Category: Neoromanian

Tour: the early Neo-Romanian style

Tour: the early Neo-Romanian style

Valentin Mandache
scf-003The early Neoromanian architecture as seen in Gradina Icoanei area of Bucharest.

Dear readers,

I would like to invite you to a walking architectural tour on Sunday 28 May 2023, between the hours 12.00h – 14.00h, in Gradina Icoanei area, on the theme of the exceedingly important for this country’s heritage Neo-Romanian architectural style, in its early phase, how this design peculiar to Romania has been initiated and defined, a period of cultural upheavals and economic prosperity from the 1880s until the mid 1900s. This cultural excursion may be of interest to any of you visiting the town as a tourist or on business looking to find out more about its fascinating historic architecture and identity.

The Neoromanian architectural style is the most visible and amplest body of heritage that this country has bestowed on the world’s culture. Gradina Icoanei area of Bucharest has the highest concentration of buildings featuring this architectural design in its inaugural stages, what I term as the early phase of Romania’s national architecture. The style was initiated by the architect Ion Mincu in 1886 with the Lahovary House, an edifice viewed at  this tour, continued with a series Read more →

Tour: The Neo-Romanian style at its peak

Tour: The Neo-Romanian style at its peak

Valentin Mandache

Dear readers,

I will organise an architectural tour this Saturday 17 September 2022, between the hours 11.30h – 13.30h, on the subject of the mature phase of the Neo-Romanian architectural style, when it reached a peak in terms of expression and development. That represents an extraordinary creative period, unfurled throughout the first three decades of the c20th, which produced the most iconic and accomplished edifices in this manner of architectural design specific to Romania and neighbouring regions where the country had influence. The Neo-Romanian style had thus became the most visible identity marker of this nation and is now considered its chief contribution to the world’s built heritage. Bucharest is the best endowed place with edifices in that architecture, with a great selection of buildings from the period when the Neo-Romanian reach its magnificence. The tour may be of interest to any of you working as expatriates here or visiting the town, looking to find out more about its fascinating historic architecture and identity.

The mature phase of the Neo-Romanian style was initiated with the Great Royal Jubilee Exhibition of 1906 in Bucharest, when the pavilions of that venue were designed according to rigorous tenets, and the style was thus first properly and eloquently presented to the wider public of that epoch, and Read more →

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.

The Neo-Romanian style architecture in Bulandra Theatre square, Bucharest

Valentin Mandache

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A glorious Neo-Romanian style house in Ploiesti – Casa Radu Stanian

Valentin Mandache

In this video I present the impressive mature phase Neo-Romanian style architecture Radu Stanian House in Ploiesti, 60 km north of Bucharest. The edifice is the result of three stages of construction, from before, then after the Great War, and in the 1930s. It used to house the marriage registry office of the town in the communist period and the 1990s. Today is in a derelict state, in grave danger of being irremediably damaged or even lost.

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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.

We can’t go on living like this: the demise of the Neo-Romanian style

Valentin Mandache

Why the national architectural style of Romania, the Neo-Romanian style, went suddenly into demise in after the communist takeover of December 1947? Was that because of the historic watershed moment affecting then Romania, or it had a period of decline and going out of fashion well before that change in the country? This video endeavours to provide answers to those itching questions regarding the death of the once flourishing and one of the most flamboyant national building designs in Eastern Europe.

 

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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 vernacular Neo-Romanian architecture

Valentin Mandache

This video is a review of how the Neo-Romanian style had an echo, especially in the countryside, even as it was officially repudiated by the Romanian communist state, in the aftermath of the Second World War. The peasant communities experienced a time of relative prosperity from the 1950s until the 1970s, when the houses in the countryside were built in a vernacular manner, inspired from the now defunct urban Neo-Romanian architecture, which was however deeply imprinted within the national mindset, after an evolution of six decades, prior to its rejection by the communist regime. The podcast details how the Neo-Romanian style had a last and quite spectacular phase in the rural environment, which is practically an unknown chapter of architectural history.

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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 Trinity concept in the Neo-Romanian style

Valentin Mandache

The Neo-Romanian architectural style is the expression of the politics of national identity in architecture and decorative arts. It has an entire philosophy behind it, the main tenet being the resistance of the Romanian people against the onslaught of the great power of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Ages and the early modern era. That is expressed in decorations highlighting the Christian identity of the Romanian lands, as opposed to the Islam of the Porte. The Holy Trinity is most abundantly represented or alluded to on a Neo-Romanian architecture building. This video details this architectural element and how it can be spotted or figured out on buildings in Romania’s national style.

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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.

My first architectural photography exhibition

Valentin Mandache

Presentation of ten large poster format photographs on the theme of the Neo-Romanian architectural style exhibited at an event on 23 June 2017 in a garden in the environs of the Spark House in Bucharest, organised by Heritage for the Future cultural association. This is my first ever architectural photography exhibition.

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I endeavour through this series of periodic articles to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural history and heritage.

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

If you plan acquiring or selling a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advise you in sourcing and transacting the property, specialist research, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.