23 YEARS IN THE SERVICE OF ROMANIAN HERITAGE AND COMMUNITIES
Enescu House in Mihăileni on its third life

Enescu House in Mihăileni on its third life

July 2024

After a year of intense efforts, the George Enescu House in Mihăileni has overcome the most difficult phase. The biological report prepared by Mrs. Ionela Melinte, a biologist, certifies that the works to eliminate the Merulius lacrymans fungus were correctly approached and that the house is now biologically sanitized. The interventions were carried out carefully and with small steps in order not to risk spreading the contamination, but also to prevent major damage to the structural frame. We thank our donors and sponsors, without whom these works would not have been possible: Egger Group, Dedeman, EchitArt, Elsaco.

In spite of the maintenance and landscaping works with drains, soakaways, vertical systematization and ventilation of the underground spaces, the humidity in the cellar persists. Because this excessive humidity cannot be controlled naturally, we are in talks with BioDry to use high-performance mechanical dehumidification solutions.

Work is currently concentrating on re-finishing to make the house welcoming and ready for activities. Interior and exterior plaster, stoves and floors are being redone. The work also partially affected the electrical wiring. While the lighting has been conserved since the start of the work, the entire socket network has been dismantled in order to be able to carry out work on the foundations, plinth and floors. This now needs to be redone.

The estimated cost for all these activities to complete and reopen the house is around 25 000 Euro.

 

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Since it was introduced to the public and educational projects have gradually started to take place in or in connection with the George Enescu House in Mihăileni, it has proved to be a real catalyst. More than just a heritage object, it is what generates strong links for local communities on the left bank of the upper Siret, a revived local identity, a renewed interest in the stories of place and the cultural landscape of the river, open access to culture and music education, sound study and traditional crafts.

In parallel with these efforts to restore and maintain the Enescu House, the George Enescu Academy of Music and Sound Studies in Mihăileni was established, functioning as a center of excellence in the study of classical music. Children from the Moldavian region have been attracted to the Academy, giving them the chance to get a quality education in a cultural environment that combines memorial and music education.

Every summer, hands-on experiential and creative education workshops are organized in which children from Mihăleni take part, this year the heritage education component is called „The Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” and is being carried out with monthly activities, kits and workshops in five communities where Pro Patrimonio has restoration interventions.

Pro Patrimonio’s involvement over the years has been done without State involvement, through private donations, cultural projects and volunteering. Once the consolidation and restoration work on the building is completed, the use of the house will be directed towards education and research, with a preponderance in the field of music and in the interest of future generations.


Read also:

 

Un proiect simbol pentru comunitatea locală

O ciupercă dăunătoare afectează lemnul Casei George Enescu din Mihăileni. Intervenţii de urgenţă.
Concerte pe Siret. Concert final Masterclass, 22 august 2023. Călinești, Sala din Deal.

Concerte pe Siret, ediția a III-a

Eliminarea umezelii la Casa George Enescu. Şantier sub observaţie.

 

The Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together

The Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together

For a year and a half, from the beginning of 2024 until June 2025, the Heritage Education program has been enriched with more workstations and offers 125 children from rural areas and beyond the opportunity to learn directly through experimentation and creativity about the heritage of architecture, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values.

The project entitled “Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” has two components that have proven over years to be very important: remote interventions through heritage kits and on-site interventions through workshops, camps and community days within the heritage caravan.

25 children from 5 communities in different counties (Botoșani, Brașov, Argeș, Vâlcea and Olt) will form mixed working groups with a local coordinator, they will meet  twice a month for six months to work together on the stories of six emblematic heritage buildings in Romania (with at least one example from their own neighborhood). The stories received in the pack will be complemented by numerous practical challenges that question and challenge the groups of children to rethink life in the community, the nearby natural setting and the individual spaces they use in relation to examples of good practice received and then constructed by themselves.

The first six examples of kits tell the stories of: the Enescu House in Mihăileni, Botoșani county; Viscri 18 peasant house, Viscri, Brasov county; the Golescu Villa, town of Câmpulung Muscel, Argeș county; Neamțu Manor, Olari village, Olt county; Urși Church, Vâlcea county and a surprise house.

Each kit pack dedicated to one of the six places contains: an interactive exploration booklet of the house, a slice of the large map puzzle of Romania, a pop-up construction and the house itself that lights up.

The caravan is designed for direct interaction. It brings together project coordinators and trained trainers for two successive camp sessions and community days in all five Pro Patrimonio communities. Workshops, cultural, sporting and culinary competitions, exhibitions and film evenings will invite both children involved in the program and curious and eager family members to participate.

 

 

The kits, camps and community days aim to be an engaging cultural product, demonstrating that the collaborative heritage stories of architects, designers, historians and environmental specialists can work together in an understandable educational package and generate ideas and solutions for creative development and the enhancement of quality life for individuals and groups, using existing cultural resources in innovative ways.

The camps and community days at the end of the project give us the opportunity to generate a sense of belonging to a community and instill the idea that the power to change lies in one’s own hands.

***

Over the last ten years, through its trans-annual and interdisciplinary “Education for Heritage” program, the Pro Patrimonio Foundation has been promoting education of and for heritage wherever the Foundation physically intervenes.

The over 40 workshops initiated by Pro Patrimonio in these years are mainly aimed at children aged 7-14 years old, in vulnerable situations in the communities where the foundation carries out projects for the rescue, conservation and rehabilitation of architectural heritage (Golescu Villa in Câmpulung, Neamțu Manor in Olari, Perticari-Davila Manor in Argeș, George Enescu House in Mihăileni, etc.).

The activities are organized annually in the form of practical workshops and aim to educate and teach directly, through experimentation and creativity, about architectural heritage, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values. Projects such as “3 Doors, 3 Countries Festival” (2018), “The Heritage Caravan” (2019), “Enescu House Days” (2020), “School of Landscape, Art and Sound” (2021), “My Village Story” (2022), the “Heritage in a Package “ kit series and numerous one-off actions in the sites where we work, have shaped and consolidated over time a functional working strategy.

“Heritage Kit and Caravan – Houses and Communities Working Together” is a project realized by Pro Patrimonio Foundation, supported by the Romanian Order of Architects Stamp Tax and co-financed by AFCN.

Five years of partnership in support of local communities in Botoșani and Olt

Five years of partnership in support of local communities in Botoșani and Olt

March 18, 2024

The partnership initiated five years ago between Pro Patrimonio Foundation and UiPath Foundation continues throughout 2024 in the communities of children around the George Enescu House in Mihăileni and Neamțu Manor in Olari – historical monuments from Botoșani and Olt counties.

Education for Heritage

Over the past ten years Pro Patrimonio Foundation has been promoting education of and for heritage, through its trans-annual and interdisciplinary “Education for Heritage” program wherever the Foundation physically intervenes. The more over 40 workshops initiated by Pro Patrimonio these past years are mainly aimed at children in the 7-14 age group, in vulnerable situations in the communities where the foundation carries out its projects for the rescue, conservation and rehabilitation of architectural heritage (Golescu Villa in Câmpulung, Neamțu Manor in Olari, Perticari-Davila Manor in Argeș, George Enescu House in Mihăileni, etc.).

The activities are organized annually in the form of practical workshops and aim to educate and teach directly, through experimentation and creativity, about architectural heritage, local memory and identity, nature, buildings, relationships between people and cultural values. “Enescu House Festive Days” (2020), “School of Landscape, Art and Sound” (2021), “The Story of My Village” (2022) and the “Heritage in a Pack” kit series are examples of projects and activities that have taken place in previous years at Enescu House and Neamțu Manor and have involved not only local children and young people but also the local community.

This year, the heritage education component is called “Heritage Kit and Caravan – Homes and Communities Working Together “ and is being carried out with monthly activities, kits and workshops in five communities where Pro Patrimonio is undergoing restoration interventions.

Leap towards the Future

The partnership initiated five years ago with the UiPath Foundation’s support programes was thus natural, benefiting from the expertise of local needs identified so that the intervention could have the desired effect.

Started with 20 children near the George Enescu House in Mihăileni, Botoșani in January 2020, UiPath Foundation’s flagship intervention – “Leap towards the Future” – has grown each year and reached its 5th year of collaboration with Pro Patrimonio Foundation to provide educational support for 40 children and their families. A year later the program was replicated in the socially disadvantaged communities around the Neamțu Manor in Olari, Olt, a monument also under the care of Pro Patrimonio Foundation. Here, from 2021, through this collaboration it was possible to provide support for 20 children, now reaching 30 beneficiaries. The tangible support is continuous, constant throughout the year, annually. Through this educational program, children from socially vulnerable families – aged between 11 and 16 – receive an integrated package of support, with the aim of reducing the risk of dropping out of school and helping them to reach their full potential.

The intervention requires a long-term approach that takes into account the child’s whole ecosystem. Through the program, children benefit from weekly tutoring lessons for Romanian language and literature, Mathematics or English to strengthen their school knowledge. In addition, they benefit from various educational activities, monthly scholarships, tablets with internet access and educational apps, medical and psychological support. Families also receive regular packages of food, school supplies, clothing, shoe ware and books.

Every child in the program participates in “Inspirational Speakers”, “Conversation Club” and U&I Summer Camp, just a few examples of other landmark activities that broaden children’s horizons about their career paths, encourage them to practice English through interactive activities, and provide the framework for the development of many skills, including effective communication, teamwork, managing emotions, digital skills and financial literacy.

Foto: Cătălin Georgescu

“The Music Academy for Children”

In line with Pro Patrimonio’s objectives and mission – in this collaborative project for the George Enescu House – a dedicated project entitled “Music Academy for Children” was established in 2020 . It gave the opportunity to a group of children from the towns of Mihăileni and Vârful Câmpului in Botoșani to educate themselves in the spirit of music. The program facilitates children and young people from the area to develop their musical skills, study an instrument, participate in local competitions and meet established artists who give recitals at “Concerts on the Siret River”. The aim of the weekly courses is not necessarily performance, but the formation of a musical culture and personal development through music. A new generation of children from Mihăileni will join the program in May this year.

To support young people studying piano, in 2022, through the collaboration between Pro Patrimonio and teacher Diana Bratan, the manual “Introduction to the ABC of Music. A guide for teachers and parents”. The publication introduced, clearly and concisely, through graphic illustrations, indispensable notions for a solid musical foundation. Printed copies were distributed free of charge to interested teachers and young people, and the digital version is still available online in the Pro Patrimonio Foundation’s Useful Resources Library.

 

 

 

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SOS Zarifopol Manor, Bacău

SOS Zarifopol Manor, Bacău

In February 2024, Pro Patrimonio provided consultancy to a local community. It is the Zarifopol Manor in the village of Cârligi, Bacău county, in a state of abandonment and vandalization due to a long process of retrocession. The villagers want it not to disappear and to be used again, to bring new life and energy into the community. This was the site of the village school during the communist period and the descendants of the family that claimed the property wanted to keep the educational and cultural activities in the manor. Unfortunately legal issues are still unresolved, so the manor is deteriorating. A local initiative group has decided to take the necessary steps for conservation until disputes are resolved, which will then allow its revitalization. Otherwise it will ruin beyond salvage.

Circular Catalysts exhibition and workshop in London

Circular Catalysts exhibition and workshop in London

 

From 6-8 November the British Council’s Circular Catalysts programme travelled to London. The Romanian Cultural Institute in London hosted the exhibition, meetings, discussions, presentations and workshops during this phase of the project.

Vernisajul din 6 noiembrie a adunat o comunitate extinsă de oameni interesați, expaţi dar nu numai. Aceștia au fost întâmpinați de discursurile organizatorilor și a oamenilor direct implicați în proiect:  Andrew Glass (director British Council România), Aura Woodward (director ICR Londra), Marlene Herberth (Kraftmade). O ceremonie a ceaiului coordonată de Marlene Herberth – „ How to Get Through the Day ” și o sesiune mult așteptată de networking cu toți actorii acestui proiect – pentru prima oară împreună – au întregit acest eveniment.

Pro Patrimonio has been part of this project from the beginning (in March 2023), organising workshops, presentations and sections of the general exhibition.

The opening on 6 November brought together a large community of interested people, expats and others. They were welcomed by speeches from the organisers and those directly involved in the project. A tea ceremony and a long-awaited networking session with all the actors of this project – together for the first time – completed the event.

Afterwards, the exhibition framework facilitated free discussions between the professionals directly involved in the project – designers, craftsmen, makers, artists – organisers and guests. An open table for dialogue was organised, during which different scenarios for the continuation of the project were discussed.

The last evening was dedicated to a botanical print workshop designed and implemented by Andreea Machidon along with British designer Anoushka Cole. Andreea and Anoushka’s textile printing techniques took the audience on a fascinating visual and tactile journey.

 

Photo credits: ICR Londra

 

Other events within the project:

Circular Catalysts ajunge la Londra

Circular Catalysts la HEI Timişoara

 Ateliere de Explorări şi Imprimări Botanice

Circular Catalysts- reziliență și dezvoltare durabilă locală prin design și meșteșug

Rezidenţă Circular Catalysts la Vila Golescu

Jurnal de rezidenţă Circular Catalysts

Expoziţia Pro Patrimonio din cadrul Circular Catalysts. Romanian Design Week 2023

Preserving of the Șirineasa wooden church during winter

Preserving of the Șirineasa wooden church during winter

December 2023

We are currently working intensively on a protective superstructure for the wooden church in Șirineasa, Vâlcea county. With the support of the Fondation de France and the Storck House Foundation, we are going to succeed in protecting the building before the onset of winter. The structure is necessary both to preserve the whole building and to allow us to carry out repair work on the roof and the wicker vaulting next year.

 

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An iconic project for the local community

An iconic project for the local community

Despite the critical times it is going through, the Enescu House in Mihăileni proves its vitality through the strong links it creates and carries forward. The local community has come to our aid in various ways. These people have been part of the educational projects we have been running in the community for four years now, as well as the three editions of Concerts on the Siret river. The house-symbol has already been reclaimed in the local identity and they don’t want to lose it.

Following the biological attack that the wooden structure of the house suffered (infestation with the Merulius lacryman fungus) the work to save the house has returned and is progressing against the clock to avoid winter.

Survey researches to detect the presence of the fungus deep within the outer walls have been carried out with the constant assistance of biologist Ionela Melinte. The house structure was supported with metal posts to allow interventions on the walls. Undercuts were made where necessary. The external drains were completed and the systemization works were completed by creating a slope and stone platform in the northern area.

All infested wood was burned so as not to carry the pest to other places, and unattached wood material was treated preventively with Bochemit solution.

Ciuperca identificată în crăpăturile lemnului aparent sănătos.

The fungus identified in the cracks of apparently healthy wood

 

As a solution adapted to the place and the construction site, samples were made with a press for the bricks in the ground, the resulting bricks to be used for repairs.

An interview given by architect Șerban Sturdza, president of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation and architect Sergiu Popa, the local site coordinator, for Mr. Gabriel Basarabescu on Radio Romania Actualități’s After Walls show puts the spotlight on all this unceasing struggle and effort that gives meaning to our work.

https://fb.watch/nTO0iUd8bF/

We gratefully thank the local donors who have chosen to direct money to this general effort; the Local Council of the Municipality of Mihaileni, Botoșani county and Mr. Mayor Laurențiu Bărbăcariu as well as the two companies – without whose substantial financial help this would not have been possible – EGGER Group and Dedeman.

We need the money to buy time for the Enescu House!

DONATE FOR REPAIRS!

Read also:

O ciupercă dăunătoare afectează lemnul Casei George Enescu din Mihăileni. Intervenţii de urgenţă

Eliminarea umezelii la Casa George Enescu. Şantier sub observaţie.

“Cycle Patrimoine” 2nd edition

“Cycle Patrimoine” 2nd edition

Paris, September 14th, 2023

The second edition of “Cycle Patrimoine” took place from September 14 th to October 5th, 2023 at the Macadam Gallery, Romanian Cultural Institute. The event in Paris brought together a dense programme of exhibitions and conferences on civil society initiatives for the protection and enhancement of heritage in Romania.

The exhibition was curated by Carolyne d’Assay, President of Pro Patrimonio France. It proposes the theme of safeguarding and reusing a particular architectural typology: CONAC, the secondary residence in the countryside for wealthy families since the Middle Ages, but also the main residence of the great landowners.

 

The event honours these less famous private buildings and their current fate. It also identifies and lists conservation initiatives for these places of the same type as Pro Patrimonio, as well as the diversity of these manor’s current owners and their uses.

Pro Patrimonio Foundation and the Romanian Cultural Institute want to present each year a set of valuable practices, grouped around a specific theme.

Each year, Pro Patrimonio Foundation and the Romanian Cultural Institute wish to present a set of valuable practices, articulated around a specific theme.

The event was organized in partnership with the Romanian Embassy in France.

 

Download the booklet in French  Manoirs en Roumanie. „Les Conac”, Vie et Destin

 

 

Preliminary Conclusions

Preliminary Conclusions

Bucharest, 10/04/2023

In the study on the repair and maintenance of historic plasterwork, observations and information from practical tests, ongoing construction sites and laboratory analyses were gathered. Given the great diversity of modernist plaster, the team decided to focus mainly on similarly painted plaster and, in particular, on how to clean and repair it.

Encountered situations and working principles

The study uses basic principles in the conservation practice of historic buildings, whether listed or not. However, these buildings that form the basis for the observation are part of protected areas, where the appearance of the facades determines the character and value of the area. As a result, we list situations, encountered in this study, where basic principles used in the conservation of historic buildings have been used:

  • Interventions on historic plasterwork, whatever their nature (cleaning, completion, repair, consolidation, etc.) should use the principle of minimal intervention, only where strictly necessary and as far as possible reversible. Interventions should not affect the original material in the long term, so as not to hinder possible future conservation processes that may be carried out with other more modern methods that may emerge in the years to come;

  • Façade rendering preserves the character, value and historic significance of a historic building. Irreversible processes of intervention can destroy these essential features of the built historic heritage, limiting access to this heritage for future generations;
  • Regardless of the nature of the interventions carried out on historic plasterwork (cleaning, completion, repair, consolidation, etc.), the preservation of authenticity – those attributes and elements that most truly reflect the heritage values of the building in question (texture, decoration, plastering technique, craftsmanship, aesthetic value, etc.) – must be taken into account.

Observations and recommendations

Halfway through the project period, we present some of the project team’s observations and recommendations:

  • Façade damage should be carefully investigated and analysed. This is done through a facade survey, which includes analysing the material and understanding the causes of degradation. Unfortunately, façade renovation interventions are not based on this analysis and repair/restoration decisions are often based on superficial information. The most common solutions are either to replace the façade plaster with an imitation, as far as possible, of the texture, or to paint over the existing plaster; these solutions lead to irretrievable losses of technique and historic substance. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to carry out a sufficiently thorough analysis of the facade prior to the start of construction work, when there is no access to the entire façade surface (scaffolding) and no possibility of collecting information on the physical and chemical behaviour of the façade material. Material analyses can be expensive and relatively time-consuming, but in order to base the choice of intervention materials it is necessary to assess at least the hardness of the plaster layer and its porosity, even if only at an empirical level;
  • New material additions (even when made with the same type of material) will not be identical due to the ageing of the original plaster (in the case of stone-like plaster, the erosion is similar to that of natural stone). However, where they are necessary, they should be made with a material of similar porosity and hardness to the original, which meets the appearance requirements if the exact composition of the original material cannot be reconstructed. Cracks in the surface of the simulated stone often result from the workmanship process and do not necessarily represent damage requiring repair;
  • – Façade renovations should not bring the façade to a “new” state, but should ensure the stability of the finish and preserve or improve the weather-resistant qualities. Cleaning does not mean that the appearance has to be “like new”, it is normal/recommended to preserve patina, imperfections and any harmless degradation (discolouration, weathering…) that does not jeopardise the stability of the surface. In the case of hard cement plaster, there are micro-cracks which have appeared with the processing of the material, but which are stable over time, unless aggravating factors (broken gutters, uncontrolled vegetation, etc.) have occurred;
  • Façade renovations should not bring the façade to a “new” state, but should ensure the stability of the finish and preserve or improve weather-resistant qualities. Cleaning does not mean that the appearance has to be “like new”, it is normal/recommended to preserve patina, imperfections and any harmless degradation (discolouration, weathering…) that does not jeopardise the stability of the surface. In the case of hard cement plaster, there are micro-cracks which have appeared with the processing of the material, but which are stable over time, unless aggravating factors (broken gutters, uncontrolled vegetation, etc.) have occurred;
  • Interventions on small areas cannot always be extended to large façade areas, given the costs of labour and materials. Some of the consolidation tests were done with methods that were far too complex and could not be applied on a large scale (e.g. consolidation injections), but brought into question the need for proper assessment of the damage: how serious is the crack? Is there a risk of detachment?
  • The plaster recipes used are extremely diverse. The project worked with three laboratories, which allowed us to observe differences in the results generated by the analysis methodology. At the current stage of the project it is still too early to draw any relevant conclusions, as a large part of the analyses started are still in progress.

But what we have observed and discussed with material suppliers is that today’s materials are not identical to those used in the early 20th century, due to differences in production (e.g. cement) and even in the raw materials from which they are made. It is therefore important to find the optimal compatibility, based on physico-chemical behaviour.

The study will not provide standard solutions because each case is unique, but the principles and recommendations for approach can provide support for interventions that better protect valuable textures and even help to lower intervention costs. We are working on a set of recommendations for intervention steps for the rehabilitation of historic modernist façades, as well as recommendations for technical specifications (about material and intervention methods) for projects and specifications.

“Forgotten Textures – Historical Plasterwork. Research and practical studies for repair and maintenance” is a project carried out by Pro Patrimonio Foundation. supported by the Order of Architects of Romania from the Architecture Stamp and PSC Group.

 

 

How our Concerts on the Siret river went, 3rd edition

How our Concerts on the Siret river went, 3rd edition

Summer evening at Concerts on the Siret river, August 22 marked the end of the master course held by pianist Raluca Știrbăț at the Miclescu Manor in Călinești, Botoșani county.

The protagonists of the concert were the seven young pianists participating in the masterclass, students of the national music colleges of Botoșani, Suceava, Iași, Bacău, Piatra-Neamț and Bucharest, multiple winners of national competitions and not only: Ruxandra Blându, Theodora Epuran, Bianca Hăvîrneanu, Maria-Cristina Hrițcu, Alexandra Marițencu, Irina Petrescu and George Țăranu.

The unconventional and reconverted former agricultural space in Călinești generously hosted the Bösendorfer piano and a very large audience. In this unique and charming setting, more than 170 participants enjoyed an event of the finest artistic quality, with a difficult, complex and varied piano repertoire, from Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt to Silvestri and Rautavaara.

 

At the same time, an exhibition of panels presented the stages of work that the Enescu House in Mihăileni, the pivotal element of the Concerts on the Siret, has gone through, now undergoing extensive repairs after a xylophagous and biological attack on the wooden structure. The setting of the Călinești farm complemented the ambience of the concert with a small exhibition selling local produce.

We thank Egger for their support, Bucecea and Mihăileni Town Halls, Project Botoșani, Botoșani Order of Architects, Ideograf, Cella Cosimex, Maria Association, Sturdza family and all those who made this event possible, as well as the tireless ambassador of Enescu’s music, pianist Raluca Știrbăț.

Read also:

Concerte pe Siret, ediția a III-a

Cum a fost la „Concerte pe Siret”

„Concerte pe Siret”. 140 de ani de la nașterea lui George Enescu

Concerte pe Siret, ediţia a II-a, 18-27 iulie 2022

Cum a fost la Concerte pe Siret, ediţia a II-a

Tablou activitati How our Concerts on the Siret river went, 3rd edition

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