The (very) suspicious tale of Casa Memoriala G.Calinescu

On Saturday, a friend and I decided to take a walk in the Dorobanti area, taking in the beautiful old (and some new) houses, the Zambaccian Museum and the Casa Memoriala George Calinescu nearby in Floreasca. Having checked several sites online for opening hours, we set off to feast our eyes on some of the beauty Romanian patrimony has to offer here in Bucharest - after all, one should profit whilst there are still such wonders left to enjoy....

Since I used to live in Floreasca, I had visited this wonderful, cosy little house many times and loved it. It was always a place of warmth and homeliness and I was so looking forward to soaking it all up once again. The house didn't just contain books by the historian himself but Aubusson-style furniture, oriental rugs, Chinese works of art, glass icons from Nicula and Fagaras along with valuable paintings by Ioan Andreescu, Stefan Luchian, Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petrascu, Iosif Iser and Alexandru Ciucurencu. Bref, this tiny house, hidden from the road by a garden wall and a pretty red gate, shaded by overhanging trees that you could quite easily miss should you not know where to find it, was a haven from the busy hustle and bustle of Romania's capital.

Imagine our surprise then, when we found it closed. We rattled the handle to the metal garden gate. Two men appeared, one normally dressed and the other in a security guard's uniform with an ID card pinned to his shirt pocket. Sorry, but the museum was closed. Until when? They didn't know. Why was it closed? For renovation. How long had it been closed? For quite some time...

Very strange that nothing was mentioned ANYWHERE online. As far as cyberspace was concerned, Casa Memoriala George Calinescu was still open for visits. They shrugged. You are foreign. You have power. You can do something about this, they said. About what, exactly, we were yet to discover.

The two men were not particularly sober which, I guess, is why they perhaps said more than they should have. How accurate they were is another matter entirely, but it was clear as day that something very uncatholic indeed was going on at Casa Memoriala George Calinescu.

"Elena Udrea emptied the house," said one. "The money comes from the Ministry of Culture for renovation, but...there isn't any money." Interesting. How can you renovate without money, and if you can't renovate it, why close it? I last visited this house four years ago and it did NOT need any kind of renovation. It was perhaps a little shabby-chic, but it was exactly as it was meant to be as far as I could see. I did not notice cracks in the walls, there were no serious signs of damp (I visited in October), the garden was nicely kempt and the lady who showed me the house was really quite knowledgeable and proud of her work.

The men went on to say that EVERYTHING had been moved to the Romanian Academy - and when I say everything, I mean everything - books, documents, paintings, furniture - the whole nine yards. They asked me to go to all the sites online that advertise the museum and write what we had found. "Write that it is closed and everything has gone," they practically begged.

We left confused, suspicious and, as the day progressed, more and more angry.

 Returning to my laptop later in the evening, I put a post on Facebook - did anyone know anything? Nobody did. However, an interesting reply came next morning from the vice-president of a well-known NGO. She had called the museum to ask what was going on. Here is what she told me:

"I just called and the guy who answered the phone (not drunk at all and very kind :) ) told me it is closed for renovation and, you know, one could never tell how long this renovation would take. So I said: "No, I don't know. ...How is that?" The guy answered that it will depend on the money they have for the renovation. I replied that usually when you begin to renovate you should be able to tell how much money you need and how much money you have. Then he said this very surprising thing: it is a problem because the renovation depends on the Ministry of Culture and "the Ministry of Culture cannot receive money from the State" (?!?) And he concluded by saying "It's a pity!". So I believe you are right to be suspicious on this one, Sarah."

Alarm bells were, by this time, ringing at deafening decibels. This blogpost says that the house was closed in mid-January....

More information from a reliable historian here in Bucharestcame a little later: The Romanian Academy will house and shelter documents and books, but they will NOT take in and protect furniture or paintings. So...where are the contents of the house? Why is there nothing online pertaining to the closure of the house? Why has everything been done in silence? Who is responsible for this situation? Is it Elena Udrea as the men in the garden said? Did the Minister of Culture order it? Outside the house, the usual sign remains. It does not say 'closed until further notice' or even 'closed for renovation'...

I fear the worst. I fear that this is yet another attack on Romania's heritage, another closure of a memorial house, another abuse through power, greed and indecency. It is essential that the people of Bucharest are aware of what is happening in their own city to their own history. Quietly emptying a memorial house of all its contents and lying about where they now may be found is INADMISSABLE. Not informing the public of the museum's closure is ABNORMAL.

Where is the furniture? Where are the paintings? What the hell is going on at str. G.Calinescu, nr.53? Did those responsible truly think no one would notice. Is it only a matter of time before the gypsies move in here too and trash the house leading to its destruction only to be replaced by an office building as can be found next door? Is that the plan? It MUST NOT be allowed to happen. Gata!!!!

We need answers and we need them NOW. People of Bucharest - these memories belong to YOU. When they are gone, they are gone forever....

Comments

[Claude]

Welcome to Romania - What else can I say? Check also the Museum in Sibiu - Brukenthal. A lot of items have been sold thru auctions out of the country but you will have the surprise to see with your eyes - some of them still exist in the museum. How? Simple. They are fake. The originals have been sold.