24 YEARS IN THE SERVICE OF ROMANIAN HERITAGE AND COMMUNITIES
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July, 28th – August 11th, 2024, Rozdil
Pro Patrimonio Foundation participated in August in the UREHERIT program where more than 50 Ukrainian and Romanian volunteers were involved in conservation works at the Lanckoronski-Rzewuski Palace in Rozdil, Lviv region, Ukraine.
The educational program and conservation works took place within the framework of the International Heritage Summer School organized in the framework of the European project UREHERIT by two of the 11 consortium partners – Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine and Romanian Order of Architects (OAR) – with the involvement of Heritage UA, Building Ukraine Together BUR, Pro Patrimonio Foundation, Monumentum Association / Ambulance for Monuments and Studio Govora.
From July 28th to August 11th, 2024, in the village of Rozdil, Lviv region, a Ukrainian-Romanian heritage volunteer camp took place. More than 50 volunteers – students of architecture and cultural studies, members of renowned heritage NGOs and experts from both countries contributed to the educational program and on-site interventions. The focus was on testing different participatory methods and actions for heritage protection and recovery.
On behalf of Pro Patrimonio, architect Raluca Munteanu came back with overwhelming impressions after two weeks spent at the summer school: „I accepted the invitation of the OAR to participate in the workshop in Ukraine, together with colleagues from Ambulance for Monuments and Studio Govora, in order to share Pro Patrimonio’s experience of intervening on historic buildings and working with and educating young people. This time I was the one who learned. I learned from the young volunteers the determination and resilience to get involved and to hope for a normal world, to rebuild both communities and buildings, so brutally, inhumanly and absurdly destroyed. Their resolute spirit and courage have been an inspiration to us, and the two weeks have left behind spaces that the local community is now already using. In times of hardship, the value of these spaces is much greater, because they help to strengthen cohesion. I thank my Ukrainian friends for the lessons learned and my friends and colleagues here with whom I have worked side by side.”
You can learn more about this ambitious program in the detailed material prepared by the Romanian Order of Architects, partner of this project, link here.
Paris, September 18th 2024
On September 18, ICR Paris and Pro Patrimonio France invite you to discover Herculane Baths, Govora Baths, Câmpulung and the Romanian Black Sea coast, remarkable places in Romania. The exhibition provides an overview of this thermal and spa heritage, situating it in the European landscape, while offering an insight into the processes involved in its conservation, preservation and enhancement. The exhibition will include documents, photographs, archival and contemporary short films, case studies and examples of good practice.
Curated by Caroline d’Assay, President of Pro Patrimonio France, with the collaboration of two heritage architects working in France, Alina Jornea-Tataru and Paul Stancioiu, this exhibition is part of the third edition of the ICR Paris Cycle Patrimoine program, focusing on the role of civil society in safeguarding and capitalizing Romanian heritage.
The event is part of the European Heritage Days, September 21-22, 2024. Details here
Opening: September 18th, 2024, 19.30 o’clock
Conference: September 18th, 2024, 19.00 o’clock
Exhibition: September 18th– November 5th, 2024; Monday-Friday 10:00-18:00
The exhibition is open on Saturday, September 21st, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, on the occasion of European Heritage Days 2024.
Macadam Gallery, Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 rue de l’Exposition 75007 Paris, France
Free entry.
Read also:
Cycle Patrimoine – ediţia a II-a
Constantly with us over the years, Radio Romania Music presents the developments, needs and achievements we have at the George Enescu House in Mihăileni. And this year too, in a wide-ranging interview conducted by Ariadna Ene-Iliescu with pianist Raluca Știrbăț, the picture of this moment is presented, which you can discover below.
”The president of the International Society „George Enescu” in Vienna, pianist Raluca Știrbăț, is also the initiator of the project to save Enescu’s house in Mihăileni. She recently spoke to our colleague Ariadna Ene-Iliescu about the „Concerts on Siret” festival:
„Concerts on the Siret” is an annual event, which aims to integrate the „George Enescu” House in Mihăileni into the cultural and educational circuit in the area and nationally. What is the current state of the house in Mihăileni?
Radio Romania Music has always supported us, even from the first days of the campaign to save the house. We had a small problem, so to say, a problem that unfortunately is common in more and more old houses made of clay, stone or brick, a fungus, a biological attack, but we will solve it. We hope to get rid of this by the fall. Of course, we still need some money, so all donations to the „Pro Patrimonio” Foundation are welcome. This year we marked Enescu Day on August 19 with a blue and red „supermoon” and an exceptional ensemble of children from Havârna playing folk games and music, but the concerts are being held at the „Miclescu” Manor House in Călinești and the „Moruzi” Manor House in Vârful Câmpului. We already had a very nice concert on Wednesday – a recital of arias and lieder, I also sang a solo, but the „focus” was on the exceptional soprano Tehmine Schaeffer, who came especially from Vienna. And on Sunday – the final concert of the young masterclass participants. Also, in September there will be another concert at the „Moruzi” mansion in Vârful Câmpului, a concert by the „PlaCello” Ensemble, also from Bucharest, with Răzvan Suma, Ștefan Cazacu, Mircea Marian and Ella Bokor, four cellists with a very beautiful program.
Between August 17-25 you are mentoring a young generation of pianists, as you said, students from music colleges in Botoșani, Suceava, Iași, Bacău, Piatra-Neamț and Bucharest. How do you go about working with these trainee performers?
The number 9 seems to have become the magic number in our masterclass, because we start at 9 and finish at 9 and we work about nine hours a day. Unlike other courses, I do the courses the way I like to do them, so that each child has one hour of class every day, so seven hours on paper which works out well towards eight to nine hours. We mainly work on new programs that they are just figuring out now in the summer for next year, but we also work on a concert piece that they already have well worked on from the previous year.
What kind of audience do the events in the „Concerts on the Siret” series have?
We are very happy that the audience is getting bigger and more varied. There are also people from the local area, who enjoy it tremendously. We have a lot of music lovers from Botoșani, Iași, Bacău, Piatra-Neamț, and the audience is getting bigger every year. This is already our fourth edition and we hope to grow over time.
What future plans are there for the „George Enescu” house from Mihăileni?
The house in Mihăileni will simply be a living place, a place where music is made and not just music, but also music education, a wide variety of activities dedicated to young people and children in the area – from painting to theatre, crafts. The „Pro Patrimonio” Foundation and the „Maria” Association, and I must also mention the „Dream Horses” Association, are basically the initiators, partners and supporters of these projects. They are very much involved. When the work to eliminate this biological attack is finished, the activities will continue without interruption. It is also a home where one can live, write, compose and create very well and with great inspiration. It is a place where various musical residencies have already taken place, so musicians have lived there – a string quartet. I would like to organize a small symposium in the future, maybe, or in the same way, residencies in other fields – in literature or architecture… because it’s a place that really charges you up!”
19th August 2024 public event held in the courtyard of the George Enescu House in Mihăileni
Folk dance ensemble „Zorile Havârna”. Coordinator – Ionel Roboschi, Choreographer – Narcis Fediuc
Vocal group „Armonia” of the secondary school „Ioan Cernat”, Havârna. Coord. – prof. Roberta Mihalciuc, prof. Ciprian Ignat
August, 17-25 Masterclass held by pianist Raluca Știrbăț at Miclescu Manor, Călinești, Bt
August 21, 19:00 o’clock Recital of arias and lieder
Tehmine Schaeffer – soprano (Vienna) and Raluca Știrbăț – piano at Miclescu Manor, Călinești, Bt, Sala din Deal
August 25th, 18:00 o’clock Concert of young pianists participating in the Masterclass, students of music colleges from Botoșani, Suceava, Iași, Bacău, Piatra-Neamț and Bucharest, Miclescu Manor, Călinești, Bt, Sala din Deal
Theodora Epuran, Narcis Artenie, Bianca Andreea Havîrneanu, Luca Cirstean, Ruxandra Blandu, George Taranu, Alexandra Mariţencu Caia
Images and video: Raluca Ştirbăţ archive
Initiators: Pro Patrimonio Foundation, Maria Association, Internationale George Enescu Gesellschaft Wien, Dream Horses. Partners: Bucecea City Hall, Elsaco, PlaCello. Sponsors: Egger, Ideograf, Cella Cosimex SRL.
Photo: Florin Timofte
September 16th, 17:00 o’clock, Moruzi Manor, Vârfu Câmpului, Bt
PlaCello Ensemble: Răzvan Suma, Ella Bokor, Ștefan Cazacu, Mircea Marian. Special guest: Natsumi Kuboyama (piano, JPN). On the program works by: Haendel, Charpentier, Haydn, Schumann, Rossini, Popper, Shostakovich.
Lecture by PhD. Remus Tanasă, researcher Institute of History “A.D. Xenopol”, Iași
Images and recordings of this concert that defied the dark rain clouds and delighted the audience in the courtyard of the Moruzi Manor can be found in the article by Mrs. Florentina Toniţa for Botoşani News, photo/video: Botoșani News / Florin Timofte
Câteva gânduri despre Enescu – the lecture given by PhD. Remus Tanasă, researcher at the Institute of History “A.D. Xenopol” Iași, at the end of the concert at the Moruzi Manor.
If you want to know more about the events and the needs of the Enescu House, you can visit
Enescu House in Mihăileni on its third life
Details and images from previous editions of Concerts on Siret:
Concerte pe Siret, ediţia a IV-a, 17-25 august 2024
Concerte pe Siret. Concert final Masterclass, 22 august 2023. Călinești, Sala din Deal.
Concerte pe Siret, ediția a III-a
Cum a fost la Concerte pe Siret, ediţia a II-a
Cum a fost la „Concerte pe Siret” ediţia I
„Concerte pe Siret”. 140 de ani de la nașterea lui George Enescu
The European Cultural Heritage Summit is the annual gathering of Europe’s cultural heritage stakeholders. It is organised by Europa Nostra, a pan-European federation of heritage NGO’s, which counts some 250 member organisations together with more than 100 associate organizations, representing 5 million citizens. Every year, in addition to the flagship European Heritage Awards Ceremony, the summit includes a meeting on European public policies in the field of cultural heritage. Every year, Europa Nostra undertakes to debate and then draw public policy guidelines for the European institutions. This year, the theme of the meeting was quality principles in heritage conservation, emphasising the need for clear frameworks of action to ensure quality results in cultural heritage practice at European level.
The Romanian organizations active in relation with Europa Nostra, at the initiative of Pro Patrimonio Foundation and the Romanian Order of Architects, have mobilized for the first time in a very large number – over 60 organizations – to produce a manifesto related to cultural heritage in Romania. An important argument are the new mandates starting this year at all administrative levels in Romania. It is also an important moment for a synchronized action with Europa Nostra to communicate the expectations of Romanian civil society concerned and active in the protection of cultural heritage to the Romanian decision makers.
The conclusion emerged from the discussions that took place on Saturday, October 5, 2024, when non-governmental organizations and professionals involved in cultural heritage preservation gathered for the first time in Bucharest, in a round table, on the margins of the European Cultural Heritage Summit on October 6-8, to discuss the experiences they had in their projects and to agree on common priorities for action for the protection of cultural heritage in Romania.
The demands and priority principles for action were included in a Manifesto for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Romania, which was presented in its final form at the Public Policy Agora, which took place during the European Cultural Heritage Summit on Tuesday, October 8.
Acknowledging that:
Civil society in Romania calls on the central and local public administration authorities to urgently implement a plan consisting of five actions, which will contribute to the improvement of the framework for the protection and capitalization of Romanian heritage:
1 Asociația CasApold
2 Fundația Biserici Fortificate
3 Fundația Pro Patrimonio
4 Asociația Biserici Înlemnite
5 Asociația Artis Peritia
6 Kraft Campus
7 Art Conservation Support (ACS)
8 Nod Makerspace
9 Asociația Front la Dunăre
10 Asociatia Ivan Patzaichin Mila 23
11 Human Made Art/ Cronicari Digitali
12 Universitatea Națională de Arte-București
13 112Patrimoniu – GL Patrimoniu al OAR București
14 Asociația Youth Vision for Society
15 Asociatia ARA – Arhitectura. Restaurare. Arheologie
16 Grupul Civic Piața Veche Craiova
17 Asociația GEYC
18 Asociația 37
19 Rafinăria la prezent
20 DE-A ARHITECTURA, SYAA ARHITECTURA, CUMULUS
21 Asociația Pro Noviodunum
22 Asociația Gaspar, Baltasar & Melchiror/Școala de la Piscu
23 Asociația Ideilagram
24 Asociația Unda Verde
25 Librariile Cărturești
26 Raluca Chițimia
27 MKBT: Make Better
28 Asociația Re:Rise
29 Asociația Profesională a Urbaniștilor din România (APUR)
30 Asociația Studio Zona
31 Asociatia Maria
32 Asociatia Monumentum/Ambulanta pentru monumente
33 Asociatia Inima Olteniei
34 Asociația ARHAIC / Ambulanța pentru Monumente Sălaj
35 Asociatia ACTUM
36 Asociatia De-a Arhitectura
37 ATU – asociația pentru tranziție urbană
38 Zero Positive Architecture SRL
39 Baza. Deschidem orașul
40 Asociatia Rosia Montan in Patrimoniul Mondial
41 Asociația culturală Aici A Stat
42 Asociația Laborator Zero Pozitiv Oradea
43 Asociația Petrus Italus Trust- Alianța pentru patrimoniul bistrițean
44 Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Optolectronica INOE 2000
45 Bogdan Simona-Loredana
46 Timișoara verde-albastră
47 UAUIM, OAR, DOCOMOMO_ROMANIA
48 Fundația Mihai Eminescu Trust
49 ICOMOS – Comitetul Național Român
50 Atelierul de Patrimoniu
51 Asociația Tri
52 Asociația ARTA în dialog (UrbanEye Film Festival)
53 ArhipeisajStudio.srl
54 Asociatia Salvati Conacul Zarifopol
55 Asociația pentru Arheologie Industrială – AIR
56 Studiogovora
57 Rencontres du Patrimoine Europe-Roumanie
58 Asociația Culturală „Patrimoniu pentru Viitor”
59 Asociația de Dezvoltare Intercomunitara Zona Metropolitana Bucuresti (ADIZMB)
60 ARCEN
61 Uniunea Arhitectilor din Romania
62 Ordinul Arhitecților din România
63 Revista Arhitectura
64 Asociația Prin Banat
65 Asociatia Locus / HerculaneProject
66 Nod Makerspace
67 Asociatia EDUCATIE , ARTA , ECOLOGIE
68 Asociatia Istoria Artei
Read more:
July 2024
After a year of intense efforts, the George Enescu House in Mihăileni has overcome the most difficult phase. The biological report prepared by Mrs. Ionela Melinte, a biologist, certifies that the works to eliminate the Merulius lacrymans fungus were correctly approached and that the house is now biologically sanitized. The interventions were carried out carefully and with small steps in order not to risk spreading the contamination, but also to prevent major damage to the structural frame. We thank our donors and sponsors, without whom these works would not have been possible: Egger Group, Dedeman, EchitArt, Elsaco.
In spite of the maintenance and landscaping works with drains, soakaways, vertical systematization and ventilation of the underground spaces, the humidity in the cellar persists. Because this excessive humidity cannot be controlled naturally, we are in talks with BioDry to use high-performance mechanical dehumidification solutions.
Work is currently concentrating on re-finishing to make the house welcoming and ready for activities. Interior and exterior plaster, stoves and floors are being redone. The work also partially affected the electrical wiring. While the lighting has been conserved since the start of the work, the entire socket network has been dismantled in order to be able to carry out work on the foundations, plinth and floors. This now needs to be redone.
The estimated cost for all these activities to complete and reopen the house is around 25 000 Euro.
Since it was introduced to the public and educational projects have gradually started to take place in or in connection with the George Enescu House in Mihăileni, it has proved to be a real catalyst. More than just a heritage object, it is what generates strong links for local communities on the left bank of the upper Siret, a revived local identity, a renewed interest in the stories of place and the cultural landscape of the river, open access to culture and music education, sound study and traditional crafts.
In parallel with these efforts to restore and maintain the Enescu House, the George Enescu Academy of Music and Sound Studies in Mihăileni was established, functioning as a center of excellence in the study of classical music. Children from the Moldavian region have been attracted to the Academy, giving them the chance to get a quality education in a cultural environment that combines memorial and music education.
Every summer, hands-on experiential and creative education workshops are organized in which children from Mihăleni take part, this year the heritage education component is called „The Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” and is being carried out with monthly activities, kits and workshops in five communities where Pro Patrimonio has restoration interventions.
Pro Patrimonio’s involvement over the years has been done without State involvement, through private donations, cultural projects and volunteering. Once the consolidation and restoration work on the building is completed, the use of the house will be directed towards education and research, with a preponderance in the field of music and in the interest of future generations.
Read also:
Un proiect simbol pentru comunitatea locală
O ciupercă dăunătoare afectează lemnul Casei George Enescu din Mihăileni. Intervenţii de urgenţă.
Concerte pe Siret. Concert final Masterclass, 22 august 2023. Călinești, Sala din Deal.
Concerte pe Siret, ediția a III-a
Eliminarea umezelii la Casa George Enescu. Şantier sub observaţie.
For a year and a half, from the beginning of 2024 until June 2025, the Heritage Education program has been enriched with more workstations and offers 125 children from rural areas and beyond the opportunity to learn directly through experimentation and creativity about the heritage of architecture, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values.
The project entitled “Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” has two components that have proven over years to be very important: remote interventions through heritage kits and on-site interventions through workshops, camps and community days within the heritage caravan.
25 children from 5 communities in different counties (Botoșani, Brașov, Argeș, Vâlcea and Olt) will form mixed working groups with a local coordinator, they will meet twice a month for six months to work together on the stories of six emblematic heritage buildings in Romania (with at least one example from their own neighborhood). The stories received in the pack will be complemented by numerous practical challenges that question and challenge the groups of children to rethink life in the community, the nearby natural setting and the individual spaces they use in relation to examples of good practice received and then constructed by themselves.
The first six examples of kits tell the stories of: the Enescu House in Mihăileni, Botoșani county; Viscri 18 peasant house, Viscri, Brasov county; the Golescu Villa, town of Câmpulung Muscel, Argeș county; Neamțu Manor, Olari village, Olt county; Urși Church, Vâlcea county and a surprise house.
Each kit pack dedicated to one of the six places contains: an interactive exploration booklet of the house, a slice of the large map puzzle of Romania, a pop-up construction and the house itself that lights up.
The caravan is designed for direct interaction. It brings together project coordinators and trained trainers for two successive camp sessions and community days in all five Pro Patrimonio communities. Workshops, cultural, sporting and culinary competitions, exhibitions and film evenings will invite both children involved in the program and curious and eager family members to participate.
The kits, camps and community days aim to be an engaging cultural product, demonstrating that the collaborative heritage stories of architects, designers, historians and environmental specialists can work together in an understandable educational package and generate ideas and solutions for creative development and the enhancement of quality life for individuals and groups, using existing cultural resources in innovative ways.
The camps and community days at the end of the project give us the opportunity to generate a sense of belonging to a community and instill the idea that the power to change lies in one’s own hands.
***
Over the last ten years, through its trans-annual and interdisciplinary “Education for Heritage” program, the Pro Patrimonio Foundation has been promoting education of and for heritage wherever the Foundation physically intervenes.
The over 40 workshops initiated by Pro Patrimonio in these years are mainly aimed at children aged 7-14 years old, in vulnerable situations in the communities where the foundation carries out projects for the rescue, conservation and rehabilitation of architectural heritage (Golescu Villa in Câmpulung, Neamțu Manor in Olari, Perticari-Davila Manor in Argeș, George Enescu House in Mihăileni, etc.).
The activities are organized annually in the form of practical workshops and aim to educate and teach directly, through experimentation and creativity, about architectural heritage, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values. Projects such as “3 Doors, 3 Countries Festival” (2018), “The Heritage Caravan” (2019), “Enescu House Days” (2020), “School of Landscape, Art and Sound” (2021), “My Village Story” (2022), the “Heritage in a Package “ kit series and numerous one-off actions in the sites where we work, have shaped and consolidated over time a functional working strategy.
“Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” is a project realized by Pro Patrimonio Foundation, supported by the Romanian Order of Architects Stamp Tax and co-financed by AFCN.
March 18, 2024
The partnership initiated five years ago between Pro Patrimonio Foundation and UiPath Foundation continues throughout 2024 in the communities of children around the George Enescu House in Mihăileni and Neamțu Manor in Olari – historical monuments from Botoșani and Olt counties.
Over the past ten years Pro Patrimonio Foundation has been promoting education of and for heritage, through its trans-annual and interdisciplinary “Education for Heritage” program wherever the Foundation physically intervenes. The more over 40 workshops initiated by Pro Patrimonio these past years are mainly aimed at children in the 7-14 age group, in vulnerable situations in the communities where the foundation carries out its projects for the rescue, conservation and rehabilitation of architectural heritage (Golescu Villa in Câmpulung, Neamțu Manor in Olari, Perticari-Davila Manor in Argeș, George Enescu House in Mihăileni, etc.).
The activities are organized annually in the form of practical workshops and aim to educate and teach directly, through experimentation and creativity, about architectural heritage, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values. “Enescu House Festive Days” (2020), “School of Landscape, Art and Sound” (2021), “The Story of My Village” (2022) and the “Heritage in a Pack” kit series are examples of projects and activities that have taken place in previous years at Enescu House and Neamțu Manor and have involved not only local children and young people but also the local community.
This year, the heritage education component is called “Heritage Kit and Caravan – Homes and Communities Working Together “ and is being carried out with monthly activities, kits and workshops in five communities where Pro Patrimonio is undergoing restoration interventions.
The partnership initiated five years ago with the UiPath Foundation’s support programes was thus natural, benefiting from the expertise of local needs identified so that the intervention could have the desired effect.
Started with 20 children near the George Enescu House in Mihăileni, Botoșani in January 2020, UiPath Foundation’s flagship intervention – “Leap towards the Future” – has grown each year and reached its 5th year of collaboration with Pro Patrimonio Foundation to provide educational support for 40 children and their families. A year later the program was replicated in the socially disadvantaged communities around the Neamțu Manor in Olari, Olt, a monument also under the care of Pro Patrimonio Foundation. Here, from 2021, through this collaboration it was possible to provide support for 20 children, now reaching 30 beneficiaries. The tangible support is continuous, constant throughout the year, annually. Through this educational program, children from socially vulnerable families – aged between 11 and 16 – receive an integrated package of support, with the aim of reducing the risk of dropping out of school and helping them to reach their full potential.
The intervention requires a long-term approach that takes into account the child’s whole ecosystem. Through the program, children benefit from weekly tutoring lessons for Romanian language and literature, Mathematics or English to strengthen their school knowledge. In addition, they benefit from various educational activities, monthly scholarships, tablets with internet access and educational apps, medical and psychological support. Families also receive regular packages of food, school supplies, clothing, shoe ware and books.
Every child in the program participates in “Inspirational Speakers”, “Conversation Club” and U&I Summer Camp, just a few examples of other landmark activities that broaden children’s horizons about their career paths, encourage them to practice English through interactive activities, and provide the framework for the development of many skills, including effective communication, teamwork, managing emotions, digital skills and financial literacy.
Foto: Cătălin Georgescu
In line with Pro Patrimonio’s objectives and mission – in this collaborative project for the George Enescu House – a dedicated project entitled “Music Academy for Children” was established in 2020 . It gave the opportunity to a group of children from the towns of Mihăileni and Vârful Câmpului in Botoșani to educate themselves in the spirit of music. The program facilitates children and young people from the area to develop their musical skills, study an instrument, participate in local competitions and meet established artists who give recitals at “Concerts on the Siret River”. The aim of the weekly courses is not necessarily performance, but the formation of a musical culture and personal development through music. A new generation of children from Mihăileni will join the program in May this year.
To support young people studying piano, in 2022, through the collaboration between Pro Patrimonio and teacher Diana Bratan, the manual “Introduction to the ABC of Music. A guide for teachers and parents”. The publication introduced, clearly and concisely, through graphic illustrations, indispensable notions for a solid musical foundation. Printed copies were distributed free of charge to interested teachers and young people, and the digital version is still available online in the Pro Patrimonio Foundation’s Useful Resources Library.
In February 2024, Pro Patrimonio provided consultancy to a local community. It is the Zarifopol Manor in the village of Cârligi, Bacău county, in a state of abandonment and vandalization due to a long process of retrocession. The villagers want it not to disappear and to be used again, to bring new life and energy into the community. This was the site of the village school during the communist period and the descendants of the family that claimed the property wanted to keep the educational and cultural activities in the manor. Unfortunately legal issues are still unresolved, so the manor is deteriorating. A local initiative group has decided to take the necessary steps for conservation until disputes are resolved, which will then allow its revitalization. Otherwise it will ruin beyond salvage.
From 6-8 November the British Council’s Circular Catalysts programme travelled to London. The Romanian Cultural Institute in London hosted the exhibition, meetings, discussions, presentations and workshops during this phase of the project.
Vernisajul din 6 noiembrie a adunat o comunitate extinsă de oameni interesați, expaţi dar nu numai. Aceștia au fost întâmpinați de discursurile organizatorilor și a oamenilor direct implicați în proiect: Andrew Glass (director British Council România), Aura Woodward (director ICR Londra), Marlene Herberth (Kraftmade). O ceremonie a ceaiului coordonată de Marlene Herberth – „ How to Get Through the Day ” și o sesiune mult așteptată de networking cu toți actorii acestui proiect – pentru prima oară împreună – au întregit acest eveniment.
Pro Patrimonio has been part of this project from the beginning (in March 2023), organising workshops, presentations and sections of the general exhibition.
The opening on 6 November brought together a large community of interested people, expats and others. They were welcomed by speeches from the organisers and those directly involved in the project. A tea ceremony and a long-awaited networking session with all the actors of this project – together for the first time – completed the event.
Afterwards, the exhibition framework facilitated free discussions between the professionals directly involved in the project – designers, craftsmen, makers, artists – organisers and guests. An open table for dialogue was organised, during which different scenarios for the continuation of the project were discussed.
The last evening was dedicated to a botanical print workshop designed and implemented by Andreea Machidon along with British designer Anoushka Cole. Andreea and Anoushka’s textile printing techniques took the audience on a fascinating visual and tactile journey.
Photo credits: ICR Londra
Other events within the project:
Circular Catalysts ajunge la Londra
Circular Catalysts la HEI Timişoara
Ateliere de Explorări şi Imprimări Botanice
Circular Catalysts- reziliență și dezvoltare durabilă locală prin design și meșteșug
Rezidenţă Circular Catalysts la Vila Golescu
Jurnal de rezidenţă Circular Catalysts
Expoziţia Pro Patrimonio din cadrul Circular Catalysts. Romanian Design Week 2023
December 2023
We are currently working intensively on a protective superstructure for the wooden church in Șirineasa, Vâlcea county. With the support of the Fondation de France and the Storck House Foundation, we are going to succeed in protecting the building before the onset of winter. The structure is necessary both to preserve the whole building and to allow us to carry out repair work on the roof and the wicker vaulting next year.
