Radio România Internațional

Tag: Wallachia

  • Romanians celebrated the Union of the Principalities Day

    Romanians celebrated the Union of the Principalities Day

    The official copy of the Paris Convention of 1858, granted to the Romanian Principalities by the Ottoman Empire, was publicly exhibited, on Tuesday, for the first time in Romania. The document represents one of the first Constitutions of Romanians that underlay the Union of the Principalities in the following year, 1859, on January 24. 164 years ago, Moldavia and Wallachia united under the leadership of one single ruler, Alexandru Ioan Cuza. From a historical point of view the exceptional political event was considered the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian unitary state, later completed in 1918. In a message, the Royal Family of Romania completes the chronology, recalling that, 7 years later, in 1866, the first Constitution of the state called Romania was proclaimed; 18 years after the Union of the Principalities, in 1877, Romania became an independent state, and 22 years later, in 1881 it became a kingdom. In 2023 as well January 24th was an occasion for celebration throughout Romania.



    There were numerous military ceremonies in all the garrisons where monuments dedicated to the Union of the Romanian Principalities have been built. In the Orthodox churches, the 164th anniversary of the Union of the Principalities was marked by Te Deum services, at the end of which, for one minute, the bells rang. In Bucharest, flower wreaths were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, an event attended by President Klaus Iohannis who declared that the gains of 1859 are a lesson of responsibility for all those who continue to build a European, modern and democratic Romania. The epicenter of the manifestations occasioned by the Union Day was the city of Iasi, once the capital of Moldavia, then, for a short period, one of the two newly United capitals of the Principalities – Moldavia and Wallachia. The events that marked the day in Iasi on Tuesday included a traditional music concert, a military parade with over 300 soldiers, a memorial service at the tomb of the ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, at the Trei Ierarhi Monastery, aming others.



    Among the thousands of people who chose to celebrate the Union Day in Iasi were the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu. An opportunity for the PM to state that the roots of European Romania can be found in the Union that occurred 164 years ago, an authentic example of the unity of the will of Romanians, which opened the path for the emancipation and modernization of the state. Since 1859, until today, the unmistakable leitmotif of January 24th has remained, however, “Hora Unirii” — The Union Round Dance, a poem by Vasile Alecsandri on the musical setting of Alexandru Flechtenmacher, which is sung and danced on by everybody throughout Romania. (LS)

  • January 24, 2023

    January 24, 2023

    UNION Romanians are today celebrating the union of the historical provinces
    of Moldavia and Wallachia, a political event, which took place 164 years ago,
    in 1859, under the leadership of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The move was the
    first step in the process of creating the Romanian modern state, process
    completed back in 1918. Military and religious services have been staged by the
    Ministry of National Defence jointly with central and local authorities at the
    monuments devoted to the union of the Romanian principalities. Wreath laying
    ceremonies were held at the monument of the Unknown Soldier. Present at the
    event, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says that the successes achieved back
    in 1859 are a lesson of responsibility for all those who are building the
    European, modern and democratic Romania. He reiterated the appeal to use all
    the instruments available to complete all the reforms Romania needs and to
    eradicate the malfunctions, which are still affecting this process. Thousands
    of people took to the streets of Iasi, in eastern Romania to participate in a
    series of events on this occasion. The country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca
    and the president of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu have also
    participated in these events. In his public address on this special occasion,
    Prime Minister Ciuca said the roots of the European Romania can be found in the
    union completed 164 years ago – an authentic example of the unity of the
    Romanians, which paved the way for the emancipation and modernization of the state.
    In his opinion, the responsibility of the political class and the state
    institutions is to honour this act of uniting the Romanian nation. Religious
    services have been held in Orthodox churches around the country on this
    occasion.








    UKRAINE Several high officials in Ukraine have today announced their
    resignations amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia,
    France Press reports. Deputy Defence Minister, Viacheslav Shapovalov, and the
    deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko are among the
    high officials to have stepped down. Deputy prosecutor General Oleksiy
    Symonenko has also resigned amid allegations about a holiday he spent with his
    family in Spain after Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council had
    banned state officials from leaving the country during martial law. Amid all
    these allegations, which threaten to dampen the West’s enthusiasm to help the
    government in Kyiv, president Zelensky has pledged to launch a staff shake-up
    in the central and local administrations including at top level. Ukraine’s
    endemic corruption has been overlooked since the beginning of the Russian
    invasion, but fighting the scourge is one of the key conditions for the country
    to join the European Union.








    NATO
    Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden not to expect Turkey’s
    support for its NATO membership bid, after a copy of the Quran was burned in a
    Stockholm protest. Sweden’s accession to NATO must be ratified by all the
    member states, but the tensions between Ankara and Stockholm have escalated in
    the past weeks. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May last year
    after Russia had invaded Ukraine. Turkey has accused Sweden of backing groups,
    which are considered terrorist by the government in Ankara. Finland’s Foreign
    Minister Pekka Haavisto has today said that Finland must consider joining NATO
    without Sweden.








    WEATHER The weather is getting colder in Romania with temperatures, which are
    normal for the time of the year. The sky is overcast in several regions in the
    south-west, south and east, which can also see precipitations as rain, sleet
    and even snow. Glazed frost has been reported on small areas in the south-east
    and south. The wind is moderate everywhere apart from some regions in the south
    and in the mountains. The highs of the day are ranging between 0 and 10 degrees
    Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was two degrees.








    (bill)

  • Femininity and Childhood in Modern Times

    Femininity and Childhood in Modern Times

    Romanians
    gave up the Oriental style and fashion and quickly adopted Western fashions
    radically changing their dressing style and the interior decorations of their
    homes.




    Women
    quickly embraced the Western trends and proved to be the main promoters of
    these changes in the Romanian society. Furthermore, the change in mentalities
    allowed women to get more involved in social activities destined for children
    and not only. So, in the first half of the 19th century children
    benefitted from improved education and standard of living in comparison to the
    previous generations. Well-off families in the aforementioned principalities started
    hiring German, English or French tutors for their children, which replaced the
    previous Greek private teachers they used to have. Bourgeois families in these
    two regions inhabited by Romanians had their own approach in the education of
    their offspring. Here is now at the microphone Nicoleta Roman, researcher with
    the Nicolae Iorga Institute of History:

    There was the emerging bourgeoisie, made up mainly of traders trying
    to imitate the aristocrats in these regions. And in this case, these children’s
    childhood was somehow protected by the involvement of their parents who
    invested in their education in order to improve their status and the status of
    their families. And it was that investment that made the difference between the
    children coming from the rich families and aristocracy and the rest.





    The issue of childhood
    in the rural areas in the first half of the 19th century is still
    under the scrutiny of the historians. However, what is known for certain is
    that the struggle for survival in that area didn’t prove beneficial to the
    process of transformations of Wallachia and Moldavia in early 19th
    century. Changes in people’s outlook on childhood and the status of women were
    quite sluggish in the rural world and the young boyars who were the engine of these
    changes had their own outlook on education, mainly supervised by their mothers,
    who thus become the promoters of new ideas in this area. Here is again at the
    microphone Nicoleta Roman:






    We should not forget to mention the
    young generation of revolutionaries of 1848 or their associates who had made it
    to major positions in state structures. They had different approaches in terms
    of education and a series of state-funded social policies regarding education
    or social assistance started to emerge. The growing interest in children
    education shed a new light on childhood as compared to the previous years,
    making children more visible in society. There was also that feeling of
    national identity and the C.A. Rosetti – Mary Grant couple was a case in point.
    That was a cosmopolitan couple who loved their children very much and tried to
    instill this feeling of national identity in them, including through the names
    they had given to them. Their first daughter was named Liberty and we’ve learnt
    that the aforementioned feeling was also shared by their friends, the Golescu
    and Bratianu families. So, the elite changed and so did its approach to children
    education. The spirit of the 18th century had been replaced by one
    focusing on how those children could represent the nation better and how they
    could assume the values of a certain nation.




    Journalist, writer, political leader
    and revolutionary Constantin Alexandru Rosetti aka C.A.Rosetti in 1847 married Mary
    Grant, a Scotswoman who was working as a governess. The couple was to become an
    example not only for their cosmopolitan style but also for the fact they tried
    to fairly share the household tasks and chores. They had a joint contribution
    to their children’s education and worked together over their publications. Mary
    Grant rapidly adopted the ideals of modernizing the Romanian space at that
    time. And as Nicoleta Roman pointed out she wasn’t the only woman changing her
    status in those years.


    There was in early 19th century a tendency of
    professionalizing some aspects in a woman’s life. The woman could become a
    midwife, a teacher or a babysitter. These were paid activities and started
    being integrated in the state system. So women started taking off from the
    private field and finding their own way in life without giving up families or
    households. They started gaining public recognition. At the same time, women
    from the upper classes got involved in the process of founding charity
    associations and charity actions. Some of them got involved in the process of
    editing various publications. The 19th century saw a significant
    improvement in terms of women’s involvement in society than the previous one.     (bill)

  • “The Dracula Investigation” – an exhibition opened in Sighisoara, central Romania

    “The Dracula Investigation” – an exhibition opened in Sighisoara, central Romania

    Eight Romanian-born Dutch brothers
    very fond of Romania’s history, as they were raised in Sighisoara, a medieval city
    in central Romania, one day decided to enrich the travel offer of the city of
    their childhood. We recall that this medieval city in central Romania is
    arguably a top travel destination for all those interested in visiting
    Transylvania.






    So, the eight brothers decided to
    open an interactive exhibition as an invitation into the fascinating world of
    Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes, aka Dracula, who was born in Sighisoara in 1431.
    He inherited the name from his father, a nobleman who had been admitted to the monarchical
    chivalric Order of the Dragon founded by Hungarian king Sigismund of
    Luxembourg.






    Tepes, who achieved notoriety
    thanks to Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula, ruled Wallachia in 1448, then
    again between 1456 and 1462 and in 1476. The exhibition bears a suggestive
    name, ‘The Dracula Investigation and is presenting major historic events and
    moments in the life of this famous Wallachian ruler. One of the initiators of
    this project is 26-years old Timon who told us how things started rocketing.




    Timon: For many years we had
    seen a real exodus of young people lea

    ving Sighisoara, in search of a better
    future. Also very few are getting involved in fresh projects and activities for
    tourists. After a couple of hours of sightseeing, tourists are usually leaving
    the city as there is not much to see. And we believed we could change that one
    day. It was a long process, we did a lot of talking and had arguments, but in
    the end we came up with something good. Now we are also considering other
    projects, we also have divergent opinions but we know than we shouldn’t take
    them personally. We initially wanted to take up design too, and this is how we
    hired Silvia, because we cannot do everything.






    Stage designer Silvia Ioana
    Horobeanu told us how she joined the project.






    Silvia: I got contacted by
    Timon who told me about the project and I thought it was interesting that
    someone may want to present our history in such a new way. I came up with a
    modern, minimalist version of the exhibition, as I believe in simplicity when
    you have to present major moments in history. I was also considering the idea
    of screening animated films in several rooms.




    The exhibition consists of animated
    films, shadow performances, molded artefacts and visitors are invited to all
    the exhibition’s five rooms where the Wallachian ruler is telling the story of
    his life. This interesting exhibition is combining technology and history
    because those who initiated the project are young people. Here is Timon’s younger
    brother Lemre with more.






    Lemre: I like this medieval
    thing because I like history a lot. We knew we had potential but didn’t exactly
    know what we could do. Then we thought of Sighisoara, the city of our
    childhood, a beautiful city in Transylvania on UNESCO’s heritage list. And when
    people think of Transylvania, they think of Dracula first without any concern
    for the real story. They prefer to think of vampires and all that stuff. We
    believed the true story is also interesting and we wanted to present it in a
    unique manner.






    Design was created from scratch in
    this exhibition showcasing events from the life of the famous Wallachian ruler.
    Here is Silvia Ioana Horobeanu with more on the issue.






    Silvia: I wanted something
    special, I wanted to impress. Because the main story was actually placed
    outside we had to figure out how to bring that atmosphere inside in these
    halls. In order to achieve that atmosphere of authenticity, my idea was to pave
    the rooms with gravel, to recreate that specific outdoor sound. The boys hated
    me for that as they have to carry a lot of gravel inside, but the final result
    eventually paid off.






    Several Romanian artists, from
    sculptors to narrators, have also joined the efforts to put in place this
    special exhibition, which takes visitors 20 minutes to see it all. Organizers
    are open to criticism and visitors can get their money back if they aren’t
    satisfied with what they see in this exhibition, which, like the Old Princely
    Court in Bucharest or the palace in Targoviste, southern Romania, may enable
    visitors to get a clear picture of the famous Wallachian ruler.



  • Dishes from Muntenia, southern Romania

    Dishes from Muntenia, southern Romania

    Today we invite you to Muntenia, a province in southern Romania, to introduce to you dishes from this region located between the Carpathians and the Danube.



    The region was known as Wallachia in the Middle Ages and old documents contain references to the parties thrown by the countrys rulers and high-ranking boyars as well as about the abundance of dishes and exquisite food they used to lavish on their visitors.



    Some references mention up to 60 courses served and the guests were supposed to clear the plates, otherwise their gesture would have been regarded as an insult to the hosts. Mutton, pork and poultry dishes were the main courses served during the parties and banquets of the Middle Ages Wallachia.



    Beef was avoided because it was believed to come from an animal that was used for heavy works. The region has built its own gastronomical culture influenced by the cuisine in the Orient, in Greece, France or Italy.



    Various sorts of vegetables, as well as fish, milk, pastry and fruit are used for dishes specific to this region. Aspic dishes from chicken, goose or pork were a traditional staple in Wallachia, and foreign visitors were often taken by surprise when served this kind of dish, as well as by fruit or vegetable preserved in brine, which usually accompanied heavy meals.



    In todays edition of this cooking feature wed like to invite you to try to cook a traditional sour meat and vegetable soup from southern Romania. For this you need a piece of meat, which could be pork, beef or poultry and several vegetables: one celeriac, two parsnips, a couple of carrots, two potatoes, green peas, bell peppers, a chunk of cabbage, and a big onion.



    You also need tomato juice and some herbs, like fresh parsley and lovage. First cube the meat and boil it. Add the chopped vegetables and sour it with fermented wheat bran brew 15 minutes before taking the soup off the cooking range. After the meat and vegetables are done, add the tomato juice, the finely chopped herbs, and salt to taste. Serve the soup hot, with sour cream and fresh hot pepper.


  • January 23, 2019 UPDATE

    January 23, 2019 UPDATE

    NATO Romania remains a trustworthy ally of
    NATO, Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said in Brussels on Wednesday at
    the end of her meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In turn,
    the NATO official said that NATO and the EU are cooperating better and better
    in fields like cyber and maritime security. The two officials have tackled the
    main topics on the Alliance’s agenda with emphasis on Romania’s interests as
    well as on Bucharest’s contribution to the implementation of the alliance’s policies
    and decisions. Also in Brussels, Prime Minister Dancila took part in a ceremony
    dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day staged by the European
    Jewish Congress under the patronage of the European Parliament’s president
    Antonio Tajani. On this occasion, the Romanian Prime Minister said that
    fighting Antisemitism is among the priorities of the Romanian presidency of
    the EU. Viorica Dancila has also underlined the need for consolidated European
    and international efforts to fight Antisemitism and any forms of
    discrimination. The Romanian official is paying a working visit to Brussels
    until Thursday with a view to presenting the priorities of the Romanian
    presidency of the EU Council.










    CELEBRATION
    Various events are being held across Romania to celebrate the 160th
    anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. On the 24th
    of January 1859, the elective assemblies of Moldavia and Wallachia elected the
    same ruler, Alexander Ioan Cuza, an event followed by the extensive
    modernisation of the new state. President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday laid flowers
    at Cuza’s tomb in Iasi, in the east. He also gave an address at an event to
    mark the declaration of the city of Iasi a historical capital of Romania.
    Other events held throughout the country include the laying of flowers,
    exhibitions and street performances. We recall that the Great Union took place
    100 years ago, on 1st of December 1918, when all Romanian historical
    provinces were united under Bucharest’s authority.










    FLU 31 people have been killed by flu in Romania
    this season. The authorities warn that Romania is on the verge of an epidemic,
    and the best method of protection is vaccination. The health minister Sorina
    Pintea has said that by the end of the week, some 10,000 additional doses of
    flu vaccine would be distributed around the country. Meanwhile, an increasing
    number of hospitals are considering restricting visitor access to prevent the
    spread of the flu. As an infection prevention measure, schools will be closed
    on Friday and since Thursday is a national holiday, students are allowed four
    days off also to minimize the risk of contamination, the Health Ministry has
    announced.




    (translated by
    bill)

  • President Klaus Iohannis’s New Year’s address

    President Klaus Iohannis’s New Year’s address

    In his New Year’s address, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis told the Romanians that 2017 was a year of probation in which society proved its maturity and attachment to democratic values. The future ushers in new challenges but the lessons of the past give us confidence that together, in unity and solidarity, we have the strength to build a better Romania for us and for the future generations. For each of us this is the right moment to strike a balance and evaluate our accomplishments and what we plan to achieve next, president Iohannis went on to say recalling that in 2018 the Romanians celebrate the centennial of the Great Union of 1918. However, the fist stage in the foundation of the Romanian unitary state was what is known as the Small Union, accomplished under the rule of Romania’s ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, an attempt of political will of the two Romanian principalities, Moldavia and Wallachia. On January 24th 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza — who had been elected a week before as ruler of Moldavia — was also unanimously voted by the Elective Assembly in Bucharest as sovereign of Wallachia and the united principalities. That was the birth certificate of the new state made up of the two principalities inhabited by Romanians. The union was internationally recognized three years later and the newborn state got the name of Romania. Through its radical reforms, Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s rule (1859 — 1866), laid the institutional foundations of modern Romania. Romania joined WWl and the unification process culminated with the Great Union of 1918 when the provinces with Romanian majorities that until that time had been under the administration of the neighbouring multinational empires joined the Romanian kingdom. After WWll Romania lost Bessarabia and northern Bukovina.

  • The First Railway in the Romanian principalities

    The First Railway in the Romanian principalities

    Train rides today are often a good opportunity to reminisce over times gone by. However, when it was first introduced in Wallachia and Moldova, two of the Romanian Principalities in mid-19th century, the railway produced quite a scare. And yet, people started to grasp its economic potential soon enough.



    It was against the backdrop of a full-scale process of modernization that the first railway segment was introduced, linking Bucharest to the port of Giurgiu, measuring 67 kilometers in length. Mircea Dorobantu, the director of the Romanian Railway Museum in Bucharest, spoke about the importance of this first railway in Romania.



    Mircea Dorobantu: “Back in the 1860s the authorities were talking about the introduction of the railway, as southern Bucharest was one of the most important hubs on the map of regional trade. The Danube linked the city to many European capitals and was the main transport route at the time. Talks referring to the building of a railway went back to the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, but the problem at the time was that Romania faced a shortage of rail experts. In this context, the British Railways, which were represented by various railway companies at the time, were eager to develop trade relations in this part of Europe. One of these companies belonging to entrepreneur John Trevor Barkley offered to build the rail segment from Bucharest to Giurgiu in exchange for a concession agreement with the Romanian state.



    The agreement was signed over a period of 99 years. Barkley’s company built the railway observing typically British building patterns. To this day, a train ride on this route allows travelers to admire the water towers in Comana and Giurgiu stations, which look much like they did back in 1869. You can still see the original plates”.



    “John Trevor Barkley & John Staniforth” started building the railway in 1866, and on October 31, 1869 the Bucharest-Giurgiu railway was inaugurated. The engines and cars, both for freight and passengers, resembled their British counterparts, of course. Mircea Doborantu:



    Mircea Dorobantu: The first engines were for both passengers and freight. The engines for passengers had one free axle and two driving axles putting the cars in motion as they had wheels with a big diameter. They had to run fast reaching the maximum speed of 83 km per hour. The engines for freight trains had three driving axles to haul freight wagons, which were heavier than the passenger ones. In the beginning, a passenger train on the Bucharest-Giurgiu line was made up of two first class carriages, two second class carriages, three third class carriages and two luggage vans. Passengers were very frightened by the train. To travel by “the fire carriage” was very weird for them; some of them did not keep away from the train as they were used to the horse drawn carriages by-passing them. That is why accidents took place. Those standing on the railway line or close to it were run over by the train and for this reason, when the first trains started running, a rider would ride ahead of the train blowing a horn to warn people to keep away from the train.”



    The next railway in the Principalities was built in Moldavia, being an extension of the existing line on the Lemberg-Cernauti-Suceava-Roman route. The Romanian extension covered the Roman-Bucharest route. The terminus in Bucharest was not the Filaret Train Station, but a new station for the Bucharest-Targoviste route, which subsequently became the main station of the capital, the North Train Station, inaugurated in 1872. In the beginning, there was no communication line between the Filaret Train Station and the North Train Station, as Mircea Dorobantu, the director of the Romanian Railway Museum explains.



    Mircea Dorobantu: “A communication line was then built between the two train stations because due to the great importance of the railways, in 1880, the problem of establishing a sole, well-organized administration was posed. So, in 1880, the Princely Department of the Romanian Railways was established. Meanwhile, the Romanian state bought back the lines from the concessionaires who had built and managed them and included them into a unitary system run by a sole administration.



  • Wallachia during Vlad the Impaler’s reign

    Wallachia during Vlad the Impaler’s reign

    Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula, was ruler of Wallachia for the first time in 1448. It was a short stint, while his second stint as a ruler, also the most relevant one, began in 1456 and lasted until 1462. Vlad the Impaler would also be ruler of Wallachia for the third and last time, in 1477. Two months into his reign, at the age of 45, Vlad the Impaler was killed in a court plot.



    Vlad the Impaler was a man of his time. He ascended the throne for the second time when he was 25, with the support of Iancu of Hunedoara, the then ruling price of Transylvania, in a bid to ward off Ottoman expansion in Europe. Historian Stefan Andreescu provided us with a detailed account of the circumstances in which Vlad the Impaler took over the throne of his father Vlad Dracul.


    ”In 1456, another great clash between the Islam and Christian Europe took place, which ended up in the resistance to the siege of Belgrade, which was a successful one. However, it took more than a century and a half to conquer Belgrade. Being fully aware of what was going to follow, Iancu of Hunedoara resumed his policy of strengthening the line of River Danube, which meant that he needed a reliable ally on Wallachia’s throne. Vlad the Impaler came from Transylvania, but he also enjoyed domestic political support, since there was a group of boyars who recognized him as their ruler.”



    An authoritarian and anti-Ottoman ruler, having spent his youth as a hostage at the Sultan’s court, Vlad the Impaler was adamant in eradicating the anarchy which at the time was rampant in Wallachia, a principality he sought to include in Christian alliances.



    With details on that, here is historian Stefan Andreescu again :”He would ascend the throne in the wake of decades of clashes and turmoil. It was, if you will, an age when anarchy reigned supreme and to that effect he tried to secure domestic support and crush all prospective pockets of opposition that posed a threat to his throne. In the Slavonic version of the Tales about ruler Dracula and also in their German version, there is evidence of the extremely harsh measures he took, and one such measure was the one against a powerful family since Vlad had been attacked. It was the uprising mounted by Albu, who wanted to seize the throne. He did not carry it through, and proof of that is the fact that it was also a faction of boyars who denounced him to the High Porte when he stopped paying the tribute and sought to join a Christian alliance deaded by Pope Pius the 2nd. “



    Vlad the Impaler relied on a couple of allies. First and foremost, he relied on Iancu of Hunedoara, who was his protector, then on the king of Hungary Matthias Corvinus and the Moldavian ruling prince Stephen the Great.



    Stefan Andreescu: ”Stephen the Great and Vlad the Impaler were cousins. Stephen the Great seized the throne of Moldavia in the spring of 1457, with the support of Vlad the Impaler. In 1476 the latter was, for the third time, reinstated on the throne of Wallachia, with Stephen the Great’s support. However, before that, in 1462, conflict had flared up between the two rulers when Stephen the Great unsuccessfully attempted to seize the Chilia fortress. That fortress was actually Wallachia’s opening post to the sea, through the Danube. According to the historian Nicole Iorga, it was Stephen the Great ‘s responsibility to protect that highly important point from the Ottomans. The conflict had a strategic motivation, yet in the long run the blood ties turned out to be stronger.”



    In the battles he fought against the Turks, since he was always outnumbered, Vlad the Impaler avoided an open confrontation. His most important success, a psychological one, actually, was the famous night attack in 1461.



    Stefan Andreescu once again: ”He resorted to tactics which proved successful, the earth was scorched, fountain water was poisoned, there were also the gory visual messages, so to speak, and by that I mean the field of pales, with Ottoman soldiers and all sorts of villains being impaled near Targoviste. One of his best-known exploits aimed at terrifying the Ottomans was the night attack, which was an unusual action. There are several descriptions of that attack, and also an Ottoman chronicle giving an account of the panic caused by that attack, which targeted the Sultan’s tent, as he wanted to kill Mehmet the 2nd. A Pontifical Legate, Nicolo of Modrusa, sat down and talked to Vlad the Impaler when he was imprisoned in Buda, and described the attack. The other commander, who was supposed to attack the Ottoman camp from the opposite side, got scared and did not start the attack. It was only Vlad the Impaler’s army corps that, under the light of the torches, advanced to the center of the camp, but they missed the Sultan’s tent, Janissaries closed ranks and the Impaler had no choice other that to withdraw.”



    It was also Nicolo of Modrusa who left a written description of the Impaler, which was quite similar to the famous picture depicting the Wallachian ruler in the Ambras Castle in Tirol. “Vlad the Impaler was not very tall, but very stocky and strong, with a cold and terrible appearance, a strong and aquiline nose, swollen nostrils, a thin reddish face in which very long eyelashes framed large wide-open green eyes; the bushy black eyebrows made them appear threatening. His face and chin were shaven, but for a moustache. The swollen temples increased the bulk of his head. A bulls neck joined his neck to his wide shoulders, with black curly locks hanging around them.



    (Translated by Eugen Nasta)







  • The Brancoveanu style in architecture

    The Brancoveanu style in architecture

    Brancoveanu ruled Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. He was well educated and that counted very much in the development of a coherent architectural vision, leading to the creation of what we call today the “Brancoveanu style”. Here is more from Ruxandra Beldiman, a researcher with the Institute of Art History in Bucharest:



    “Constantin Brancoveanu, who went down in history as a great ruler, fine diplomat and strategist, was also a man of culture, who invested a lot in constructions, using both his and the state’s money. During his reign many churches were built, but also civil residences. Constantin Brancoveanu’s style did not come out of nothing. Some of his predecessors, such as Matei Basarab and Serban Cantacuzino, actually laid the foundations of the later Brancoveanu style, although their style was simpler. The Brancoveanu style can be described as a floral style, because it is something in between floral Renaissance and Baroque. It is an extremely rich style, counting very much on stage design effects, such as carved stone, portals, columns and column heads, all built in a very specific way, that define the Brancoveanu architecture.”



    One of the buildings that best illustrate the Brancoveanu style is the Hurezi Monastery, which was included on the UNESCO heritage list in 1993. Nun Ecaterina Olteanu, one of the guides of the monastery, told us:



    “As this was the first construction he commissioned, Constantin Brancoveanu wanted to make it special, so he hired only highly skilled people, who were both good artists, craftsmen and theologians. He actually started a school of painting, sculpture and architecture. So, along with the building of the monastery, a style was developed, which is the style that defines Romanian Renaissance. As regards architecture as such, the Brancoveanu style can be identified through its long porches, which preserved the traditional elements, typical of the peasant porch houses, but which also borrowed some western elements, such as the Italian loggias. A traditional house’s porch is small, but these porches go along the entire building and are supported by columns connected by arches. Another new element is the vaulted ceiling, combining Gothic and Romanesque elements. Above the doors and windows one can see the ogees, which are western elements. The ornaments around windows and belfries with sculpted columns are in the Baroque style.”



    Nun Ecaterian Olteanu also told us about the paintings at Hurezi Monastery:



    “Paintings are indeed influenced by the Byzantine style, but the new thing that this style brings is the portrait. Even portraits of saints are no longer static, they are more expressive and physiognomy is paid attention to. We have a whole gallery of laic portraits, not only the votive painting, but the entire Brancoveanu family. Also, the chromatics is typical of the Brancoveanu style.”



    As for secular buildings, the most representative is Mogosoaia Palace, as Ruxandra Beldiman told us:



    “Mogosoaia Palace is a private residence which Constantin Brancoveanu built outside Bucharest. In order to reach the mansion from his palace in Bucharest, Brancoveanu built the first Bucharest avenue in 1692, which is now known as Calea Victoriei- Victory Road. Mogosoaia Palace is a key monument for the Brancoveanu style. In fact, during his reign all summer residences gained an imposing aspect. The palace is in the middle of the estate, surrounded by gardens, for which Italian garden designers were brought in to build the gardens, on top of the fact that Italian builders were brought in to build the palace. The architecture of the palace stands out through the loggias or small towers which are very important architectural elements, actually they are pieces of architecture within architecture. The inner walls are painted with patterns of Oriental inspiration. And the stonework is rich in parapets and columns.”



    Aside from Hurezi and Mogosoaia, Constantin Brancoveanu lent his name to other buildings as well, as Ruxandra Beldiman told us:



    “Brancoveanu himself had a number of edifices built, but his wife, Lady Maria, also financed buildings on her own, such as the Hurezi Monastery, the Surpatele Monastery and the Lady’s Monastery, as well as the Sambata de Sus Monastery in Transylvania, since Wallachian rulers also owned land in Transylvania. To the same extent, they undertook the reconstruction of family financed buildings, such as the Brancoveni Monastery in Oltenia. Others were no less active in this respect; his relative, sword bearer Mihail Cantacuzino built the church of Coltea, typical of Brancoveanu style, and he also built Sinaia Monastery. We also have Fundenii Doamnei Monastery, which is very interesting, with its highly refined outer decorations, which are not limited to the entrance portal or the columns of the porch, but also to all the facades.”



    At the dawn of the 20th century, when Romania was seeking out a national style of its own, the Brancoveanu style was one of the most important reference points. According to researcher Ruxandra Beldiman, this will remain a turning point in the development of Romanian architecture.