Best wishes for 2017!

Dear readers,

Please receive from me, the author of the Historic Houses of Romania – Case de Epoca blog, the best wishes for the new year! I trust 2017 will mark an improvement in the field of knowledge and education in architectural heritage, compared with 2016, which was a dismal year in many regards. The most dissatisfactory issue that I had to confront was the manifest lack of interest and hostility toward the preservation of the built heritage from large sections of the Romanian public, which made my work difficult and unrewarding. Luckily, all of these were mitigated by the keen interest in my work from the foreign public, expatriates based in this country, tourists or business visitors, and a handful of quality Romanians, who kept me going throughout the past unmemorable year. To them I would like to extend my deepest thanks and gratitude!

I made the photograph illustrating this posting in one of my countless solitary fieldwork forays in Bucharest, no matter the weather, and is a metaphor of my travails. I imagine myself as the cat in the picture, alone, but confident, navigating the wilderness and the desert of ignorance and hostility displayed by the local public. As you can see, I am focused and have a doer attitude, not being in the business of making compromises with the low quality level of architectural commentariat that plagues the Romanian media. In short, I do not take prisoners, and I am pursuing my goals of quality and thoroughness in my activity.

I would like to reiterate here my thanks for following me and for participating at my tours, or interacting with me on this blog or the social media pages with the same name.

Best wishes for 2017!

Valentin Mandache/ Historic Houses of Romania – Case de Epoca