Category: Architectural Heritage

Climate change and history in Southeast Europe

Valentin Mandache

As we now live through a period of dramatic climate change, accompanied by geopolitical upheavals, and even a pandemic, I would like to propose you an excursion in the history of the last two millennia of Europe, from the times of the Roman Empire, until today, and examine how the climate changes of the past, from the thermal maximum of the Roman times, through the Little Ice Age of the Middle Ages, to the current global warming, have conditioned the history of its human communities. My focus is on the area of Southeast Europe, or the Balkans as is usually known, especially on the territory occupied nowadays by the state of Romania.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

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If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

On the regional variations of the Neo-Romanian style

Valentin Mandache

The national architectural style of Romania, the Neo-Romanian, has not only a time evolution component, but also a development in space, among within the different regions making up this country in southeast Europe. Its three main provinces, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, have developed distinct histories, cultures and mentalities throughout centuries, a fact reflected in the manner in which they adopted and adapted the national architectural style, which emerged in the modern era, when those provinces got unified within Romania. This is a completely unresearched aspect of the Neo-Romanian architecture, and the my presentation here is a first attempt in fixating the main coordinates of analysing the regional variations of this style of architectural design.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

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If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

A panoramic postcard of the 1920s Bucharest

Valentin Mandache

In this video I present a 120 degrees of a circle, panoramic photo in postcard format of the 1920s Bucharest, discussing the aspect of the city right after the Great War, and the methodology of dating this artefact.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

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If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

“Britanic Palace” – a Bucharest Art Deco apartment block

Valentin Mandache

This is a discussion of one of the interesting ocean liner theme, 1930s Art Deco block of flats of Bucharest, located close to the British Embassy. Through a press cut from the local newspaper, “Universul”, from 1937, I found out that it was named “Britanic (sic) Palace”, presumably as a marketing ploy, trying to cash in on the prestige represented by the nearby embassy. That name is now forgotten after the watershed of the communist and post-communist periods, when a great deal of the city’s collective memory has been lost. This video is intended as a small contribution towards its recovery.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

The comfort of the peasant houses in Wallachia

Valentin Mandache

There is a stark difference between the comfort of the peasant houses in Wallachia, southern Romania, in the 19th c and the early 20th c, according to their level of wealth, which was tied to their social status as serfs, indentured or free, land owning peasants. That division was reflected in the location of these social sub-classes: the lowlands, the large arable, grain crop regions was the place of the serf and indentured villages, while the highlands, the Subcarpathian hills, was the area of traditionally free peasant communities. This video discusses the marked difference in the comfort of the houses inhabited by those peasant communities of Wallachia, before the breaking up of the large landowning estates, and modernisation of the country.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

Studying old maps for architectural history

Valentin Mandache

The old maps are a repository of invaluable information on how a region, country or settlement has changed throughout centuries, what geopolitical influences were there, the flux of cultural norms and way of life. That is even more poignant in places like Southeast Europe, an area of convergence of many civilisations, empires and native communities influencing each other, facts wonderfully captured on the old maps of the region. These are reflected ultimately in the most visible elements of the local identity, the buildings, their architecture and styles. Thus the old maps are an essential source for the student of architectural history. In this video I use maps from my antique maps collection, specialised on the Balkans and the Black Sea areas.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

Ottoman world influences on the Wallachian style

Valentin Mandache

A brief review of the artistic and architectural influences from throughout the Ottoman Empire into the making of the Wallachian style, the highly original Christian architecture with Islamic overtones of the Principality of Wallachia, the nowadays southern Romania, between the late 17th c and the early 19th c.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

Architectural history in Southeast Europe in the time of Coronavirus

Valentin Mandache

Considerations of the impact of the pandemic on my architectural history research and fieldwork in Southeast Europe and beyond, how I plan to reconfigure my activity in the new conditions of the pandemic and post-pandemic world, to reach the public, and continue the research and earn a living form this activity.

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

The 10 best videos for 2017 – Historic Houses of Romania

Valentin Mandache

I have shot over 150 video podcasts throughout 2017, in both English and Romanian, on a multitude of themes related to the architectural history of Romania and Southeast Europe. For me it represents the start of an activity direction, which I would like to culminate, funding and interest from the public permitting, in the production of documentary films on architectural history subjects. Here are what I consider as the best 10 such videos for that period, in English. I am curious if you have a favourite one from this list or from the other videos realised yesteryear (find them according to their publication date, on the Video Reports page)? Please send your views using the comments section of this post.

1. Walking like a Saxon

2. What is the Little Paris style”

3. The architecture of the Muslim community of Romania

4. Ceausescu’s architectural imagination

5. Traces of WWII bombing in Bucharest

6. The kitsch statue of King Carol I

7. Manichaean symbolism in Neo-Romanian style houses

8. From the tower of Deutsch Weisskirch/ Viscri church

9. In front of the former Nazi embassy, Bucharest

10. My first architectural photography exhibition

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My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.

Buzau Commune Palace

Valentin Mandache

Buzau Commune Palace (Palatul Comunal, in Romanian) is a beautiful major piece of public architecture in the early Neo-Romanian style. Its designer is arch. Alexandru Savulescu, and was built between 1899-1903. It exhibits particular characteristics, such as a round/ multifaceted tower, enfilade galleries on the ground level and Art Nouveau overtones. It is one of the amplest edifices in the entire country in the early phase of Romania’s national style.

***********************************************

My aim, through this series of blog articles, is to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania and Southeast Europe, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of world’s architectural history and heritage.

***********************************************

If you have a historic house project in Romania or other country in Southeast Europe, I would be delighted to advise you in aspects pertaining to its architectural history and ways to preserve as much as possible from its period fabric and aesthetics in the course of restoration or renovation works, or to counsel you with specialist consultancy work related to that project. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this website.