at 3.2% at the end of 2023. According to the national bank, in the context of adverse developments related to the war in Ukraine, substantial reconfigurations of previous economic scenarios cannot be ruled out.

CORRUPTION The former mayor of Bucharest Sorin Oprescu Friday received a final 10-year and 8-month prison sentence for bribe-taking, forming an organised crime group and abuse of office. Sorin Oprescu was caught taking EUR 25,000 and arrested on the night of September 6, 2015, during his second term in office as mayor of Bucharest. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, the group created by Oprescu had implemented a system at the City Hall through which businesses seeking contracts with public institutions had to pay a share of their profits in bribes.

NATO The USA supports the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, in spite of Moscows threat to retaliate over a new enlargement of the Alliance. NATO officials reminded Russia that this is a defensive alliance and that the decision of previously neutral countries to seek protection within the organisation has been prompted exclusively by Moscows aggression on Ukraine. The Russian foreign ministry said Finlands accession would severely affect bilateral relations and the stability and security of Northern Europe, forcing Russia to take counter-measures to offset possible threats to its national security. The Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea initiated manoeuvres to survey NATOs forces in the region on Thursday, the exact day when Finland announced its decision to join NATO. The accession may be announced officially in the Allies summit in Madrid this summer.

UKRAINE The US accuses the Russian army of having forcibly transferred thousands of Ukrainians to Russia since the start of the war, often using “filtration camps”. Kyiv speaks about 1.2 million people deported so far. Meanwhile, Ukraines deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk said on Thursday night that negotiations over the evacuation of troops from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol are ongoing, with Turkey brokering the talks. The first to be pulled out will be the severely wounded. The Ukrainian fighters in Azovstal plant reported that nearly 600 wounded soldiers are in the steel works, but their number goes up every day as a result of steady attacks. Russian forces continue to shell the east of Ukraine, but according to the British defence ministry they have so far failed to make significant progress.

MUSEUMS The Night of Museums will be celebrated with over 200 cultural events on Saturday night in 87 towns and cities in Romania. More than 60 cultural sites and unconventional spaces will stay open in Bucharest in the largest such event since the pandemic. The Bucharest City Hall will be opened to visitors, with events showcasing the history and architecture of the palace hosting it. Some of the most popular tourist sites in Romania, such as Bran Castle, Peleş Castle and Făgăraş Citadel, have also prepared surprises for their guests. The European Night of Museums is an event that takes place across Europe.

EUROVISION Romanias representative in the Eurovision song contest, WRS, Thursday night qualified into this years final of the European competition, with a song called “Llámame”. Romania had failed to qualify to the finals in the previous 3 editions of the competition. On Tuesday the band Zdob si Zdub and Advahov Brothers, representing the Republic of Moldova, also moved up into the finals hosted by the Italian city of Turin this Saturday night. (AMP)

13 May 2022
A busy weekend in Bucharest

Like the entire Europe, Romania has been gradually making
its way out of the pandemic nightmare. Against a shrinking infection rate and
the immunization of a significant part of the population, people here have
started to re-learn their way back to normality.

In spite of the heavy downpours at times, the past
weekend was unusually animated and quite busy in Bucharest. The 17th
edition of the Museums Night took place all over Romania on Saturday, when
people had the opportunity of visiting roughly 200 museums, 50 of which in the
capital city Bucharest alone.

As a first the city hall was also opened
to the public and its historical premises, built between 1906 and 1910, were being
visited by hundreds of people. Visitors were taken on 30 minute tours, which
included two exhibitions, Uranus now about a lovely district demolished by
communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and another one devoted to architect Petre
Antonescu, the one who designed several iconic buildings in Bucharest.

Managers of the aforementioned cultural
institutes have described the unexpectedly higher visitor turnout as
‘encouraging’, and a ‘real step back to normality’, which people had been
eagerly looking forward to.

On Sunday, Bucharest became the capital of
football fans, as the largest stadium in Romania, known as the National Arena
hosted, for the first time in its history a match counting towards the European
Football Championship, which was supposed to take place last year but was
postponed because of the pandemic. Austria clinched a 3-1 win against North
Macedonia in group C, while in Amsterdam, the Netherlands obtained a 3-2 win
against Ukraine.

Exuberant but disciplined, the fans of the
two sides met over a pint of beer in Bucharest’s famous and picturesque old
town district both before and after the game.

On Thursday, June 17th the same
National Arena will be hosting Ukraine versus North Macedonia while on Monday,
June 21st Ukraine takes on Austria. Bucharest is to also host a
match in the round of 16 on June 28th, involving the participation
of the winner of group F, which has been dubbed the tournament’s Group of Death
as world powerhouses Portugal, Germany and France will be vying for two
automatic berths into the knockout rounds.

The Romanian football fans are mere spectators as
their favourites, after a lackluster participation in the qualifiers, didn’t
manage to qualify for the prestigious football competition. There is only one
thing to sweeten the pill for Romania’s football fans, the qualification of our
Under-23 side for the Tokyo Olympics where our footballers will up against New
Zealand, South Korea and Honduras.

The Olympic Football tournament kicks off
on July 21st. We recall that our young footballers made it for the
semifinals of the European Under-21 Championship hosted by Italy and San Marino
in 2019. This would be their fourth
participation in the Olympics after the editions of 1924 in Paris, 1952 in
Helsinki and 1964 in Tokyo when they ended on the fifth position.

(bill)

14 June 2021
The Art Safari 2020 retrospective exhibition

The month of September this year saw the 7th
edition taking place, of an eagerly-awaited event: the Bucharest Art Pavilion -
Art Safari. The event draw to a close two months ago, and the other day we sat
down and spoke to the Art Safari director, Ioana Ciocan. Ioana had a look back
at the event, offering us several conclusions.

As an absolute first in the history
of the event, the Bucharest Art Pavilion – Art Safari was held on two separate
premises: the Victoria Tower, an impressive building located on Victoria Road,
at the heart of Bucharest, and in the AFI Cotroceni Mall, which was an
extremely surprising space. We picked AFI Cotroceni because we thought it was
easier, it was more accessible for us to take art particularly where people
are. If people are in the mall, then the decision we took was quite natural,
that of having an art pavilion in the mall. So we built a satellite there, with
all sorts of artistic, interactive installations, made for the entire family,
where, of course, access was free. Another interesting thing about Art Safari
was that it could also be visited at night. So, night after night, from
September 11 and all through to September 27, small groups of visitors enjoyed
guided tours as well as musical performances. This year, given the trying circumstances
we’ve been through, we had to take into account a couple of measures that are
part of the new normality already: social distancing, wearing the ear-loop mask
and there was something else, something very important, access to Art Safari
was granted to small groups of people. Practically, for the Victoria Tower’s
11,000 square meters surface area, we allowed no more than 175 people to visit Art
Safari. We complied with the recommendation we got from the Ministry of Culture
and the Healthcare Ministry as we wanted to make sure the visits to the Art
Safari Museums were completely safe.

Ioana Ciocan gave us detailed info on the two
exhibitions that were part of Art Safari, which enjoyed the greatest success with
the visitors – the Sabin Balasa Pavilion and the Gheorghe Petrascu Pavilion.

Ioana Ciocan:

After the lockdown we had to comply
with earlier this year, we realized how much we missed cultural events. We were
happy because, under these very difficult circumstances, we were able to mount
the 7th edition of Art Safari. The pavilion bearing the name of Sabin Balasa, a contemporary painter who was
famous before but also after the anticommunist revolution, was laid out in the
entire surface area of a floor of the building. Each of Sabin Balasa’s
canvasses was some sort of incursion into a quite uncanny cosmic universe,
peopled with feminine and masculine beings captured in initiatic journeys of
various kinds. We got a loan from Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, a valuable
one, which was also a one-of-a kind loan, eight of Sabin Balasa’s big-size canvasses
were offered on loan by them. We very much wanted Ceausescu’s and his wife’s
portraits to be included in Art Safari, we couldn’t get them, unfortunately, it
would have been relevant for visitors to know it was not only a blue cosmic
universe Sabin Balasa painted, but also propaganda works. On the first floor of
the building in Victoria Road, the museum pavilion was entirely dedicated to
Gheorghe Petrascu, one of Romanian fine art’s most popular painters, a great
master, whose works were last put together in an exhibition in 1972.

Art Safari came up with a surprise exhibition for the
Eastern-European space.

Ioana Ciocan:

In 2020, the International Pavilion
was dedicated to a form of rebel art brought over from the US: Guerilla Girls.
The group of feminists was founded in New York in 1985, while for its
representation in Bucharest, Guerilla Girls curated a historic exhibition, an
exhibition comprising the fine art group’s most famous and most relevant works,
dated 1985, but also works form the 1990s and the year 2000. The group was set
up as a form of protest against gender differences in the museums across USA,
and not only there, this year at Romania’s National Art Museum we saw an
exhibition including all-male works. So the 1985 Guerilla Girls protest has not
reached Bucharest yet, that’s why we were happy we had the privilege to host that
historic group as an absolute first, not only in Romania, but in this part of
Europe as well.

The visitors’ reaction to the interactive exhibition
offer as well as to Art Safari’s offer for the little ones was extraordinary,
the art-loving kids, that is.

Ioana Ciocan:

The ‘Bucharest School’ pavilion,
curated by Silvia Rogozea, sought to offer a complete picture of the last 30
years of Bucharest fine art. For their works to be selected for the exhibition,
their authors needn’t have been Bucharesters, born and bred, or educated in
Bucharest, but at a crucial point in their lives, the artists need to have had
a close connection with Bucharest. It was an eclectic exhibition, very popular
with the visitors, photographs of the exhibition were taken on a large scale. An
Art Safari hashtag on the Instagram gives us access to the most successful
angles of the ‘Bucharest School’ exhibition. The exhibition also had an audio
installation, jointly made with Ana Banica, an artist the visitors loved very
much, especially the younger public. The Children’s pavilion was something
unique in Art safari. We asked the little ones to send us works they made
during the lockdown we had earlier this year. We found it absolutely
fascinating to receive their works, on paper, canvas, collages, photographs,
magazine clips – for the children, it was a universe which took shape at a time
which was very difficult for them. But it was all the more delighting for us to
see the little the ones coming at Art Safari and seeing their works on display
in a museum as an absolute first. So we would like to continue with the
children’s pavilion in the 2021 edition as well.

Ioana Ciocan:

The team’s tremendous effort to mount
Art Safari against the backdrop of the pandemic was warmly rewarded by the
visitors’ enthusiasm. We were once again happy when we saw people queuing up
for art, just as it happens in all renowned international exhibitions. Bucharesters,
and not only them, were queuing up for Art Safari just as they do when
they visit the great international museums. So we were happy to have been able
to offer lovers of art a contemporary visiting experience, perfectly adapted to
the times we live in. It was a collection edition, indeed, and I should like to
take this opportunity and invite you to be part of Art Safari. This year we had
more than 80 youngsters who opted for doing volunteer work in the field of art,
with Art Safari, it was a team of volunteer high-school students from
high-schools in Bucharest, they are definitely a source of inspiration for the
younger generations. So we invite you to visit Art Safari, but also to do
volunteer work as part of such a great cultural project.

(Translation by Eugen Nasta)

5 December 2020
Iasi

Today we are going to the northeast of the country, in a city filled with history, with an intense cultural life, Iasi. The first time visitor will find out that they are surrounded by history with every step, related to many eras, be it the history of the prehistoric culture of Cucuteni, the era of the great medieval noble families, the historic election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as ruler of the united Romanian Principalities, or many manifestations of the arts and sciences.

Today’s trip to Iasi is occasioned by an important celebration. 160 years ago, on January 5, the Elective Assembly in Iasi voted into office as ruler of Moldavia Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The corresponding assembly in Bucharest elected him ruler of Wallachia on January 24, 1859, effectively uniting the two entities into a single state, called the Romanian Principalities, a first important step in the creation of the modern Romanian state. We spoke to Anca Zota, coordinator of the Iasi Tourism Information Center.

“On January 24, we always have activities dedicated to this event, which is the most important of the year for us here in Iasi. We have lots of festivities that end with the Round Dance of the Union. We also have traditional music concerts, and every museum and tourist site that has the slightest connection with this celebration organizes some event to observe the day.

Anca Zota recommends Iasi for its pleasant atmosphere and the welcoming air: “There are plenty of opportunities for cultural tourism, we have great offers for active tourism, too. There is the famous pilgrimage on St. Paraskeva day, along with a rich offer in terms of religious tourism. Lately, another type of tourism that emerged is business tourism, as well as medical tourism. However, in order to truly grasp the essence of the city of Iasi, I would recommend starting your visits with the Palace of Culture, which includes four very interesting museums. The History Museum will provide you with an idea of how the city developed. The Ethnography Museum shows us the way in which our ancestors made their daily living. The Art Museum has a great Romanian painting collection. One other great collection is that of the Museum of Mechanical Music. The curators of this museum organize a festival every two years. Another interesting collection is that of the Metropolitan Museum, in the basement of the Metropolitan Bishopric of Iasi. Visitors can see the old foundations of the building, in addition to the exhibits. One other emblematic museum for the city is the University Museum, showcasing the Cucuteni stone age civilization, and about the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, the oldest one in the country. I want to make a point of telling tourists that they should not miss the opportunity to visit famous writer Ion Creanga’s memorial house. All Romanians know all about this writer, but foreign visitors may enjoy it too, because it is a very well preserved traditional Romanian home, in a beautiful neighborhood. One other beautiful objective is the Botanical Garden, especially for tourists who enjoy the outdoors.

It is a great idea to visit Iasi during your summer vacation. You will find there a relaxing atmosphere, great Romanian cuisine restaurants, and restaurants catering for international tastes as well. There are plenty of clubs and cafes with live music. Local bands and bands traveling from all over the country and abroad play jazz, rock and blues late into the night. You can also plan a vacation depending on the schedule of events. You will definitely find something to enjoy here.

Here is Anca Zota once again: “We have some events that have gained tradition, and are scheduled at specific times. In late February we have the Azalea and Camellia Exhibition at the Botanical Garden. In the first week of March we have the March Fair. One week before Easter we have a fair dedicated to the event, and in May we have a month dedicated to music. On May 11 and 12 we have the Folk Festival of Iasi, between May 16 and 19 we have a rock music festival, and between May 24 and 26 we have the Hangariada Festival at the Air Club in Iasi, which is a festival including art, music, and flying airplanes. The music shows are accompanied by air shows and parachute jumps. In the last weekend of June we have a traditional festival dedicated to the Cucuteni stone age culture, featuring the famous Cucuteni ceramics. In October we have two interesting festivals: the International Literature and Translation Festival, and the International Youth Theater Festival. If you want to attend you should buy your tickets a few months in advance, because these festivals sell out very quickly. The people who come to Iasi may want to book their trip for the month of October, where we have the city celebration on the 14th.

Anca Zota told us that tourist traffic has been on the rise in the last few years: “So far, since our grand opening in 2006, the greatest numbers of tourists have come from France, Italy, Spain and Germany. Lately we have had greater and greater numbers of tourists from Israel. They are delighted with the fact that this is a special city, full of welcoming and smiling people, with plenty of things to see and do. We have a map of the city in English, and lots of promotional materials in English, French and German, which we provide to tourists.

Iasi is a great venue for outdoor activities: “The city is surrounded by forests, where you can take long walks. The forests are very safe. We have marked trails for walking, as well as for cycling. You can pick among trails for experienced trekkers, and less experienced ones. You can take walks as long as 20 km in the forests. There are bicycle rental centers, and our office keeps in touch with them, and we highly recommend them.

Iasi, therefore, is a highly recommended tourist destination for any time of the year.

18 July 2019
Iasi

Today we are going to the northeast of the country, in a city filled with history, with an intense cultural life, Iasi. The first time visitor will find out that they are surrounded by history with every step, related to many eras, be it the history of the prehistoric culture of Cucuteni, the era of the great medieval noble families, the historic election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as ruler of the united Romanian Principalities, or many manifestations of the arts and sciences.

Today’s trip to Iasi is occasioned by an important celebration. 160 years ago, on January 5, the Elective Assembly in Iasi voted into office as ruler of Moldavia Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The corresponding assembly in Bucharest elected him ruler of Wallachia on January 24, 1859, effectively uniting the two entities into a single state, called the Romanian Principalities, a first important step in the creation of the modern Romanian state. We spoke to Anca Zota, coordinator of the Iasi Tourism Information Center.

“On January 24, we always have activities dedicated to this event, which is the most important of the year for us here in Iasi. We have lots of festivities that end with the Round Dance of the Union. We also have traditional music concerts, and every museum and tourist site that has the slightest connection with this celebration organizes some event to observe the day.

Anca Zota recommends Iasi for its pleasant atmosphere and the welcoming air: “There are plenty of opportunities for cultural tourism, we have great offers for active tourism, too. There is the famous pilgrimage on St. Paraskeva day, along with a rich offer in terms of religious tourism. Lately, another type of tourism that emerged is business tourism, as well as medical tourism. However, in order to truly grasp the essence of the city of Iasi, I would recommend starting your visits with the Palace of Culture, which includes four very interesting museums. The History Museum will provide you with an idea of how the city developed. The Ethnography Museum shows us the way in which our ancestors made their daily living. The Art Museum has a great Romanian painting collection. One other great collection is that of the Museum of Mechanical Music. The curators of this museum organize a festival every two years. Another interesting collection is that of the Metropolitan Museum, in the basement of the Metropolitan Bishopric of Iasi. Visitors can see the old foundations of the building, in addition to the exhibits. One other emblematic museum for the city is the University Museum, showcasing the Cucuteni stone age civilization, and about the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, the oldest one in the country. I want to make a point of telling tourists that they should not miss the opportunity to visit famous writer Ion Creanga’s memorial house. All Romanians know all about this writer, but foreign visitors may enjoy it too, because it is a very well preserved traditional Romanian home, in a beautiful neighborhood. One other beautiful objective is the Botanical Garden, especially for tourists who enjoy the outdoors.

It is a great idea to visit Iasi during your summer vacation. You will find there a relaxing atmosphere, great Romanian cuisine restaurants, and restaurants catering for international tastes as well. There are plenty of clubs and cafes with live music. Local bands and bands traveling from all over the country and abroad play jazz, rock and blues late into the night. You can also plan a vacation depending on the schedule of events. You will definitely find something to enjoy here.

Here is Anca Zota once again: “We have some events that have gained tradition, and are scheduled at specific times. In late February we have the Azalea and Camellia Exhibition at the Botanical Garden. In the first week of March we have the March Fair. One week before Easter we have a fair dedicated to the event, and in May we have a month dedicated to music. On May 11 and 12 we have the Folk Festival of Iasi, between May 16 and 19 we have a rock music festival, and between May 24 and 26 we have the Hangariada Festival at the Air Club in Iasi, which is a festival including art, music, and flying airplanes. The music shows are accompanied by air shows and parachute jumps. In the last weekend of June we have a traditional festival dedicated to the Cucuteni stone age culture, featuring the famous Cucuteni ceramics. In October we have two interesting festivals: the International Literature and Translation Festival, and the International Youth Theater Festival. If you want to attend you should buy your tickets a few months in advance, because these festivals sell out very quickly. The people who come to Iasi may want to book their trip for the month of October, where we have the city celebration on the 14th.

Anca Zota told us that tourist traffic has been on the rise in the last few years: “So far, since our grand opening in 2006, the greatest numbers of tourists have come from France, Italy, Spain and Germany. Lately we have had greater and greater numbers of tourists from Israel. They are delighted with the fact that this is a special city, full of welcoming and smiling people, with plenty of things to see and do. We have a map of the city in English, and lots of promotional materials in English, French and German, which we provide to tourists.

Iasi is a great venue for outdoor activities: “The city is surrounded by forests, where you can take long walks. The forests are very safe. We have marked trails for walking, as well as for cycling. You can pick among trails for experienced trekkers, and less experienced ones. You can take walks as long as 20 km in the forests. There are bicycle rental centers, and our office keeps in touch with them, and we highly recommend them.

Iasi, therefore, is a highly recommended tourist destination for any time of the year.

24 January 2019
May 19, 2018 UPDATE

DEFENCE – Romania has met all its commitments to NATO, the Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said on Saturday. He added that the US President Donald Trumps request for the other Allied countries to also earmark 2% of their GDP to defence is justified. This is the second consecutive year when Romania allots these funds to defence, Fifor explained. He also mentioned that nearly 700 Romanian troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, and the major Army equipment upgrade projects undertaken by Romania upon joining NATO are reaching their final stages.

MUSEUMS – Scores of Romanian museum employees Saturday protested in front of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity headquarters. They say salaries do not reflect the importance, responsibility and complexity of their work, and some of them have lost incomes since the implementation of the unified pay scheme for public sector employees and the transfer of social security payments from employers to employees. The Culture Ministry announced in a news release that several meetings have been held recently with trade unions in the sector, and solutions to their problems are being searched for. The protests came ahead of the 14th edition of the famous Long Night of Museums, in which 180 museums and partner organisations in Romania are taking part. In Bucharest, taking part in the event are the National Art Museum of Romania, the National History Museum, the George Enescu National Museum, the Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum, and the Romanian Peasant Museum. Exhibitions, concerts and film screenings have been put together, for all ages and for all tastes.

ROYAL WEDDING – The historical city of Windsor, near London, Saturday hosted the wedding of Price Harry of Wales, grandson to Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, with his fiancée, the 36 year old American actress Meghan Markle. The official ceremony combined the elegance of the royal protocol with the glamour of Hollywood events. Thousands of people gathered on Saturday morning in the usually quiet town, to celebrate the princely couple. Buckingham Palace previously announced that Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain granted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the title of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

DIASPORA – The second regional consular meeting in the campaign entitled “2018 Dialogue with the Diaspora on consular topics ended in Rome on Saturday. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, taking part in the event were representatives of the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices in Italy, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Switzerland, Montenegro and Israel. Talks focused on topics related to consular activities, particularly the handling of the situations that require the activation of the Foreign Ministry Crisis Response Task Force, as well as the use of the IT systems that are part of the E-Cons integrated platform, which currently services the entire consular network of the Romanian Foreign Ministry.

CHISINAU – The Republic of Moldova Sunday holds the first round of early elections for the mayors of capital city Chisinau and the second-largest Moldovan town of Balti, in the north. The posts have been vacant since the resignation of the mayors elected in June 2015, namely the pro-European Liberal Dorin Chirtoaca in Chisinau and the pro-Russian populist Renato Usatii in Balti. Both officials claimed the trials were political shams. These early elections are seen as a test for this autumns parliamentary election. Analysts quoted by Radio Romania correspondents, say Sundays vote for a new mayor of Chisinau, where one-third of the countrys population lives and which generates half of Moldovas GDP, is also important in geo-political terms, given the competition between pro-Russian and pro-European politicians in this country.

FUNERALS – The funerals of the great Romanian film director Lucian Pintilie were held in Bucharest on Saturday. Pintilie died on Wednesday at the age of 84. His staging of the Inspector General (1972), as well as his films The Reconstruction and For Whom the Bell Tolls, Mitică, were banned by the communist censorship. In 1973, he left for Paris, where he continued his career. After the fall of communism, he returned to Romania and made a series of films, mostly Romanian-French co-productions, one of which, “Too Late (1996), was included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

CONFERENCE – Former East-European political leaders pleaded in Bucharest on Saturday for dialogue as a means to promote security in the Korean Peninsula. Chairing the meeting designed to support a peaceful reunification of Korea, Emil Constantinescu, president of Romania in 1996-2000, emphasised the importance of cultural diplomacy between the 2 countries. The ex-president of Albania, Rexhep Meidani, believes recent developments to be encouraging, including the prospective meeting of the US President Donald Trump with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Also attending the conference in Bucharest are, among others, the former presidents of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, of Belarus, Stanislav Shushkevich, and of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic.

HANDBALL – The Romanian mens handball team AHC Potaissa of Turda (in north-western Romania) Sunday faces the Greek side AEK Athens, away from home, in the decisive leg of the Challenge Cup final. On Monday, the Romanians won the first leg, at home, 33-22. According to commentators, Potaissa, which last year lost the final of the same competition to Sporting Lisbon, is a step away from winning the trophy. At the end of last week, the Romanian womens team SCM Craiova won the EHF Cup final, defeating the Norwegian side Vipers Kristiansand, while Romanian champions, CSM Bucharest, won the bronze in the so-called Champions League Final Four in Budapest.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

19 May 2018
May 19, 2018

MUSEUMS – Museums across Europe, including in Romania, are open tonight for visitors to take part in a new edition of the Long Night of Museums. In Romania, 180 museums and partner organisations in the country and in the capital city Bucharest are taking part in this 14th edition. In Bucharest, taking part in the event are the National Art Museum of Romania, the National History Museum, the George Enescu National Museum, the Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum, and the Romanian Peasant Museum. Exhibitions, concerts and film screenings have been put together, for all ages and for all tastes. The 2018 edition also includes projects aimed at a more user-friendly experience, providing digital museum routes that may be explored free of charge. The European Night of Museums series was initiated by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

ROYAL WEDDING – Thousands of people gathered on Saturday morning in the historical city of Windsor, near London, to celebrate the wedding of Price Harry of Wales, grandson to Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, with his fiancée, the 36 year old American actress Meghan Markle. The official ceremony will combine the elegance of the royal protocol with the glamour of Hollywood events. The religious ceremony will be hosted by St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest royal estate in the world, constantly inhabited over the centuries. Receptions will then be held, at St. Georges Hall, Windsor Castle at noon and at the nearby Frogmore House in the evening.

DIASPORA – The second regional consular meeting in the campaign entitled “2018 Dialogue with the Diaspora on consular topics ends today in Rome. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, taking part in the event are representatives of the Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices in Italy, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Switzerland, Montenegro and Israel. Talks focused on topics related to consular activities, particularly the handling of the situations that require the activation of the Foreign Ministry Crisis Response Task Force, as well as the use of the IT systems that are part of the E-Cons integrated platform, which currently services the entire consular network of the Romanian Foreign Ministry.

MOLDOVA – The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu, who is on an official visit to Chisinau, has travelled today to Ungheni, designated one of the 2018 European Villages. The locals found out from the EU official about the support the bloc has given to the Rep. of Moldova, particularly through EU-funded projects implemented in their region. Yesterday in Chisinau, Corina Cretu said the EU wants to remain a strong partner for the development of the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova. The statement came after her meeting with PM Pavel Filip. The European official also said that it is important for Moldova to focus on implementing reform in key sectors like economic development, the business environment, energy and justice. In turn, PM Filip reiterated that the goal of the Government of Modova is the European accession of this ex-Soviet republic.

PLANE CRASH – More than 100 people died in Fridays Boeing 737 crash in Cuba, while 3 survivors are in critical condition in hospital. The aircraft was on a domestic route to the east of Cuba, and it crashed shortly after taking off in Havana. A total of 110 people were on board, including 6 members of the crew, the Cuban authorities announced. Two days of national mourning were declared. The causes of the tragedy are yet to be established.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, is playing today against the Russian Maria Sharapova (31, no 40 WTA), in the semi-finals of the WTA tournament in Rome, which has 2.7 million euros in total prize money. Yesterday in the quarter-finals Halep (26) defeated Caroline Garcia of France (7 WTA), while Sharapova beat the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko. Halep has lost 7 direct matches against Sharapova and won only one, last year in Beijing. In last years tournament in Rome, Halep lost the final. Simona Halep will stay as leader of the world standings next week as well. Also today in Rome, the pair Sorana Cîrstea (Romania) – Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) are playing the semi-finals of the doubles competition against Ashleigh Barty (Australia) – Demi Schuurs (the Netherlands).

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

19 May 2018
2017 European Night of Museums

The 2017 edition of the European Night of Museums hit a new record – a total of 212 institutions from Romania enrolled for the event, while tens of thousands of people went on Saturday night to visit cultural venues free of charge. 54 museums and cultural organizations played host to guided tours, exhibitions, theatre plays, concerts, discussion panels or book launches. One of the most sought-after destinations on this occasion was the “Grigore Antipa Museum of Natural History and the Geology Museum in Bucharest. Here visitors, which were mostly young people or families with children, could visit the exhibition “Night of the Dinosaurs – A Night of Magic, with replicas of dinosaurs and a quartz skull weighing over 30 kilos, the only one of its kind in Europe.

The Romanian Academy, in cooperation with the Legacy of Tomorrow Cultural Association exhibited one of Constantin Brancusis few sculptures currently on Romanian soil, “Childs Head, at the Museum of Old Western Art. The Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest also played host to jazz and classical music concerts. Astronomy enthusiasts could visit the freshly renovated Astronomy Observatory.

The Filipescu-Cesianu House this year opened the doors of its Age Museum, the first urban anthropology museum in the country, inaugurated last year. Innovative exhibitions, such as Leonard da Vincis machines, the Bucharest Art Gallery, an inter-war project, the living statues of Masca Theatre exhilarated visitors of the “Theodor Aman Museum, the Sutu Palace, the Filipescu-Cesianu House or the “Nicolae Minovici Museum.

At the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu, the library and the wonder rooms were opened to the public, despite currently being in their design phase. The two sectors will become part of the full tour starting the second half of the year. Also taking part in the Night of Museums was the open-air museum in Dumbrava Sibiului, the largest of its kind in Romania, spreading over 100 hectares.

In 2017, the Night of Museums was preceded by a protest of museum employees, the first ever staged in post-communist Romania. Protesters rallied in front of the National History Museum in Bucharest and then before the Ministry of Culture building. Museum employees say they have been overlooked by the latest salary increases, while the current salary bill further discriminates against them and puts them in an unfair position. Unless their demands are met, employees say they will take their protest to the next level, which may include an all-out strike.

Having reached its 13th edition, the European Night of Museums enjoys a growing success from one year to the next at international level. Over 3,000 museums from all over Europe, as well as many art galleries, schools and cultural venues, took part in the event.

(translated by: Vlad Palcu)

22 May 2017