Articles of clothing that belonged to Nicolae Ceaușescu, the doctoral thesis signed by Elena Ceaușescu, and posters or photographs signed by the dictatorial couple offer perspectives on their private life, the power they exercised, their thinking and their way of operating.

Elena Ceaușescu’s doctoral thesis in chemistry (with the theme “Polymerization of isoprene”) is linked to Elena Ceaușescu’s name in the auction, as a result of which Elena Ceaușescu obtained the title of doctor.

The piece has a starting price of 300 euros and is part of a small series of 3 typed, original copies, the production of which was mandatory according to the regulations in force at the time. Elena Ceaușescu’s chemistry doctorate aroused controversy and rumours, quickly suppressed by the regime’s means of force. The doctoral thesis opened a long road to a so-called scientific consecration for Elena Ceaușescu – director of the Chemical Research Institute in Bucharest, but also a member of the Romanian Academy.

A historical piece in vintage photos is the men’s cotton cap that belonged to Nicolae Ceaușescu.

The starting price of the clothing accessory is 600 euros, accompanied by the certificate issued on its sale through the 1991-1993 auctions. In the residence of the Ceaușescu family, the silk Romanian Communist Party flag was also flown, also accompanied by the certificate, which, in the May 19 auction, has a starting price of 500 euros.

During the event on May 19, a unique collection bottle of “Ceaușescu” Vodka will also be auctioned.

The drink, in limited edition in the early 90s, has a starting price of only 35 euros and is intact. It should be noted that, in recent years, similar copies from the small edition have been sold in the market for several thousand euros. From a similar register is the bar in the shape of a globe with a lamp carved in wood, decorated with a map of Romania, with a starting price of 200 euros.

Among other notable pieces in the auction is a unique photograph depicting Nicolae Ceaușescu pushing a van in the mine.

The famous photographer Armand Rosenthal captured the image with a starting price of only 50 euros. For the starting price of 200 euros, 22 photos illustrating Nicolae Ceaușescu after the earthquake in 1977 will be auctioned. A fragment of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s correspondence is the lot consisting of two business cards sent by the former dictator to George Macovescu. The pieces have a starting price of only 75 euros and come from the collection of former Foreign Minister George Macovescu, to whom the business cards accompanied by messages of thanks were addressed.

The pieces that belonged to the Ceaușescu family, along with 300 other historical objects that recreate Romania’s history from the monarchy to communism, can be viewed in the exhibition at the Cesianu-Racoviță Palace until May 19. “A century of history – from monarchy to communism. “Art and History Auction” will take place in the Timed Online Auction format, which involves the conduct of the auction event exclusively online, without the presence of the auction commissioner, being automatically managed by the algorithm of the Artmark Live 2.0 platform.

The post Historical Objects of Ceausescu Couple Auctioned in Bucharest appeared first on Valahia.News.

A selection of 60 prehistoric and protohistoric artifacts from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, and up to the second Iron Age is on display in New York at an exhibition in which six museums from Romania are taking part.

The exhibition entitled “Ritual and Memory: The Ancient Balkans and Beyond” represents a cultural occasion held in New York, within the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World) New York University, according to a press release from the National Museum of Romanian History (MNIR).

This exhibition, a component of the global “The First Kings of Europe” exhibition project, is on view from September 21, 2022, to February 19, 2023.

The Field Museum (Chicago, USA), in partnership with more than 20 other museums in South-East and Central Europe, spearheaded the international cultural project “The First Kings of Europe,” which was held in two US cities—New York and Chicago—as well as one in Canada—Gatineau.

According to Agerpres, the exhibition brings together more than 750 significant cultural artifacts from the collections of museum institutions in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Hungary. It is being presented for the first time in North American museums.

The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for specialists and the North American public to learn about pre- and protohistoric archaeological artifacts from the region between the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkan Mountains by taking advantage of temporary loans of some cultural assets from the heritage of some European states. According to the MNIR press release, although many American museums have artifacts in their collections that date back to the ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Near and Far Eastern civilizations, as well as to other cultures on other continents, prehistoric and protohistoric artifacts from southeast Europe are essentially unknown and rarely displayed in this cultural setting.

The exhibition’s theme emphasizes a deeper understanding of prehistoric civilizations through our interpretations, going beyond what can be learned about them solely from traditional interpretations of ancient texts and considering recent findings from anthropological research and multidisciplinary studies.

In a time when there are unheard-of opportunities to discover fresh viewpoints on the earliest stages of history in this region of the world, the exhibition “Ritual and Memory: The Ancient Balkans and Beyond” and the global project “The First Kings of Europe” of which it is a part mark a particular moment of cultural cooperation between the United States of America, Canada, and Southeast Europe.

The post Romanian Museums to Participate in New York’s Prehistoric Exhibition appeared first on Valahia.News.

The Stirbey estate, located 25 kilometres from Bucharest in Buftea, covers an area of 240,000 square meters in a park with secular trees, and is one of the largest event locations in the Bucharest area, with eight event locations and a restaurant with a terrace. The Stirbey Palace, built-in 1864, the Water Tower designed by Anghel Saligny, and the Stirbey Chapel, built-in 1859, are all important tourist attractions within the domain.

Stirbey estate – a short history

Stirbey Palace, part of the national cultural and historical heritage, is over a century and a half old, being built in the middle of the 19th century.

The 30th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927, Barbu Stirbey’s father, Alexandru Barbu Stirbei built the palace between 1863 and 1864: the two years are inscribed on two facades, along with the initials A.B.S. and the family crest. The palace was inspired by a Swiss villa, and the romantic atmosphere is provided by the palace’s combination of architectural styles: neo-Gothic and Rundbogenstil.

The Stirbey domain was frequented by prominent figures from Romanian political and cultural life, including Ioan Slavici, Vasile Alecsandri, Lascăr Catargiu, P.P. Carp, Titu Maiorescu, General Ion Argetoianu, and Carol Davila.

The estate was once a beloved place by the royal family of Romania. Queen Maria took refuge here because Bucharest had been occupied by the German army in 1917. Also here was negotiated the peace treaty with the Central Powers (Peace of Buftea), signed on March 5/18, 1918, by which Romania lost (temporarily) Dobrogea.

The palace was expropriated in 1946 and then passed to the government and the Communist Central Committee in 1953. During that time, the palace housed a branch of the ‘Ana Aslan’ Geriatric Institute, as well as a wine warehouse and a party venue for Nicu Ceausescu, the son of the last Romanian communist leader.

Unfortunately, the palace suffered greatly following the 1990s. The monumental wooden staircase appears to be the only original element of the old palace, which has been converted into a restaurant.

Tourist attractions in the Stirbei domain

Besides its historical importance, the special architectural beauty and a fairytale atmosphere that transposes you in time, the Stirbei Domain has many tourist attractions, among which are:

Holy Trinity Chapel

The domain’s park is vast and hides (at the end of a pine-tree alley) the Holy Trinity Chapel, which is painted on the inside in a style similar to Tăttărescu’s. Only the Virgin Mary and Child from the original painting have been preserved on the altar walls. Baron Theophil von Hansen, an Austrian architect of Danish origin, designed the chapel between 1871 and 1890. An Austrian monograph from 1893, in which Hansen is one of the authors, includes an engraving of the Stirbey chapel in Buftea as proof.

The chapel and the pine alley leading to it have been used for filming (including by Buftea Studios), with actors such as Jean Marais, Belmondo, Roger Moore, and Nicole Kidman paying visits. In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola shot several scenes from his film “Dracula” in the chapel. Nowadays, the chapel can host religious ceremonies (marriage and baptism) both inside and outside. The chapel is also a historic site.

Water Tour

The Water Tower (also known as the Water Castle) was designed by Anghel Saligny in 1920 to ensure the water supply of the Tirbey estate and the adjacent factories, the cannery, the cotton mill, and the die. The tower is octagonal in shape and constructed of reinforced concrete. Its architecture is imposing industrial-utilitarian with a classicizing air. During the SummerWell festival, a zip line is installed on the top floor and used.

The offered domain, located in Buftea, includes both the palace (built area of ​​2,168 sqm) and the related land (239,934 sqm) and a multifunctional hall (2,021 sqm). For those who want to buy a palace, a Romanian piece of history, here is the opportunity to have a field of storytelling in Bucharest.

The post Fancy a EUR 9 Million Romanian Castle? Stirbey Castle Is for Sale appeared first on Valahia.News.

Despite the opposition of the most significant powers of that time, how did that happen?

The Ottoman Empire vassals, the principality of Wallachia, and the principality of Moldova decided on January 24th, 1859, that Alexandru Ioan Cuza would be the ruling prince for both territories. Despite international protests from the Ottomans, this was done, and it was the very beginning of the Romanian state as we know it today.

This event is known as The Little Union by both the locals and historians to distinguish it from the Great Union in 1918. All three historical provinces were unified into one. The third province to join the motherland was Transylvania.

It is sometimes called ” the Little Union“, but it was not little at all. That was when Romania began to modernize as a country and as an economy.

Romanians across the country are celebrating today’s Unification Day. This is a significant event in their past and a reminder that no outside power can stop Romanians when people want something to happen.

The post January 24: Little Union Day appeared first on Valahia.News.

On January 24, 1859, though vassals of the Otoman Empire, the principality of Wallachia and the principality of Moldavia decided to elect the same ruling prince in both territories: Alexandru Ioan Cuza. By doing that, in spite of the international protests coming from the Otomans, there was planted the seed of the first Romanian state as we know it these days.

This event is called The Little Union by the locals and by the historians, such as to distinguish it from the Great Union of 1918, when all three historic provinces were united into one. This is why each year, on January 24, Romanians celebrate the Unification Day.

By calling it ‘the Little Union‘ some might consider this event of a less importance, but it was definitely the moment when Romania stepped on the road of modernization as a state, as an economy and adopted a strong European vision.

Romanians all over the country celebrate today the Unification Day as an important event in their history, a proof that, when the people want to accomplish something, no external power can prevent it from happening.

The post January 24: 162 Years from the Unification of Two Romanian Principalities in 1859 appeared first on Valahia.News.