... beyond the wide river, the mountains and the forests, where people died for freedom; where nature still protects its mysterious places from civilisation; where the cities and the villages keep their secrets in their walls; where wood speaks a magic language that only the natives understand; where clothes and houses are small works of art ...
Anyone can visit it, but its most beautiful places hide behind the main roads ...
Discover Romania off the beaten tracks, with its hidden places, its stories, legends and secrets, strange traditions, mysterious people... but also its struggles to make peace with the past and create a future...
The Art Studios White Night happened last year in Bucharest and I hope it will happen every year. Participating artists included: Mircea Roman, Nicolae Alexi, Aurel Bulacu, Lila Passima, Gherghina Costea, Ariana Nicodim, Dorina Horatau, Vasile Muresan Murivale, Mirela Traistaru, Beti Vervega, Ruxandra Ilfoveanu, Ion Grigorescu. Even if it’s passed now, you can still visit the artists studios (but during the day). You have the map below and the exact studios addresses.
If not, you can come to Bucharest next September, around the 18th and do this studios tour by night. Keep an eye on their Facebook page.
Yes, no kidding! It’s the biggest Brancusi installation you’ll find, and it’s free to visit, as it is … in the middle of Targu Jiu, 300 kms from Bucharest. I suppose I don’t need to present this artist, if you haven’t heard of him yet, just remember his sculptures were sold at the highest prices any sculptures were sold in an auction.
All you have to do is go to Targu Jiu and you will see some of the most important Brancusi pieces: The Endless Column, The Table of Silence and The Gate of the Kiss (on the right). Brancusi was born in Hobita, which you can also visit, it’s 1 hour and a half away drive from Targu Jiu. There, besides the memorial house, you can see the living proofs of Brancusi’s inspiration: the wooden church of the village, the wooden crosses of the cemetery and the funeral poles that inspired his “Endless column”. Hobita’s carftsmen were and are famous for their wood crafting and you’ll see this all around in the village. A popular architecture museum is also around, so go see it if you have the time.
The Targu Jiu Art Museum is also a nice spot to visit. It’s open everyday except for Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can guide further to the Brancusi memorial house, a traditional architecture museum, a history and arcaeology museum…
Here’s their contact:+40253/212044 or a the director’s mobile phone: +40722584266 (M Hortopan).
You have maybe heard of the incredible fate of Ion Barladeanu. If not, prepare for a surprise… This contemporary artist that is now on show in Paris, London and New York alongside with Warhol was not until very long ago still a tramp on the streets of Bucharest. Homeless and poor, he was discovered by an exhibition tenant, by mistake.
In short, his collages - that he considers his movies - are a very subtle and ironic view on communism and Ceausescu. And as opposed to the bleak and grey atmosphere of most of the contemporary works on communism, they are extremelly bright and funny - funny how life makes people used to poverty so full of optimism and light… He’s my personal favourite, and a great lesson of life.
This broken-voiced, melancholic dulcimer, as they call it, is widely used in folkloric orchestras or in folk groups in Romania. Cimbalom players are virtuous musicians, and some of them can go extremelly fast.
Toni Iordache, Romani-Romanian player, the grand father of the cimbalom, could strike 25 time/second, they say… There is a saying that during the big earthquake that shook Bucharest in 1977, he was so concentrated on his playing that he didn’t even notice the floor was shaking… His ‘Toni Iordache - Sounds From A Bygone Age’ is a reference cimbalon album.
Here is one of his old recording. RIP, Toni Iordache!
Marius Mihalache is the best known Romanian cimbalom player nowadays. Here is his concert at hotROmania, the Bucharest Jazz Festival. Enjoy!
Rosia Montana, is a unique traditional mining village in Romania that seems frozen in a pre-industrial time. It preserves one of the vastest mining complexes in the Roman epoch discovered until now - proposed as UNESCO site (over 7 kms of Roman galleries, 80 km of medieval galleries and proofs of mining activities from the XVIIIth century). A traditional mining fair of Rosia Montana is also an exceptional example of traditional (and environmental friendly) mining …
All this could disappear any day now if aggresive mining is allowed . Rosia Montana is has an important gold and silver reserve. In 1997 the Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources, bought the exploitation rights. But their only mining possibility is by using cyanide (40 tons a day), into an artificial lake that would cover what is the village and its sorroundings of today. This type of mining already produced an ecological disaster in Romania and its effects are well known both on the environment and the people.
You can help prevent this in several ways, read on:
This stone statue with the face of Decebal (Romania’s legendary king, who lived more than 2000 yeas ago). A gift of a Romanian billionaie living in Italy, this statue was created by a Romanian sculptor. History is literally written in stone!
See the whole video story of the giant sculpture here. You can see this statue on the Danube, around ‘Cazane’, near Drobeta Turnu Severin.
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is a major city with more than 2 million inhabitants. In the period which stretched between the 2 World Wars (the “interbellum” or interwar period) Bucharest was widely known as “The Little Paris of the East”, for its architecture and rich cultural life. Cinemas, showrooms or casinos made the interwar Bucharest an ideal destination for tourists. Theatre representations, museums, Art galleries and military fanfares gave it an unique atmosphere.
Here it is now:
And here it is how it was before communism destroyed (fortunatelly only) some of its beautiful buildings (bear with the intro music, it goes away quite fast). Thank you EuVyk for this comparison video!
These magic ‘Horse’ dancers - Calusarii - were a sort of pagan fraternity who were believe to be able to “fly in the air”. Their patron was the ‘Queen of fairies’, a native Diana, Eliade says. Due to their connection with the fairies, the Calusari were believed to be able to cure the victims of fairies and for around two weeks - from three weeks after Easter till Whitsunday - would travel to all the local communities where they would dance, accompanied by a few fiddlers, in order to do so.
Here is an old black and white recording is this dance (sorry for the quality) - and you can see it goes very fast!
