24 YEARS IN THE SERVICE OF ROMANIAN HERITAGE AND COMMUNITIES
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The first practical workshop of the series dedicated to the rejuvenation of the Neamţu Manor in Olari village (held between 4 and 9 July 2017) focused on the restoration of the Roman mosaic flooring and contributed to the preservation of the degraded mansion. At the manor’s upper-level, the loggia, the lobby and the bathroom have Roman mosaic flooring made of colored marble pieces with elegant drawings.
For a week, five English and two French volunteers coordinated by arch. Raluca Munteanu (Pro Patrimonio) and restoration specialist Liviu Epuraş (National University of Arts Bucharest), carried out repairs and conservation works: floor void filling, restoring ceramic bathroom walls, reproduction of mosaic patterns (dolphins and lions) on mobile panels.
Meanwhile, they also explored the cultural landscape of the area: the Brâncoveni Monastery and the Avincis vineyard of Drăgășani.
Alex Iacob came from Craiova and documented throughout the volunteers’ work:
We thank LEROY MERLIN România for their support with the materials and tools that are essential to such an action!
In September 2017, SoNoRo Conac (Manor) once again set music to the rescue of Romanian architectural heritage through a fundraising campaign for the rehabilitation of the roof of Neamţu Mansion in Olari, Olt County. The campaign consisted in organizing a charity concert at the mansion on September 21, and a donation system communicated in September.
The musical program included works by Jean Sibelius, Friedrich Händel – Johan Halvorsen, Eugène Ysaÿe and Franz Schubert and performed by artists Cristina Goice – Violin, Sabin Penea – Violin, Răzvan Popovici – Violoncello, Radu Nagy – Cello.
Details at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV7VfqYXRmk
The mansion is managed by Pro Patrimonio Foundation which carries out conservation and gradual rehabilitation works, and at the same time tries to restore the link between the manor and the community through educational and cultural actions for young people and children.
Mihăileni, 18 August 2020
After 7 years from the signaling of the emergency situation, the restoration site of the George Enescu House in Mihăileni ends, and the house will be inaugurated with a piano recital by pianist Raluca Știrbăț. The concert is dedicated to the supporters of this project and to the memory of George Enescu, whose birth marks 139 years today.
The inauguration concert of the George Enescu House in Mihăileni will take place on August 19, at 7.30 pm. Pianist Raluca Ştirbăţ, president of the “George Enescu” International Society in Vienna, will perform for a small audience in the house courtyard. In 2013 she reported the disastrous situation of the composer’s mother’s house, Maria Cosmovici, and made efforts to classify it as a historical monument in November 2014 (LMI code BT-IV-m-B-21063). Subsequently, the Order of Architects of Romania (Bucharest and North-East branches) and the Remember Enescu Foundation, whose president is the violinist Alexandru Tomescu, joined forces to responsibly save a landmark of major importance for our national identity and European cultural heritage.
The rescue project of the Enescu House in Mihăileni started and continues as a common effort, in which private entities, individuals and legal entities, support financially or in nature the entire restoration effort. From 2014 until now, Pro Patrimonio Foundation has held over 15 events and charity concerts in Vienna, London, Paris, Iași and Bucharest. In November 2019, the Enescu house became the cause for the Ball of the Romanian nobility and friends, thus financing the continuation of the construction site.
The Pro Patrimonio Foundation became the sole owner of the monument through the donation of a third of the house made by Dr. Ștefan Botez, successor of George Enescu, and through the direct acquisition of the rest of the house, money also obtained from private donations
Following the general policy of the foundation carried out over the 20 years, the rescue interventions of a monument were constantly done together with for the local community. As in the case of other Pro Patrimonio projects that are living spaces used for cultural or educational purposes by the local community (example Vila Golescu from Câmpulung Muscel, Wooden Church from Urşi, PP Carp Manor from Ţibăneşti, etc.), and in the case of the George Enescu house from Mihăileni, we carry out the same locally adapted procedure. Following the development of the partnership with UiPath Foundation, we have developed a music education program dedicated to children from neighboring local communities.
The integration of the George Enescu House from Mihăileni in the cultural and educational circuit is done through the Children’s Academy for Music and the Study of Sound “George Enescu” from Mihăileni, which aims to function as a center of excellence. It will bring together both the memorial component and the music education component, hosting residencies for people involved in artistic creation, music research. Adjacent spaces in the vicinity of the memorial house will accommodate young students and visitors. The education module, the Children’s Academy for Music and the Study of Sound, developed in partnership with the UiPath Foundation, is part of this broader program and will involve children in the area, giving them the chance for quality education and a unique cultural environment close to families and their households
The piano belonged to Mircea Vulcănescu and is a donation with traceability in documents. The instrument, a Bösendorfer from 1928, was refurbished in Bucharest and used, over time, by several musicians, among others, Dinu Lipatti and Johnny Răducanu.
The concert will be presented with the support of TVR Iași and the team led by Gabriela Baiardi, loyal supporters of the Enescu House cause in Mihăileni.
Thoughts at the inauguration
“A beautiful project is just beginning. I’m refering to the education and research project in the field of music. It starts in Mihăileni, at the Enescu house, and we hope to include as many interested people from the international world as possible. In the seven years of sustained efforts, the place where Enescu spent a lot of time, in childhood and adulthood, was rehabilitated, restored, completed. At the same time, it has become a pretext for many people from different villages, cities or countries to come together and make plans together to turn this place into a landmark for future cultural projects. The building will not only be a museum, but a place for exchanges of views on music, education and expanding the field of research, with scientific and aesthetic shades. This is how a porch that surrounds two sleeping quarters, a few rooms and a typical Moldavian kitchen with a bed over the oven can become a favorite place for the most prestigious artists of the future. ” – Serban Sturdza,president of the Pro Patrimonio Romania Foundation
“There are moments of grace in life when the surreal becomes real and dreams become reality. Mixing in a handful of beautiful, smart and incredibly good children, although noisy, in the yard of Enescu’s childhood home in Mihăileni is such a moment. After years of hard work and effort, the dream of kind and idealistic people, confident in lost causes – after all, the only ones worth fighting for – has come true. We thank all the donors and supporters who joined us and were not scared! Together we managed to transform the sad, desolate and shameful image of a ruin into a living, cheerful and authentic space! I think the Master would be happy to walk among the kids, with his hands behind his back and already quite bent, and to ruffle one or another restless kid with his huge hands. He might have crafted a violin out of a corn stalk or them, but he would have liked to gently direct the brush on paper and mix the watercolors, as he juggled the harmonies of his mother’s old piano in the house in Mihăileni.
Dear Master, we hope you enjoy our gift and our reverence! And maybe you’ll visit us, from time to time, to tell us if we’re doing our job well … ” -pianist Raluca Știrbăț, president of the “ George Enescu ” International Society in Vienna.
“I am glad with all my heart that today, finally, George Enescu’s house in Mihăileni will be officially inaugurated. More than 6 years ago, when I first went there with Mr. Archbishop Serban Sturdza, such a moment seemed a pure fantasy. Here that the sustained efforts of the entire community of artists, architects, people passionate about culture have finally yielded results. I would like to thank all those who supported this cause and especially Raluca Știrbăț. The Remember Enescu Cultural Foundation has been organizing cultural activities in Mihăileni for 5 years – classical concerts, within the Stradivarius Tour, summer masterclasses, painting camps, etc. I am sure that George Enescu would have been shocked by the emotion and joy seeing what is happening today in Mihăileni. ”
Audio message https://bit.ly/AlexandruTomescuaudio– violinist Alexandru Tomescu, Remember Enescu Foundation
„The inauguration of the Enescu House from Mihăileni is an event of major importance for the Romanian culture. The resonance of the complex activity that George Enescu had is continuous and inspires the lives of musicians everywhere with a special intensity. It is a Romanian duty to remember the Enescian genius in the richest possible forms. The initiative to create an Enescu House open to musicians, composers and music lovers magnetizes with a special force and fulfills a dream, which has been fully realized.
I would like to congratulate especially the initiator of this project necessary for our nation, Raluca Șirbăț, pianist and special personality of our musical world, who managed to excite a team of precious collaborators, who brought this wonderful dream to fulfillment. ”
– Violeta Dinescu, composer
“At a time when everything is falling apart around us, from the cancellation of shows, concerts and the diminution of culture in general, new rays of light appear, such as this wonderful house of Enescu’s from Mihăileni. Remade and ready to be connected to the music world, it is an element of national pride. A kind of normalcy obtained with abnormal efforts, in a country that wants to be normal ….
Thank you Raluca Știrbăț for saving this building and I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes! – Remus Azoiței, violinist, professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London
Video message sent by Ileana Tonca, soprano, Staatsoper Vienna https://bit.ly/IleanaToncaVideo
Video message sent by Ștefan Șimonca-Oprița, violinist, student at the Faculty of Music in Saarbrücken https://bit.ly/ȘtefanȘimoncaOprița
Video message sent by Ana-Maria Sandi, daughter of the painter Dumitru Bâșcu, George Enescu’s brother https://bit.ly/AnaMariaSandi
The inaugural concert of the George Enescu House is part of the project “EventFull Days at George Enescu House – cultural-musical explorations and exercises”, a cultural project realized by Pro Patrimonio Foundation in partnership with UiPath Foundation, co-financed by AFCN. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the project results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
Pro Patrimonio Foundation and UiPath Foundation announce the start of the project Childrens’ Academy for Music and Education active in George Enescu’s house in Mihăileni, Botoșani County.
The purpose of this educational project, launched with the partnership between the two organizations, is to develop the potential of children in these rural communities and to use George Enescu’s house, a historical monument, for educational purposes. The initiative is under the umbrella of George Enescu Academy for Music and the Study of Sound, initiated by Pro Patrimonio and which made it possible to integrate the George Enescu House from Mihăileni into the cultural and educational circuit, thus transforming it into a center of excellence for the study of music.
The musical education project The Childrens’ Academy for Music and Education will be carried out throughout the year 2020 and will involve children from the secondary schools in the area, offering them access to quality education and a unique cultural environment in the proximity of the communities they belong to.
Using a historical heritage house as a tool for child education and the creation of a community around it is part of the strategy by which Pro Patrimonio Foundation has managed to save other monuments. This way, the George Enescu house in Mihăileni will be preserved and appreciated. This is the only memorial house for George Enescu in Romania that honours the composer’s memory through education and active musical culture creatively enhancing his legacy. Soon, thanks to these events, the George Enescu house in Mihăileni will enter into an active cycle that will make children and young people interested in music and the culture of the place very happy. It is a risky challenge because the rural localities are depopulated and the social cohesion is weak. Therefore, the chance is to offer the inhabitants attractive alternative activities and to connect them with music lovers from the most distant corners of the world. The memory of George Enescu, the beauty of the landscape and the architectural monuments, the complexity of the activities, all in one place have the chance to generate a cultural nucleus full of meaning. This is the scenario of a new event declared declared Șerban Sturdza, President of Pro Patrimonio Foundation.
We have joined Pro Patrimonio Foundation in this unique initiative and we believe that the potential of children in rural areas can be enhanced by creating educational opportunities in the communities they belong to. We are expanding our intervention to Botosani County in 2020 with an approach focused on facilitating access to education for vulnerable children in the communities around the George Enescu house in Mihăileni. The educational support package, which we already offer in Bucharest, Cluj, Galați and Vaslui counties, takes into account the complex needs faced by children from vulnerable families in their journey towards a better future, declared Raluca Negulescu-Balaci, Executive Director of UiPath Foundation.
In addition to the musical education activities constantly carried out within the Academy, annually, during the summer, for one week, non-formal education workshops will be organized by Pro Patrimonio in Mihăileni, while UiPath Foundation will include 20 children from vulnerable families who come from the communities around the George Enescu House in the Future Acceleration Program, an integrated support project granting access to education.
About UiPath Foundation
UiPath Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political, non-religious organization that helps children from vulnerable backgrounds to reach their potential and grow alongside their communities, through equal access to education and by developing the skills of the 21st century. UiPath Foundation was founded by UiPath in January 2019 and acts as an independent organization
Starting with children from Romania and India, UiPath Foundation runs educational programs that respond to the multiple needs of children facing poverty, in partnership with local non-profit organizations.
About Pro Patrimonio
Pro Patrimonio is a non-profit organization whose main mission is the conservation, rescue and reactivation of cultural heritage facing extinction, especially architectural heritage. The aim is to reintroduce into the economic circuit a built heritage presently abandoned that has lost its role and to restore its identity and community ties. The actions are focused on practical education projects, oriented towards the rehabilitation and re-functionalization of the historical heritage, as well as on the communities’ involvement and awareness-enhancement with regard to their own identity. Pro Patrimonio Foundation supports the idea that every citizen can become responsible for heritage and that, by being consciously involved in its responsible use, he can gain advantages and satisfactions while contributing to the consolidation of culture.
The Foundation has branches in Romania, the United Kingdom and France and has been established in 2000; it is carrying out 8 projects designed to save the built heritage, educate and raise the awareness of the citizens regarding the importance of cultural heritage. Since its founding, Pro Patrimonio has progressively acquired and received as donations properties of national importance, related to representative personalities for the history and culture of Romania. The foundation owns, manages and collaborates, restores and enhances through various activities: George Enescu’s childhood home in Mihăileni, near Botoșani; Golescu Villa from Câmpulung Mușcel; Neamţu Manor from Olari village near Craiova; a traditional Saxon house in Viscri; Perticari Davila Manor near Pitești, P.P. Carp Manor from Ţibăneşti, near Iași; the project 60 de biserici de lemn60 wooden churches, with programs for learning heritage trades addressed to young people and the Education for Heritage program for children.
About George Enescu House in Mihăileni, Botoșani Country
The emergency intervention project regarding the rescue and rehabilitation of George Enescu’s House in Mihăileni, Botoșani County, started in 2013 at the initiative of the pianist Raluca Ştirbăţ, the president of “George Enescu” International Society in Vienna. Pro Patrimonio Foundation, the Order of Architects of Romania – Bucharest and North-East branches and Remember Enescu Foundation whose president is the violinist Alexandru Tomescu have united in an attempt to save responsibly a landmark of major importance for the national identity and European cultural heritage. Through the efforts of Raluca Știrbăț, the composer George Enescu’s mother’s (Maria Cosmovici) house, has been classified as historical monument in October 2014 (LMI code BT-IV-m-B-21063).
George Enescu’s house in Mihăileni was donated in 2014 in a proportion of one third to Pro Patrimonio Foundation by Dr. Mihai Botez, direct heir to the composer, the rest of the house being bought by the foundation (through private efforts and donations) in 2019.
Enescu House in Mihăileni became the cause of the Romanian Boyar Families and Friends Ball. Already at its third edition, the elegant ball brings together representatives of the Romanian boyar families now spread all over the world. Every year, at the end of autumn, they meet in Bucharest to celebrate with joy their shared values, the spirit of unity and support a cause in which they believe. This time we were glad to see each other again and have the sustained efforts of Pro Patrimonio Foundation recognized and supported by such a high-profile event. The first event that occurred on November 8, 2019, was the Charitable Concert for the Enescu House in Mihăileni, supported by pianist Raluca Știrbăț and violinist Alexandru Tomescu. In the NeoBoema Hall of the Universe Palace the public was delighted by the musical works of George Enescu, Vasile Filip, Constantin Silvestri or Tudor Ciortea. We thank Mr. George Butunoiu for the space made available for us on this occasion.
The evening of November 9, 2019 was dedicated to the Ball that took place in the elegant spaces of the Manuc Inn where the guests, representatives of the Romanian Boyar families had the generosity to donate a total of 29,429 euros for the benefit of the Enescu House from Mihăileni. We thank this occasion to the organizing committee of the Ball – Constantin Cantacuzino, Mihai Ghyka, Irina Cantacuzino, Ileana Kripp, Grigore Ghyka – for all the support offered and for the judicious administration that made raising this amount possible. We also thank the companies Graphic Arts, Weather Publishing, City Grill, Manuc’s Inn, enRose, Moritz Ice, Carassia, Alira, Ursus, Prince Stirbey, Rue du Pain.
From the raised amount, after we have covered the Ball expenses, with the 20,000 euros left we’ve used it for this year’s expenses – that include major operations of house renovation – finishing of the porch, finishing and completion of windows and doors, painting of wooden elements, finishing of the socle, interior and exterior wall finishing, finishing the chimneys for the two stoves. To be finished: the kitchen stove, the street fence, electrical wiring, furnishing of a bathroom, electrical equipment instalments (sockets, switches, lighting fixtures), interior furniture. In addition we can even equip the house with a much needed piano.
Once the house will be finished and furnished, in addition to elite musical project attracted Academy of Music and Sound Study will promote education projects in local communities.
@Credit photo Andrei Gîndac
Since the start of the initiative to save the Enescu House, the intangible heritage (music) has naturally joined the campaign for raising awareness and emergency rescue of the material heritage (architecture). Among the concerts and recitals held both near the Enescu House and in other places with cultural and memorial values, we can name: the concert given at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London by pianist Raluca Știrbăț and violinist Alexandru Tomescu for the renovation of the Enescu House in Mihăileni, 26 March 2015; the fundraising campaign for the restoration of the Enescu House within the Stradivarius Enescu Experience Tournament, including an Alexandru Tomescu recital in front of the Enescu House in Mihăileni, May 2015; Raluca Știrbăț recital at the Ion Mincu House in Bucharest, headquarters of the Romanian Order of Architects, December 2015.
The review of the March 2015 event at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London can be found at:
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_concert_review.php?id=12749
Working together to do repair works for the cob filling of Enescu House in Mihăileni, 8-9 July 2015
The villagers from Mihăileni together with students of architecture and coordinated by local craftsmen took part in the „oiling” („ungerea”) of Enescu House (i.e. repairing the cob wall filling). The gathering was assisted by the Hilișeu brass band and a meal was prepared for everyone.
Partners: the Local North-East Quarters of R.C.A. (The Romanian Chamber of Architects), Mihăileni Townhall, Nord Association. We give our thanks to the above-mentioned as well as to all sponsors and donors that make the rescue of Enescu House possible.
A coverage story by Babriela Baiardi for TVR Iași (for the TV-show „Summer for you”, 9 July 2015) about the gathering for the „oiling” of Enescu House in Mihăileni:
A documentary by Francis Mraz, fotopoetica.ro
The third reunion that aimed to finish plastering the walls of the Mihăileni house in Botoșani county, where George Enescu grew up took place on 4 August 2016. The last reunion bearing the name of „good adobe” or „light hand” is different from all the others. The adobe used for the last layer of the process is made after a special traditional recipe and the work itself has only been undertaken by women because they have finer hands and can better finish the house coating. Alternatively, the men changed places with the housewives and prepared the meals.
A short film by Alex Condurache and Diana Oabrasu about the „light hand” gathering in George Enescu house, Mihăileni, Botoșani county (4 August 2016) is available to viewing here:
The state of degradation in which the House Enescu Mihăileni about 1 year ago, can be seen filming in March 2015, conducted by Mani Gutau musician, band ago, the project Lost End Found.
The exhibition titled Project for Solidarity, Enescu House in Mihăileni at Monteoru House in Bucharest (15 September – 10 October 2014) was organized by the Order of Romanian Architects, Bucharest Quarters, together with Pro Patrimonio Foundation and is part of the campaign for raising awareness and funds to urgently rescue the house George Enescu grew up in.
The exhibition invited viewers to an excursion in the story of a frail place filled with history brought back to life with the voluntary help of architects and cultural personalities while presenting the urgent intervention from the summer of 2014 in order to save George Enescu’s mother’s house from collapse. The exhibition was adjoined by several connex events among which the Sonoro concert from 16 September 2014 that ended the SoNoRo Conac program in 2014.
For several years an average of 30 to 40 volunteers gets involved in the building worksite for the church in Urși, Vâlcea county. From June till October groups of 7-8 restorers and students work on the conservation of the frescoes. We dedicated a whole week- for the first time in 2007 – to volunteers from abroad with the goal to encourage cultural tourism and promote the outstanding value of the church and of the local cultural landscape. 7 volunteers from the National Trust UK with varying ages and occupations spent a week working on the conservation of interior frescoes under the supervision of Ana Chiricuță assisted by Andrei Dumitrescu, professional art restorers.
The necessary funds were donated by private people and organizations, the most important sponsors being World Monuments Fund and The local community (the parish, townhall as well as the townspeople) support the project and offer each year lodging and meals to all volunteers and craftsmen working to preserve the village wooden church.
