ana maria zahariade , arhitectura in proiectul comunist
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
1/21
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
2/21
Prof .dr .a rh . na ari a Z ah a ri ad e n . 1949) p red teo ria a rh ite ctu rii i conduce luc r ri de do ctorat la Uni ver s itatea de Arh ite ctu r i U rbani sm Ion M
din Bucur e ti , pu ter n ic impl icat n modern iza rea nv m ntulu i de arhitec tu r dup 198 9. Cercet ri teo ret ice , prin resurs e indi v idua le i cu a ju toru l d i
lo r burs e de ce rce tar e na ionale i interna ion ale obinut e Getty , Getty-NE C, CNCSIS, UAR), n direc ii varia te : modern ismu l romnesc i ce n tral eur o
arh ite ctura romneasc sub comuni sm i dup , locu ire i reabilita re a m arilor ansam blu ri , p recum i reg ist ru l e ste tic n teoria arh itecturi i. Part ic ip ri la
even im en te tiini fice n a r i n s tr in t a te . M em bru n va ria te ju rii , c om ite te, echipe cura to rial e etc. Pu blicai i: numeroase ar tic ol e n revis te de arh ite
i vo lume co lec tive n Romnia i n str i n t a te ; volume d e a ut or , n coauto rat i n cali tat e de coordonator. U ltimu l tit lu :
S im ptom e de tranziie
bi ling v,
volume, Arhite xt Des ign, 200 9 , 2010). A pr im it do u pr em ii naiona le p en tru pub licaii i ac tiv ita te cu ratoria l UAR, 1998 ; Margareta S terian 199 9) i P
Herder
2003 , A lf re d Toe pf er Foundatio n i U ni ver s itatea di n V ien a) p en tru activ itat e teoretic i ac tiv ism cu ltur al.
Prof .dr.arch. na ar ia Zah ar iade b. 1949) teaches th eory of a rch itecture and cond ucts doctor al theses in the Io n M incu Uni ver s ity of A rchite
and Urban ism . She was dee pl y in vo lve d in the post-1 9 89 m od ern isa tion of the Rom an ian arch itectural educatio n. Independent ly and th rough v
na tio nal and interna tiona l gr ants Getty, Getty-NEC, CN CSIS, UAR ), she pu rsu ed the ore tica l resea rches in many di re ctions: Ro mani an and East Eur
modernism , Romanian ar ch itecture under and afte r Co mmun ism , ho using and housing reh abi litatio n , and on the aesthe tic concep ts in the the
arch itec tu re . She co nt ribu ted to various na tiona l a nd in te rn at io na l s cien tific events, a nd p articipated in ju ries , committee s, cur a to ria l teams, et c. Sh
published numerous artic les in archi te ctural magaz ines and c oll ec tive vo lum es in Romania an d ab roa d. She has aut hored, co-authore d and coordina
number o f ar chi tec tu ral bo oks. Th e la tes t title she ha s pu bl ished : Symp toms of Transition bi lingual, two volumes, A rh itext Desi gn , 20 09, 201 0). S he
rec ip ient of two na tio nal awards fo r publ ica tio ns an d cu ratoria l activi ty UAR , 1998 ; Margareta S te ria n 1999) and of the 20 03 Herde r Prize A lfred To
Fou nd atio n and the Uni ver s ity of V ienn a) for her the ore tical work and cultur a l ac tiv ism.
Foto gra fiile din a ce st volum au doa r rolul de a da o imagine fo arte ge ner a l a pe isaj u lu i a rh it ec tu ra l a l p e ri oade i; mare a major itat e sun t sca na te d in
rhitectura i a u expl ica ii m inim e. Nu su nt m en io na te n text dect excepii le , fo to gr afiile inedi te care pr ovin d in arh ive le pe rso na le ale priete nilo r c
avu t bun voina s m a ju te de-a lu ng ul tim pu lu i c u m ate ria l do cu menta r i c ro ra le m ulumesc cu rec un o tin pe ac ea st cale : A le xa nd ru B eld
te fan Lungu, Romeo S im ira , M arian a Ce l ac , pr ecum i m uli s tu deni pe care subiectul i-a pasiona t i m i-a u trim is mat eria le fo tog rafice.
Th e ph oto grap hs in th is volum e a re on ly mea nt to g ive a very ge nera l v isua l co nt ou r o f th e architecturallandsca pe of the period ; in a large maj ority , th
ph otocopied fro m the rhitectur a magaz ine and have m in im al re ferences. Only the exceptions to thi s ru le are mentioned: the phot ograph s th at be long
persona l a rchi ves o f th e fr ie nds who so graciously helped me aII a lo ng my researches . I gr ate fu lly thank the m in this way: Alexan dr u Be ld im an, tefan L
Romeo Simira , Mar iana Ce lac , along w ith many st ud ents who showed interest in thi s top ic and pr ovide d me w ith photograp hi c mate ria l.
Edi to r: M ire la Duc ules cu
Tr aducere:
Eng lez / Engl ish version : Ana Maria Zahariade , D ia na L upu
Romn / Romanian version : Mar iana Celac , M irun a S tro e, Cr is tia n a erb nes cu
Re dac tor lim ba en g le z / Engl ish- Ianguage edi tor: A lis tair la n B lyt h
Reda cto r lim ba romn / Rom an ian-Ianguage editor : Eugenia Pet re
G raph ic design: MB STUDIO srl. - ar h. O ctavian Carabela
Tiraj / Prin t run : 1000
I SBN 9 7 8- 97 3 -1872-17 -9
SIMETRIA, Bu cure ti, 2011
T oa te d re ptu rile re ze rva te. Nici o parte din ace ast pu blica ie nu poa te fi reprodus , s tocat s au t ra ns m is p rin orice m ijlo ace de na tu r el ectro
mecanic , d e c o pi er e, nregistrare sa u alte forme, f r p erm isi un ea prealab il a ed it u ri i.
A I I r ights reserved . No pa rt of th is publ ica tio n may be rep roduced, store d in a re trieval system, or transm itted in any for m by any means, elec troni c, m ec
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
3/21
R INS / CONTENTS
_nainte: SCHI E PENTRU O ISTORIE CARE TREBUIE SCRIS /
-v-Id: SK ETCHES FOR A HISTORY IN NEED OF WRIT ING 6
- R I, VISUL COMUNIST I DACIA 1300: Fragmente de peisaj arhitectural sub comunism /
3OOKS, THE COMMUNIST DREAM AND DACIA 1300: Fragments of architectural
cr scap e
under Communism 13
T CERE I CUVINTE /
_ - =-.E CE AND WORDS 89
CEREA: ARHITECTUL FERICIT /
- G THE SILENCE: THE HAPPY ARCHITECT 97
CTURA CARE NU A EXISTAT: ARHITECTURA OCULT /
CHITECTURE THAT DID NOT EXIST: OCCULT ARCHITECTURE 111
-- ::CTUL COMUNIST N BETON - O ISTORIE A PROFESIUNII /
MMUNIST PROJECT IN CONCRETE - A HISTORY OF OUR PROFESSION 133
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
4/21
C UV N T N AIN TE
SCHIE PENTRU O ISTORIE C RE TRE UIE SCRiS
T
extele cuprinse n acest volum se refer la arhitectura
perioadei comuniste. Se bazeaz pe o cercetare
laborioas , dar departe de a fi ncheiat , i pe o emoie
nc foarte vie. Publicarea lor n acest moment poate p rea
prematur . Are totu i un sens; sensul pe care I are orice
ncercare de a aduce n discuie un subiect ocolit n mod
inexplicabil i de a propune o privire crit ic asupra lui, sau
m car repere pentru o asemenea retrospectiv . Subiectul e
actual i pentru c I locuim: arhitectura perioadei comuniste
face parte din existena noastr cotidian i ne pune felurite
probleme, att profesionale ct i umane. Pare ns s i
intereseze mai mult pe arhitecii i cercet torii occidentali
dect pe noi. Eo situaie cel puin ciudat , care ridic ntreb ri
i fa de care e greu s nu ai o reacie. A mea este punerea
mpreun a rezultatelor de moment i concluziilor pariale ale
cercet rii, subintinse de ntreb rile, dubiile i temerile prin
prisma c rora am ncercat s descifrez acest moment al
arhitecturii romne ti. Textele - unele deja publicate n prime
forme (dar, cu excepia unuia, nu n romn ), altele doar
rostite - prezint ipotezele dup care am reconstituit lumea
profesional a acestei perioade pe care am tr it-o al turi de
ceilal i arhiteci romni; o lume a formelor i a oamenilor,
despre care e vorba n acest volum.
Primul i cel mai dezvoltat studiu din volum, Dou cri visul
comunist i Dacia
1300, i are originea n 2002, cnd tefan
Constantinescu, tn r artist suedez de origine romn , mi-a
propus s particip la proiectul lui,
Dacia
1300
My Generation
cu o descriere a arhitecturii perioadei comuniste. Ideea
proiectului m-a captivat. Pe tefan Constantinescu I
consuma aceast perioad din viaa noastr , de i o tr ise
mai puin dect mine. i pe mine m fr mntau multe
ntreb ri, printre care, inevitabil, cele legate de arhitectur .
Nu doar de arhitectur ca fapt construit; ncepuse s m
scie t cerea din jurul a tot ce se proiectase i construise n
perioada comunist .
Lipsa de poziie a arhitecilor ntreinea o confuzie greu
definibil , care arunca tot ce se construise dup r zboi sub
oprobiul (public?) fa de fostul regim i i lipea automat
etcheta (difamant ?) de arhitectur comunist , care
occa asecoric orice judecat de valoare. O spuneau
:- Da-; c ;2 .r:>s -,,::;.8 .
se
vor bea
prea puin despre
::.. -:S:C: 2:
D2-OG ::S c SQo ec. .....
r s, CI :
aceea i u ur tate
~ _
: :r : : : 2 _
r: :r:e : e=e
z r ~ . : . - .
-
= = S ::::.-
:::sz:;=s::. : s: = _ _ .. -;.---= ::e- - -:::r _-. . .::c::
==r __;s-__ - - = s : = = - s:. :::::.:::: _: ::C :::S ::C
=x_ e ; : :=
S.f =zr sr; ; r _ c
g
0.0.. ; i.cc .an, CIO O IANU , Aanan,
SA NDO UIS T, Tom ,
rchive of Pain
KO NSTN RS N MN DEN, Th e Ar ts G ra n ts
Commi t tee, S tockholm,
2000.
6 cu v NT1NAIN TE
FOR WOR
SKETCHES FOR HISTORY IN NEED OF WRITING
(English translation: Diana Lupu)
he texts inthe present volume speak of the architecture o
communist era. They are based on painstaking, but far
complete, research and on a feeling that is still very vivid.
publication at this time might seem premature. But it does
a meaning: it is an attempt to broach a subject that has othe
been inexplicably avoided and to suggest a critical perspectiv
it, or at least to provide some reference points for a retrospe
look. The topic is also of interest because it is one that w
inhabit: communist-era architecture is part of our daily lives
confronts uswith various difficulties, both professional and hu
Nevertheless, itappearsto be ofmore interestto Western archi
and researchers than it is to us. Such a situation is, at the
least, odd. It raisesquestions and it is difficult not to react to
own response has been to bring together the provisional re
and partial conclusions of my research, underlain by the quest
doubts and concerns whereby Ihave tried to decipher this per
Romanianarchitecture. The texts - some of them already publi
in earlier versions (with one exception, not in Romanian), o
having been presented only in oral form - set forth the hypothe
have used in order to recreate ttie professional world of this p
which I experienced together with other Romanian architec
world of forms and people, which will be discussed in the pre
volume.
The first and most extensive study in this volume, Two Books
Communist Dream and Dacia
1300, dates back to 2002,
tefan Constantinescu, a young Swedish artist of Romanian o
suggested that I should take part in his project,
Dacia
130
Generation
contributing a description of communist-era arch
ture. The concept of the project fascinated rne. tefan Cons
nescu was obsessed with this period inour history, although h
experienced far less of it than I had. I was also troubled by nu
ous questions, including, inevitably, those related to architec
but not confined to architecture as actually buil t. I was beco
exasperated with the silence surrounding everything that had
designed and built under communism.
The fact that architects did not take a stand perpetuated a
fusion that was hard to define, and which transformed every
built after World War Two into an object of (public?) opprob
directed at the old regime and automatically marked it with
(defamatory?) labei communist architecture , which assertor
replaced any value judgment. It was not only students, stil l p
infonmedabout the architecture of that period, who said it, but
and with equal frivolity, public and cultural figures, as they tri
TS
artist
was fo llow ing the pa tter n a prev io us p ro ie ct,
rchive o
Cos . te fan Const antinescu, Cr is ti Pu iu a nd Arin a Stoe nescu ), whe re a
wa rk abaut the beg inn ing s
Romania n c om munis m was accompanied
sub s tanti a l boo k wh ic h h is to ric ally d oc um en te d th at p er io d (Lucian BO IA,
CIOROIANU , Tom SANDOUIST,
rchive of Pain
KO NSTN RSN MNDEN,
Ar ts Gran ts Committee, Stoc kholm ,
2000;
b ilin gua l vol ume) .
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
5/21
- personalit i mediatice, i oameni de cultur care navigau
ei ntr-o nea teptat lips de criterii i de informare.
e tea un fel de pat aib , un anormal hiatus istoric,
acoperit numai de umbra molipsitoare a Casei Poporului,
ce continua s ne domine i n discurs. Ca i cum ar fi fost
. tesena arhitecturii din toat perioada ori singura mare
JCfare a lui Ceau escu (era oare?), n jurul exotismului ei
s-a consumat probabil cea mai mult cerneal i s-au scurs
mai multe minute televizate, cu relevan ndcielnic .
- spatele Casei, 35 de ani de proiectare i construcie se
ascundeau sub t cerea arhitecilor; o t cere care l sa s se
taleze clandestin un fel de istorie oficial . Era str b tut
=:: -
de ceva p reri , care mai de care mai contradictorii:
ife, afirmaii dogmatice, idiosincrazii individuale ... Le
'='leam lipsite de argumente i le resimeam nedrepte.
angajat n proiectul lui tefan Constantinescu f r
X. stau prea mult pe gnduri. Tr isem cu intensitate viaa
=- ecturii ca student (din 1967), apoi ca arhitect i ca asistent
= - Iesorulul Alifanti (unmartor de seam alntregii perioade,
- g care am avut privilegiul s m g sesc), participasem la
e
dintre momentele dramatice ale profesiunii - destul de
_r:la.p dar i cu relativ detaare (avusesem norocul s nu
:: obligat s lucrez la proiectele anilor 1980). Aveam un
. de vedere pe care l credeam argumentat, despre cum
: cut arhitectur n perioada comunist . ncepusem deja
X. cercetez mai atent perioada; cu puin nainte, pornisem
impr eun cu Augustin Ioan i la presiunea lui)o istorie
= : ; : - - ecturii romne t i a secolului
XX ,
proiect excesiv de
s i e uat ntr-unul dintre acele mozaicuri pe care ni
ite, poate cu prea mare uu rin , postmodernltatea.'
ocazia s continui i s finalizez ceea ce ncepusem
-am terminat nici acum.
- ns una dintre cele mai tulbur toare experiene din
ea profesional . ntreb rile pe care inevitabil le ridic
- . retrospectiv i noua experien m-au f cut s reiau
atenie literatura de specialitate a perioadei: cele
- -18.
c ri de referin i revista
Arhitectura.
Recitirea lor
ai c mi-a infirmat vechi puncte de vedere, dar m-a i
_Poate c nu era dect trezirea inconfortabil dintr-un
::::eu ur tate binevoitoare sau de am gire (auto)indus
umesc amabil tineree?) n care tr isem perioada
. t i arhitectura ei. Am apelat la civa dintre
O i de nceput ai perioadei; m-am dus la documentele
- robl em ele re ale leg ate de Ca s s e d isc utau pre a p uin . Chiar i ast z i,
: i par ne preg tii s o trea c prin tr-o gril de ev a luare arh ite ctu ral
= = na tic . Ab ia concu rsu l
B uc ure t i 2000
a pus n d is cu ie marile prob lem e
1
pe ca re le cr ea; d ar c oncur sul s-a bu cur at de pre a puin at en ie pu blic .
-
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
6/21
politice. M-am trezit pe nisipuri mi c toare. Ceea ce tiam,
sau credeam c tiu, intra tot mai greu n schema pe care
mi-o f cusem; lucrurile c p tau o alt geometrie al c rei
sens
in er m
s -I descop r. M scufundam ntr-o dram
profesional a c rei anvergur nu am b nuit-o nicio clip
atunci cnd o tr isem - de i probabil c a fi putut dac a
fi fost mai lucid (profesorul meu era lucid, doar c atunci nu
eram eu preg tit s -I neleg). Au fost momente cnd am
vrut s renun: ce mi d dea dreptul s privesc cu comod
deta are critic producia unei traume colective care
afectase attea existene? Ceea ce mi se dezv luia acum,
de la distan , urma s contrazic felul n care s-au privit
generaii de arhiteci activi n acea perioad ; am intuit cu
tulburare sensul difuz al t cerii lor. Pe de alt parte, credeam
- i cred n continuare - c fiecare generaie e datoare s - i
scrie istoria. A nu pune pe hrtie ce ntrev zusem nsemna
c accept, n perfect cuno tin de cauz , s alimentez
t cerea n care mocneau complexe de vinov ie (motivate
sau nu, ca orice complex), indiferen , duplicitate. E greu de
presupus c aceasta ar fi ajutat o profesiune care voia s se
reconstruiasc n condiii de libertate. Dar ce fel de istorie?
Cum se scrie istoria arhitecturii unei astfel de perioade?
N-am r spuns acestor ntreb ri; am ncercat doar s le
formulez mai clar.
Dou cri, visul comunist i Dacia 1300,
s-a n scut din aceast cercetare i sub imperiul acelei
tulbur ri (am ncercat, pe ct posibil, s o temperez; dar ea
str bate textul . Nu este nici pe departe istoria a c rei
lips o resimeam cu frustrare profesional , dar schieaz i
argumenteaz idei pentru acea istorie: este vorba despre
a contura o geometrie cu un anume sens a dezvolt rii
arhitecturale sub comunism. Sensul vine din accentul pus
asupra modului de exercitare a profesiunii i nu asupra
formelor; de aici decurg i propunerea de periodizare, i
criteriile ei, i conexiunile cu arhitectura de dinainte de r zboi,
de dup 1989 i din lumea liber .
Plecnd de la aceast prim schi de istorie, articolele
Despre tcere i cuvinte
2004 ,
Citind tcerea: arhitectul
fericit
2004 i
Arhitectura care nu exist: arhitectura
ocult 2005 reiau punctual i dezvolt n m sura
permis de ocaziile pentru care au fost scrise) unele dintre
ntreb rile pe care mi le-am pus atunci, n alte interpret ri i
verificate prin rezultatele unor noi cercet ri - arhiva Uniunii
Internaionale a Arhitecilor, documente privind alte uniuni de
creaie de la noi, practica arhitectural din alte ri comuniste
etc. n fine, ult imul articol,
Proiectul comunist n beton 2007),
rezum dup o schem de interpretare mai sintetic ideile
din articolele anterioare, ncheind astfel acest moment al
cercet ril.
4 A ap rut n SANDQUIST, Tom, ZAHAR/ADE, Ana Maria , D ac ia 13 M y
G en eration Simetria 2003, nsoind opera video cu acela i nume (Stockholm
2003, Bucure ti 2004). Varianta din acest volum este revizuit i ad ugit .
5 Cum aceste articole au fost scrise pentru diverse ocazii independente de
8 CUVNT lNA/NTE
I found myself on shifting sands. What I knew, or thought I k
was increasingly difficult to fit into the scheme I had contr
Things were acquiring a new geometry, whose meaning
trying to unearth. I was sinking into a professional drama w
scale I had not even suspected at the time when I was
through it, although I probably could have, if I had been
clearheaded (my professor was clearheaded, but I was not
to understand him back then). There were times when I w
to give up: what gave me the right to look with comfortable,
cal detachment at the production of a collective trauma, w
had blighted so many lives? What was being revealed to
from a distance, would contradict the way in which genera
of architects active in that period saw themselves. I gra
with an unsettling feeling, the elusive meaning of their si l
On the other hand, I believed - and still do - that each ge
tion must write its own history. Not to record in writ ing what
begun to glimpse would have been knowingly and willing
perpetuate the silence beneath which guilt complexes (wh
motivated or not, like any complex), indifference, and hypo
still smouldered. It is hard to believe that this would have h
a profession that wished to reconstruct itself in the new cl
of freedom. But what kind of history? How should the histo
the architecture of such an era be written?
I have not answered these questions. Rather, I have m
tried to express them more clearly.
Two Books, the Comm
Dream and Dacia 1300 was born out of this research and u
the influence of that unsettling feeling did my best to try
moderate it, but it is sti ll apparent inthe
text .
It isfar from
the history whose lack I felt with such professional frustra
but it does outline a number of strongly argued ideas for
history: i ts aim isto sketch a meaningful geometry of arch
tural development under communism. The meaning comes
the focus on the way the profession was practised and n
forms; hence, the proposed segmentation into periods an
corresponding criteria, as well as the connections with pre
post-1989 and free-world architecture.
Proceeding from this initial sketch of a history, the articles
A
Si/ence and Words
2004 ,
Reading the Si/ence: The Happ
chitect
2004 and
TheArchitecture that Does Not Exist: Oc
Architecture
2005 take up and develop (insofar as the o
sions for which they were written allowed) some of the q
tions I asked myself at the time, in various keys of interpret
and validated by the results of new research: the archiv
the International Union of Architects, documents regarding
Romanian creative unions, architectural practice in other
munist countries, etc. Finally, the last article,
The Comm
Proiect in Concrete
2007 , summarises, according to a
concise grid of interpretation, the ideas present in the pre
articles, thus concluding this stage of research.'
4 /t was pub/ished in Tom SANDQU/ST and Ana Maria ZAHAR/ADE
1 3 M y G eneration Simetria, 2003, to accompany the video art work
same name (Stockholm, 2003, Bucharest, 2004). The present version ha
revised and updated.
5 Since these articles were written for various occasions, independen
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
7/21
ctul meu de vedere, acest moment este doar un
. Pn la scrierea unei adev rate istorii critice a
- .ecturii romne ti postbelice mai trebuie s treac
- _- timp. Dar cercet rile care au produs aceste texte i
ret riie pe care le-am propus (din perspectiva generaiei
-= _
desigur) pot constitui ipoteze de lucru pentru necesara
le care le va infirma sau confirma; de aceea am socotit
- consemnarea lor acum. De altfel, seriile de amintiri ale
.ec ilor activi n perioada comunist care au nceput s se
, al turi de remarcabilele studii istorice recente privind
da, nt resc multe dintre aceste conjecturi; cel puin
::2::
acum. Sunt necesare, desigur, cercet ri mig loase n
- e mai ascunse a ceea ce s-a petrecut n arhitectura
- perioade (arhivele institutelor de proiectare, arhivele
i, ct se va mai g si din ele etc.); ceea ce a t ept
- erii cercet tori - printre care i tinerii doctoranzi
- .. . G .. . e am privilegiul s -i ndrum - ce au nceput deja s
eze cu ali ochi subiectul.
__ cJ, de istorie pe care le-am adunat n acest volum se
practica de arhitectur sub comunism, n Romnia.
mai cred de mult c exist probleme specific
--::,-a.c-n.Problemele noastre intr n tipologii mai generale
s pndite dect suntem tentai s credem; specifice
ergura i diversele lor forme de manifestare. Din
t
de vedere, prin prezentarea cazului nostru
ic un caz limit ), articolele din acest volum pun n
chestiune de fond a meseriei de arhitect, a c rei
-:.: za te vine din oscilaia profesiunii ntre inevitabilul
=
comercial al practicii i atributele artistice i
- = care definesc cu adev rat arhitectura/edificarea i
e verticalitatea profesional . Condiia arhitectului,
casrerea utilit ii lui pentru societate, statura lui etic
= - = -
9SC
de cnd lumea n raport cu aceast dimensiune
- a profesiunii, care ascunde vise i deziluzii, ispite
riri. libert i i constrngeri, dar e totdeauna activ .
iu pn acum, istoria profesiunii de arhitect
caste: unele individuale, altele de breasl - de
- = _ast zi. Unii vorbesc despre zona compromisului;
::cA
es e vorba despre spaiul con tiinei profesionale.
serioas asupra modului n care proiectul
a intervenit asupra acestei dimensiuni, asupra
e a deformat (sau nu) profesiunea i con tiina ei
- - - = la ca re au plecat, une le id ei se repe t inevita bil. Pe ntru punere a
: : 2 vo lum , am ncerca t s le e lim in pe c t pos ib il sau s le introduc n
2 s ;3 n car e am c uta t s e vit i exce sul de trim ite ri nc ru ci a te n tre
==
:rsd c ar fi ngr eu na t le ct ura . n fe lu l acesta , cu riscu l unor repeti i i
_e
_ e
artico le le se pot citi i s epar a t.
-if
aci
la volumele A rhiteci n tim pul dictatu rii . A m in tiri v olum
e
tlO lica Ciurea ), Ed. S imetr ia, 2005 i EN ESC U, Ion Mircea, Arhitect
=r-...:- . Ed. Pa idei a , 20 06 . i aduc pe a ceast ca le un res pec tuos i trist
_ i Ion Mi rce a En escu, recent trecut n ne fii n . M re fe r i la
.or ice pri vind pe rioada , de la R aportul C omisiei P re zide niale
Cli::2
Jd afu rii C o m u n iste din R om n ia,
Bucure ti, 2006 , la MUR GESC U,
o-E
E uropa. Acumula rea decalajelo r economice 16 0 0-2010), Ed.
_ - - :::a re fu rn izeaz un nep re uit mate ria l documen ta r.
As far as l am concemed, this is merely the beginning. There is
still some time to go before a truly critical history of post-war
Romanian architecture will be written. But the research that re-
sulted in these texts and the interpretations l have put forward
(from the viewpoint of my generation, of course) might act as
working hypotheses for this much-needed history, which will
invalidate or prove them. This is why I thought it would be use-
fui to put them in writing. Furthermore, the series of memoirs
by architects active during the communist regime that has been
published, as well as a number of outstanding recent historical
studies of the period, corroborates many of these conjectures, at
least hitherto. Of course, thorough research sti ll has to be done
into the less visible layers of what was happening in the architec-
ture of the time (the archives of the design institutes, Communist
Party archives, insofar as they still exist, etc.); it is what l expect
from the young researchers, such as the young PhD students
l have the privi lege to supervise and who have already begun
investigating this subject from new perspectives.
The ske tches for a history l have gathered in the present
volume speak of the architectural practice under communism,
in Romania. But I long ago stopped thinking that there is such
a thing as Romania-specific problems; our problems are part
of more general and widespread typologies than we might
think; only their scale and various forms of expression can be
country-specific. From this point of view, by presenting our
(undoubtedly borderline) case the articles in this book bring to
light an essential aspect of the profession, whose ambiguity
arises from the vacillation between the inevitable commercial
nature of the practice and the artistic and social attributes which
genuinely define rchitecture edific tio and which depend
upon professional probity. The condition of the architect, the
acknowledgment of his usefulness to society, and his ethical
stature have been defined since time immemorial in relation to
this dilemmatic dimension of the profession, which conceals
dreams and disillusionment, temptations and resistance, liberties
and constraints, but is always active. Ever since Vitruvius, the
history of the architectural profession has known themall: some
individual, others pertaining to the guild, the institution,
today. Some speak of an area of compromise ; l think that it
is the space of professional conscience. A careful consideration
of the way in which the communist project interfered with this
i ni ti al s tud y whe ref rom th ey ha d arisen, some ideas inevitably a ppe ar m ore tha n
on ce . In order to put them togethe r in th is volume, I h ave tried to e lim ina te as
ma ny of them as p os si bl e or to put them in the notes) , and I ha ve a lso tried to
avo id ex cessive cross-re fe renc es be twee n te xt s, which I thin k would have made
re ading more d iff icult . Thus, a t the risk of having some ideas appear more tha n
once especial ly in th e note s), the a rt icle s may a lso be rea d s e pa ra t ely.
6 I re fe r here to the vo lumes Arh ite ci n timpul dictaturii. A mi nt iri A rchitects
d urin g th e D ictatorshi p. R ecollections) , Ed . Vio rica Ciurea, Sim etria , 200 5, and
Io n M ircea ENESC U, A rh itect sub com m u nism A rc hitect unde r C o m m u n ism) ,
Paide ia , 2006. I hereb y pay respect ful a nd sad homage to architect Ion M ircea
Enesc u, w ho recen tly pas sed away. I a lso re fer to numer ou s histori ca l s tu die s
of the period , from R aportul C om isi ei P rez identiale pentru An aliza D ict aturii
C om un iste din R o m nia R ep ort of the Presiden tial C ommiss ion fo r A nalysis of th e
C o m m u ni st D ictatorsh ip in R o m a nia), Bu cha re st, 20 06 , to Bog da n MUR GESC U,
R om ni a i Europa. A c u m ular ea de calajelor economice 16 00 -20 10) R o m a n ia
a nd E urope. T he A cc um ulation of E co nom ic D is p ari ties 1600-2010 )), Polirom ,
2010, wh ich prov i de v a lu a bl e documentary resources.
FOR EWOR D 9
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
8/21
este cu att mai necesar azi cu ct presiunea pieei nu este
mai iert toare; n cazul lungi i noastre tranzi ii, noua presiune
este i periculos de ne l toare pentru c flutur stindardul
atractiv al libert ii individuale pe un fond n care ideologia
comunist a discreditat ideea de bun comun . n aceast
conjunctur , cum se poate re)construi condiia profesiunii
i statura moral a arhitectului? Cum se situeaz aici i
acum arhitectul ie it din comunism? Lucian Boia spunea
odat c
n edificiul comunist poarta de intrare i cea de
ieire nu
se
prea aseamn.
Arhitecii romni au fost odat
inclu i cu fora n logica unui proiect comunist dintre cele
mai drastice; ntrebarea e: cum ies ie im) din ea? Cum se
poate
renva lumea adevrat -
o lume desigur imperfect ,
care funcioneaz dup logica profitului, dar care are totu i
loc i pentru responsabilit i individuale i comune, pentru
idealuri i pentru reconsider ri critice; o lume n care exist i
profitul pentru toi? Se poate oare f r asumarea, fie ea i
amar , a unei istorii proprii, fie ea i lipsit de eroism?
nainte de a termina aceast relatare, trebuie s mulumesc
tuturor celor care m-au ajutat s scriu acest volum.
n primul rnd, toat gratitudinea se ndreapt spre distin ii
mei profesori Mihail Caffe i Dorian Hardt, pentru calda i
generoasa r bdare cu care mi-au povestit despre practica
perioadei i m-au f cut s neleg mecanismele unor vremi
greu de priceput.
i mulumesc lui tefan Constantinescu, al c rui proiect
artistic a fost motorul primului studiu i care a suportat stoic
ntrzierile textului.
Text care n-ar fi fost niciodat gata f r sprijinul buni lor mei
prieteni Kazrner Kov cs i Horia Marinescu, care, cu largheea
elegant care i define te, i-au consumat timpul ajutndu-
m s definitivez i ilustrez prima variant a aceluia i studiu;
le mulumesc acum cu att mai mult cu ct, impardonabil, nu
le-am mulumit n acea publicaie.
i mulumesc Marianei Celac pentru traducerea n romn
a textului Arhitectura care nu exist i pentru neleptele
sugestii critice pe care mi le-a f cut cu aceast ocazie.
i le mulumesc Mirunei Stroe i Cristianei erb nescu pentru
traducerea n romn a textelor
Citind tcerea: arhitectul
fericit
i
Despre tcere i cuvinte.
A a cum le mulumesc i tuturor celor care m-au ajutat cu
material fotografic i documentar: tefan Lungu din p cate
departe de noi), Alexandru Beldiman i Romeo Simira , Irina
Tulbure i Miruna Stroe.
n final, dar nu n ultimul rnd, i mulumesc soului meu Ion,
totdeauna primul critic a ceea ce scriu, i ale c rui ajutor,
nelegere i inteligen au f cut posibil acest volum ca i tot
ce am scris pn acum).
CUVNT N INTE
dimension, of the way inwhich it distorted or not) the profes
and its conscience, is aIIthe more necessary today, when m
pressure is relentless; in the case of our long transition,
new pressure is also dangerously deceptive, as it preaches
alluring merits of individual freedom against a backdrop w
communist ideology discredited the idea of commonwe
Given these circumstances, how can the status of the profes
and the moral stature of the architect be re)built? What i
current posit ion of the architect who lived under communi
Lucian Boia once said that,
in the communist edifice
entrance and the exit are not alike.
Romanian architects
once forced to be part of a most drastic communist project
question is how we 1)can get out of it. How we can
relearn
real world?
A world which, of course, has its imperfections, w
operates according to the logic of profi t, but which sti ll has
for individual and common responsibilities, for ideals and cr
reconsideration; a world in which profit for everyone might
exist. But is it possible without an acceptance, however bitte
our own history, even one lacking in heroism?
Before concluding this introduction, I have to thank ever
who helped me write this volume.
First of aII, I extend my deepest gratitude to my distinguis
professors Mihail Caffe and Dorian Hardt, for their warm
generous patience when telling me about the practice of tha
riod and helping me to understand the mechanisms of a diffi
to-understand time.
I thank tefan Constantinescu, whose artistic project trigg
the first study and who stoically endured my repeatedly mis
the deadlines.
The text would have never be completed without the sup
of my good friends K zrner Kovacs and Horia Marinescu,
with their innate, elegant generosity, spent their time helping
finalise and illustrate the first version of the study. I thank t
now, even more so, since, unforgivably, I did not thank the
that book.
I thank Mariana Celac for the Romanian translation of the
The Architecture that Does Not Exist
and for the wise cr
suggestions she made.
And I also thank Miruna Stroe and Cristiana erb nescu fo
Romanian translation of
Reading the Silence: The Happy A
tect
and
About Silence and Words.
I am also grateful to everyone who helped me with photogra
and documentary resources: tefan Lungu who, unfortuna
has since passed away), as well as Romeo Simira , Alexa
Beldiman, Irina Tulbure and Miruna Stroe.
Last but not least, I t hank my husband Ion, whose help, un
standing and intelligence made this volume possible the s
as everything I have ever written), and who is always the
careful critic of what I write.
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
9/21
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
10/21
*** A shorter version of this artkss
Tom SANDQUIST and Ana Maria
My Generation Simetria, Buchares;
***
Dacia
1300 is the name of the
remembered as the national
cr
ine
that was produced under licence at the
plant. The first Dacia 1300 left the assemh/o,
August 1969. Continuously increasing
car during the communist period (144,UUU Ce S
compared with 20,000 in 1970) continued at a
until 21 July 2004, when the last
Dacia 1310
number 1,979,730, rolled out, just one
thirty-fifth anniversary.
*** Inthe hope of conveying at least some oi tne
ofthat time, inthe text I have used many words
specific to communist phraseology, with aIItheir absun
clumsiness and unbelievable redundancies. Ali m
(transcriptions of the off icial discourse or the daily id
imposed by the ideology of the epoch, names of instituti
and official documents - many of them similarly awkw
and redundant) are written in italics, thus differentia
them from other quotations (from the professionalliteratu
for instance) or from words I have used with partic
meanings, for which I have employed inverted commas
I had immense problems and doubts concerning
translation of the communist idiom into Engl ish, in w
it is very difficult (or well nigh impossible) to find a c
correspondent. I have tried to translate it as literally
possible. Consequently, certain formulae might s
very odd, but they were odd in Romanian, too,
example, the redundancy ar the absurdity of the na
of institut ions and official documents or the clumsines
the political language. In other cases, I have used unus
unnatural expressions/words, such as typified ins
of standardised, economicity instead of econom
construction of buildings instead of buildings, etc
order to convey as correctly as possible their circumstan
meanings in Romanian. For details, see the
Foreword
*** Studiul a fost publicat ntr-o variant mai scurt n
SANDQUIST, Tom ZAHARIADE, Ana Maria,
Dacia 1300
My Generation Editura Simetria, Bucure ti, 2003.
***
Dacia
1300 din titlu se refer la autoturismul produs
la uzinele Mioveni (Coliba i ) dup licena Renault 12.
Prima
Dacia
1300, r mas n amintirea colectiv ca
ma i na naional , iese de pe linia de asamblare pe
23 August 1969. Producia ei n continu cre tere de-a
lungul perioadei comuniste (144.000 de autoturisme n
1989, fa de 24.000 n 1970) continu ntr-un ritm mai
sc zut pn n iulie 2004, cnd ultima Dacia 1310, cea
de a 1.979.730-a ma in , iese pe poarta uzinei, cu o lun
naintea celei de a 35-a anivers ri.
*** n dorina de a transmite m car o parte din atmosfera
acelor timpuri, am folosit n text multe formul ri
caracteristice frazeologiei comuniste, cu absurdul,
stng cia i redundanele lor inepuizabile. Toate acestea
(transcripii din discursul oficial i din idiomul cotidian
impus de ideologia epocii, precum i denumirile instituiilor
i ale documentelor oficiale - multe la fel de greoaie i
de redundante) sunt scrise n italice; se deosebesc astfel
de alte cit ri (din literatura de specialitate, spre exemplu)
i de cuvintele folosite n sensuri speciale, care au fost
puse ntre ghilimele.
Am avut mari probleme i dubii privind traducerea
idiomului comunist n englez , unde i se g se te greu
(sau nu i se g se te deloc) un corespondent apropiat.
Am ncercat s traduc ct mai literal posibil. De aici,
unele opiuni de traducere pot p rea ciudate, dar erau
la fel de ciudate i n romn ; cum ar fi, de exemplu,
redundantele si absurdul din titlurile de acte oficiale si
institui i sau st nq cia greoaie a limbajului politic. n alte
cazuri, am folosit cuvinte nefire ti ca typified n loc de
.standardrsed'' , .econornisinq n loc de .economy ,
.construction of buildings n loc de buildings etc.,
n ncercarea de a transmite ceva din semnificaiile lor
circumstaniale de atunci. Pentru detalii, a se vedea
Cuvntul nainte
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
11/21
-- _ cnd sunt ntrebai, romnii de ast zi r spund
::G:Je
invariabil, c socotesc ultimii ani ai domniei lui Dej
. dinti ai crmuirii lui Ceau escu drept o perioad
.::eaIism, o epoc de aur att fa de anii '50 ct
e anii '80. Se nelege c att liberalismul ct i
= =
I auriu al epocii sunt termeni relat ivi, care trebuie
umai n contextul socialismului romnesc. Cu
- acestea, ei reflect o realitate obiect iv : Gheorghiu-
- _ a
sa
succesorului s u o Romnie care ncepuse s
i un popor care ncepuse s spere.
a:: rgescu, Istoria romnilor. De la origini pn n
::;astre1
memoriei perioadei comuniste, momentul care
I. -, =--=-
anilor 1965-1968 - cnd primele automobile
: C
'as de pe banda de producie - se bucur de o
=-- zreaparte n
mentalul colectiv alromnilor, o imagine
- - - =
ae o anumit nostalgie. Aceast reprezentare este
= ::. centru mediile arhitecturale (incluzndu-i aici att
.. ct i pe istoricii de arhitectur ). Muli i ascund
rta: perioada pare s fie perceput ca un episod
;; nflorire a arhitecturii romne t i de dup cel de-al
-ooi Mondial. Majoritatea profesioni t ilor spun c
=
acestei perioade ar putea sta cu cinste al turi de
::E
sa construia atunci n lume, de unde se poate deduce
=
.constilnt a (re)alinierii arhitecturii romne ti la
a
occidental ; ceea ce reprezint , de altfel, o tem -
. rii noastre profesionale moderne.s
::C ::-,ESCU , Vlad, Is to ria r om nilor. De la origin i pn n zi lele noastre
. 2 : :: : : : . r : : - .zn ann as , Buc ure ti,
1992
p.
274
(e diia pr im : Jo n Du m itru V erla g,
98 4 ).
::es :: : ea alin ierii la cu ltura i civ ili za ia o cc id en ta l e ste , n m are m su r ,
_ ce=-c-ae a evoluiei m od ern e a a rh ite cturii i c ultu rii ro m ne t i n ge ne ra l,
- dezvol t r ii Ro mni ei moderne i, de a ic i, un la rg de zb t ut
le it
. CI. GEORG ESC U, V., o p . c it . te ma ap are cam odat cu sfr itul
a, XV III lea i, m a i a le s, cu prim ele d ecenii a le secolu lu i a l XIX l ea, cnd
==e romnea sc nce pe s con tientizeze
ngustarea conceptu lui de
r s dezvolte o aspira ie c tre s is temul de va lo ri a l c iv iliza i ei o c ci de n ta le,
re lativ complex de inlerior ita te i de regr etu l c nu se all la acel a i
- - _
ie . Mo derni za rea spectaculoas a ntreg ii so cie t i, de zvoltarea
- or cul tur a le, alc tui rea unu i si stem de va lo ri c o re s punz tor noilor
ic it i m i carea ar hi tec tural , s e g se sc su b a ce st s em n, in dile re nt
:E
e uneori para dox ale . p e care le mbrac . Asim ila re a va lo rilor
=aze
acop erirea deca laj ul u i, c om p ar are a ( de la a dm ira tiv la a r g oas sau
: : : r . . c : . . c .e cu Euro pa, sunt idei rec ure nte n d is cu rs ul c ult ura l i intr n men ta l ul
iscursu l arhite ctura l, ce l care ne intereseaz n mod deosebit n
:::=E
:E az , e le c on stituie o permanen , odat ce arhit ec tu ra r om n ea sc
: : :e ::s cs:e lparele tradi ion ale po stbizant ine i i ncepe evoluia m odern . A se
specia l ca pito lel e
7
IIu m in is mu l i co nt iina na ional pp .
118 132
ra naional pp.
186 202.
A se ved ea i LO VINESCU , Eugen, Istoria
rom ne m odern e Me rid iane,
1990
i ORN EA, Zigu, Tra diionalism i
mrte
n de ce niu l a l tre ilea
Ed . Em inesc u, 1980.
Nowadays, Romanians, if asked, almost invariably say
that they remember the last years of Gheorghiu-Dej's
rule and the beginning of the Ceau escu period as an
interlude of liberalism, a golden age, in comparison to
both the 50s and the 80s. Obviously, both liberalism and
goldenness are relative terms that need to be under-
stood solely in the context of Romanian socialism. Nev-
ertheless, they ref lect an object ive reality: Gheorghiu-Dej
bequeathed to his successor a Romania that was start-
ing to rise and a people beginning to hope.
(Vlad Georgescu, The Romanians A History. From the
Origins ta the Present Day1
he end of the 1960s, when the first Dacia 1300 rolled
off the production line, enjoys a particular mental rep-
resentation within the collective memory of the Communist
period. In the col lective view of Romanians, the moment is
bathed in a nostalgic aura. This representation isvalid for the
architectural mil ieus (architects and architectural historians),
too. Most of them barely con ceai a sort of professional pride:
the period seems to be perceived as a flourishing episode
in post-war architectural development. They generally say
that the achievements of that period could honourably stand
alongside contemporary world architecture. Hence we may
deduce a consciousness of the realignment of Romanian
architecture with the Western architecture, which is a key-
issue haunting our modern professional culture.
V lad GEOR GESC U, Istoria romnilor . D e la orig ini pn n zilele noastre
Humanitas , Bucharest,
1992
p.
274;
li rs t printing : Jon Du m itru Verlag , Munich,
1984 .
2 The rn att er 0 1 r ea lignment is to a large extent one of the key points in the
m od ern evo lu tio n 0 1 R om an ia n c ultu re in ge neral (and 01 ar ch ite ctu re in part icular),
a driving lorce 01 modern development as a whole; hen ce a la rg ely d eb ated
cultural le itmotit. CI. V. GEOR GESC U, op . cit. The theme appears as early as
the end 01 the eighte en th c en tury. Its p re se nce be com es s tron ger lrom the lirs t
deca des olthe nine te e nt h c e nt ur y, once Rom anian society be gin s to acknowledge
a narrowing of the co ncept of Europe and to develop a tendency towards the
v a lu e s 0 1West er n s o ci et ie s . This ten den cy is a cc om pan ie d by a relative i n le r io r it y
complex a nd a le elin g 0 1 I ru st ra tion at not being at the same le ve l 0 1 c iv ilisation.
Th e s pe cta cu la r m od ern is atio n 0 1 societ y a s a w ho le, t he devel opment 01 cultu ra l
instruments, the build ing 01 a value system and, im plic itly , an archit ec tura l
mo vem en t th at wou ld correspond to the newer re alities, evol ve und er th is sign ,
r eg ar dle ss 0 1 t he s om e tim e s p ara do xical lorms they take. Assim ila ting Western
values, br idg ing the gap and relerring to Europe (whether admiring ly, pe tula ntly,
cantankerously o r o p po s in gly) are recurrent ideas in the cultura l di sc ourse and
en ter the collective m en ta lity. W ith in the architectu ra l d iscourse , the one that
we a re m os t in te rested in, thes e id ea s ar e p erm a ne ntly p re se nt, once Romanian
arc hitec ture leaves trad itional post-Byza ntin e pa ltern s b ehin d a nd e mb ark s o n its
modern c are er. S ee es pec ia lly c ha pte rs 7, The Enlightenment and the National
Consci ou sness, pp . 118 132 an d 10 Th e N atio na l C ult ur e, pp . 186 202. See
a ls o E u ge n LOVINESC U, istoria civilizaie i r om ne m od ern e Meridiane,
1990
an d
Zigu ORNEA, Tra ditionalism i modernitate n deceni ul al treile a Ed. Em inescu,
1980.
TWO BOOKS , TH E COMMUNIST DREAM AND DACI A 3 15
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
12/21
UV NT~
N WOR
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
13/21
Publicat n ID EA LS IN C ON CR ET E NAi Publishers
Rotterdam 2004 volum colectiv coordonat de Cor
Wagenaar Mieke Dings
Traducere n romn : Cristiana erb nescu
ntr-o fascinant carte despre Bucure ti ap rut recent
istoricul francez Catherine Durandin i ncheie plimbarea
narativ
rebours prin memoria ora ului n Centrul Civic al
lui Ceau escu cu o observaie nea teptat :
Vizitatorul de astzi se simte stnjenit reflectnd asupra
tcerii subterane, apoi lncremenite, tuturor omulei/or
noi ai ceeuismutui ce au trudit acolo i apoi s-au
pierdut n decor. n faa Casei Poporului, devenit
Casa
Parlamentului, [. ..] pe trector I cuprinde ameeala. Cu
toate acestea, copacii au crescut i continu s creasc,
fntnile mproac n jur cu firioare de ap, magazinele
sunt deschise, apar civa clieni. Locurile sunt vii.
Ameeala se datoreaz tcerii, tcerii bucuretenilor nii
cu privire la oraul lor. Trecutul apropiat este evitat. Centrul
Civic nu are o istorie a sa. Oamenii lui Ceauescu, cnd
au slvit aceast realizare [. .
l
au vorbit despre cifre i nu
au spus nimic despre anonimii constructori ai acestei mari
opere. Actorii au prsit scena ntr-un cortegiu tcut ...
1
Centrul Civic este doar o metonimie pentru ntreaga evoluie
a arhitecturii comuniste. Durandin atinge aici o t cere mai
profund care nv lule pe de-a-ntregul perioada comunist .
T cerea arhitecilor e parte dintr-o dezolant t cere general .
Eu sunt arhitect iar afirmaia autoarei m pune pe gnduri.
M gndesc la cuvinte... La arhitect i t cerea lui... La
cuvintele lui. ..
A fost arhitectul cu adev rat t cut n perioada comunist ?
Sau dup anul 1989? Sunt aceste dou episoade de t cere
aparent legate ntre ele? Greu de r spuns; amintirea
trecutului recent nu este o sarcin u oar . Experiena mea
personal n aceast privin este destul de tulbur toare.
Prim vara trecut am nceput o cercetare privind arhitectura
romneasc i arhitecii din timpul comunismului i - l snd
la o parte insuficiena documentelor i dificultatea descifr rii
Published in ID EA LS IN C ON CR ET E NAi
Rotterdam 2004 collective vo lume edited b
Wagenaar
Mieke Dings
Romanian translation: Cristiana erb nes
na recent fascinating book on Bucharest
torian Catherine Durandin ends her narrative
through the memory of the city of Bucharest
Civic Centre with an unexpected notice:
The nowadays visitor feels embarrassed
dering the underground, petrified
Ceeuescus little men that worked hard
lost in the decor. In front of the House of
the Parliament, [ .. l the passer-by exper
dizziness. However, trees have grown an
fountains splash drops of water, shops a
come. The place is alive. The discomfort
the silence of Bucharest s people conce
The near past is avoided. The Civic Centr
of its own. Ceauescus henchmen, when
achievement [. .
l
talked only about num
nothing about the anonymous builders of
The actors left the stage in silent proces
The Civic Centre is only a metonymy for the
of architecture under Communism. Durandin
deeper silence wrapping the whole Commun
silence of architects is part of the general d
I am an architect. It makes me wonder ...
About the architect and his/her silence ... Abo
and his/her words ...
Was the architect really silent during the Com
Or after 1989? Are the two episodes of a
related? Hard to answer; recollecting the re
an easy task. My own experience in this r
troubling. Last spring I have started a researc
architecture and architects under Communism
aside the scarcity of documents and the
deciphering them - the usual satisfaction the
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
14/21
e la suprafaa taptetor.' De aceea remarca lui
urandin este mult mai
semnificativ
pentru mine
bil c i-a imaginat autoarea.
profesia de arhitect (practica de proiectare,
profesionale, investiiile, construciile etc.) a
nalizat ", cu alte cuvinte a fost incorporat
iar mai trziu, dup o liberalizare parial
durat , a fost complet emasculat , redus n
e la aspectele ei tehnice inevitabile - singurele
e arhitectului n anii 1980. Cu toate acestea,
mea a ar tat c arhitecii nu au fost numai ni t e
. mui n jocul ahului politic. Ei nu au t cut de-a
ii perioade comuniste, n ciuda continuit ii
a agresivit ii i eficienei perverse a ultimei
iar i n circumstanele extreme ale nceputului,
ereu un "glas" profesional care a ncercat (nu a
ncercat cu oarecare speran ) s se angajeze
cu puterea, n m sura n care diversele ei
dispuse s I asculte. i atunci cnd sperana
dispar (dup anii 1970), "glasul" s-a comutat
..subversiunii teoretice" a anilor 1980.
4
Au existat
. disidente pe care autoritatea le inea ct se
nse, dar, ntr-un Bucure ti al oaptelor i al
- gitoare, lucrurile se aflau n cele din urm .
'. a fost eficacitatea cuvintelor arhitecilor att
:::'" ce nu au fost arhitecii capabili s transimt
. ate, sau, cel puin, s atrag o aur de
oartea publicului? Nu s-a ntmplat nimic de
aceea i perioad , scriitorii disideni erau "eroi"
.' dup 1989, cnd i-au f cut loc dezbateri
2: tectur , iar arhitecii au nceput s apar pe
_ zoarelor i n publicaii (cu studii critice despre
e arhitecturale), percepia general a r mas
rintele arhitecilor nu au avut niciun impact
e t cere tulbur toare pare s nconjoare
- . ectural recent; este impresia pe care a
erine Durandin. Un subiect care merit
nicidecum s -I pot clarifica n spaiul
;voi
sugera doar
cteva
idei care ar
'eni ipoteze pentru studii viitoare.
stubbornly surfaced from beneath the facts." That is why
Catherine Durandin's remark is, for me, more meaningful
than the author could have imagined.
In 1952, the architectural profession (design practice,
professional associations, investment, building
activity
etc.)
was "nationalised", which is to say incorporated into the
"System", and then, after the short-lived, partialliberalisation
of the 1960s, it was completely "emasculated", drastically
reduced to its unavoidabletechnical aspects (the only ones left
in the 1980s). However, my research showed that architects
were not merely dumb pawns in the political chess game. In
spite of the Stalinist aggressive continuity till the last decade
and of its perverse efficiency, they did not remain silent aII
over the Communist perlod." Even under those extreme
circumstances, there has always been a professional "voice"
that tried (not pushed, yet tried with some hopefulness) to
engage in a dialogue with the powers that be, insofar as the
establishment was willing to listen to them. Then, after the
1970s, when hope started to fade, the "voice" switched to the
peculiar "theoretical subversion" of the 1980s.
4
There were
even
dissident gestures that the authority kept as hidden
as possible, but in a Bucharest of whispers and specious
expectations things eventually became known. Why, then,
was the efficacy of architects' words so meagre, why were
they so unable to
convey
a certain dignity, or at least attract
an aura of public sympathy? Nothing of the kind happened.
In the same period, dissident writers were public "heroes".
Even after 1989, when a couple of public debates took place,
when architects appeared on TV screens and some critical
studies concerning certain architectural episodes were
published, the common perception remained unchanged.
The architects' words had no public impact. The impression
of foggy, troubling silence enveloping the recent architectural
past is still here, as Catherine Durandin discovered it. It is a
topic worth examining. Rather than pretending to be able
to clarify the matter within the limited space of this article, I
will instead try to suggest some ideas, which might become
hypotheses for further studies.
2 The first result o f this resea rch : Two Books the Communist Dream and
Da cia 1 30 0 in SAN DQU IST , Tom and ZA HARI ADE , An a Maria, D ac ia 1 30 0
My
Generat ion
Simetr ia, 20 03, pp. 51-91.
3 In s pite o f its in tr icac ie s an d Iluctuations , the po litic al c ontext - w itho ut w hich
it is im pos sib le to unde rstan d th e architectural evolu tio n - rem ained p erm ane ntly
inscribed in a seve re S ta lin is t id eo lo gy, often more powerful in R om ania than in
th e othe r C ommunist c ou ntrie s (the So vie t Un ion included).
4 For the m om ent, there is no thoro ugh research conceming the archite cts
d ialogu e w ith th e political aut horities. We re ly on the oral histo ry and on the
ar ticle s published in the Arhite ctura magazine , bu t mos t th em are neutra lly
descrip tive; a ver y reduce number are critl cal , How ever, a ver y pe cul iar case (to
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
15/21
e la suprafaa taptetor.' De aceea remarca lui
urandin este mult mai
semnificativ
pentru mine
bil c i-a imaginat autoarea.
profesia de arhitect (practica de proiectare,
profesionale, investiiile, construciile etc.) a
nalizat ", cu alte cuvinte a fost incorporat
iar mai trziu, dup o liberalizare parial
durat , a fost complet emasculat , redus n
e la aspectele ei tehnice inevitabile - singurele
e arhitectului n anii 1980. Cu toate acestea,
mea a ar tat c arhitecii nu au fost numai ni t e
. mui n jocul ahului politic. Ei nu au t cut de-a
ii perioade comuniste, n ciuda continuit ii
a agresivit ii i eficienei perverse a ultimei
iar i n circumstanele extreme ale nceputului,
ereu un "glas" profesional care a ncercat (nu a
ncercat cu oarecare speran ) s se angajeze
cu puterea, n m sura n care diversele ei
dispuse s I asculte. i atunci cnd sperana
dispar (dup anii 1970), "glasul" s-a comutat
..subversiunii teoretice" a anilor 1980.
4
Au existat
. disidente pe care autoritatea le inea ct se
nse, dar, ntr-un Bucure ti al oaptelor i al
- gitoare, lucrurile se aflau n cele din urm .
'. a fost eficacitatea cuvintelor arhitecilor att
:::'" ce nu au fost arhitecii capabili s transimt
. ate, sau, cel puin, s atrag o aur de
oartea publicului? Nu s-a ntmplat nimic de
aceea i perioad , scriitorii disideni erau "eroi"
.' dup 1989, cnd i-au f cut loc dezbateri
2: tectur , iar arhitecii au nceput s apar pe
_ zoarelor i n publicaii (cu studii critice despre
e arhitecturale), percepia general a r mas
rintele arhitecilor nu au avut niciun impact
e t cere tulbur toare pare s nconjoare
- . ectural recent; este impresia pe care a
erine Durandin. Un subiect care merit
nicidecum s -I pot clarifica n spaiul
;voi
sugera doar
cteva
idei care ar
'eni ipoteze pentru studii viitoare.
stubbornly surfaced from beneath the facts." That is why
Catherine Durandin's remark is, for me, more meaningful
than the author could have imagined.
In 1952, the architectural profession (design practice,
professional associations, investment, building
activity
etc.)
was "nationalised", which is to say incorporated into the
"System", and then, after the short-lived, partialliberalisation
of the 1960s, it was completely "emasculated", drastically
reduced to its unavoidabletechnical aspects (the only ones left
in the 1980s). However, my research showed that architects
were not merely dumb pawns in the political chess game. In
spite of the Stalinist aggressive continuity till the last decade
and of its perverse efficiency, they did not remain silent aII
over the Communist perlod." Even under those extreme
circumstances, there has always been a professional "voice"
that tried (not pushed, yet tried with some hopefulness) to
engage in a dialogue with the powers that be, insofar as the
establishment was willing to listen to them. Then, after the
1970s, when hope started to fade, the "voice" switched to the
peculiar "theoretical subversion" of the 1980s.
4
There were
even
dissident gestures that the authority kept as hidden
as possible, but in a Bucharest of whispers and specious
expectations things eventually became known. Why, then,
was the efficacy of architects' words so meagre, why were
they so unable to
convey
a certain dignity, or at least attract
an aura of public sympathy? Nothing of the kind happened.
In the same period, dissident writers were public "heroes".
Even after 1989, when a couple of public debates took place,
when architects appeared on TV screens and some critical
studies concerning certain architectural episodes were
published, the common perception remained unchanged.
The architects' words had no public impact. The impression
of foggy, troubling silence enveloping the recent architectural
past is still here, as Catherine Durandin discovered it. It is a
topic worth examining. Rather than pretending to be able
to clarify the matter within the limited space of this article, I
will instead try to suggest some ideas, which might become
hypotheses for further studies.
2 The first result o f this resea rch : Two Books the Communist Dream and
Da cia 1 30 0 in SAN DQU IST , Tom and ZA HARI ADE , An a Maria, D ac ia 1 30 0
My
Generat ion
Simetr ia, 20 03, pp. 51-91.
3 In s pite o f its in tr icac ie s an d Iluctuations , the po litic al c ontext - w itho ut w hich
it is im pos sib le to unde rstan d th e architectural evolu tio n - rem ained p erm ane ntly
inscribed in a seve re S ta lin is t id eo lo gy, often more powerful in R om ania than in
th e othe r C ommunist c ou ntrie s (the So vie t Un ion included).
4 For the m om ent, there is no thoro ugh research conceming the archite cts
d ialogu e w ith th e political aut horities. We re ly on the oral histo ry and on the
ar ticle s published in the Arhite ctura magazine , bu t mos t th em are neutra lly
descrip tive; a ver y reduce number are critl cal , How ever, a ver y pe cul iar case (to
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
16/21
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
17/21
***
Contribution to the
COLLAGE EUROPA
organised by NAi (Nederlands Architectuu
Rotterdam, November 2004.
***
Romanian translation: Miruna Stroe
I
deea acestei lucr ri a venit n urma expoziiei de la NAi
(Nederlands Architectuurinstituut) care i propune s
compare dezvoltarea ora elor de ambele p ri ale Cortinei de
Fier.
Se pare c pot fi detectate asem n ri ntre cele dou
tipuri de dezvoltare, iar aceast idee este foarte simpatizat
n mediul arhitectural romnesc, poate chiar prea mult, dup
opinia mea. Ca arhitect care a tr i t sub comunism, m feresc
de concluzii pripite n aceast privin , fiindc aparenele pot
fi periculos de am gitoare. Acesta este motivul pentru care
voi
ncerca s privesc condiia arhitectului sub comunism,
pentru c ea constituie un fundal al produciei de arhitectur .
Este i o nou ocazie s repun problema t cerii arhitecilor,
ntrebare formulat n contribuia mea la volumul Ideals in
Concrete
(care s-a lansat cu aceast ocazie).
Pentru a explora ambele direcii,
voi
aduce n discuie
momentele cnd arhitecii din ambele lumi s-au ntlnit i
au dezb tut subiecte profesionale comune, nu la intensitatea
de
vrf
a avangardei, ci la un nivel mediu, mai curnd
conservator. nseamn c am ncercat s g sesc diverse
indicii, nu n lucr rile radicale ale CIAM-urilor Congres
Internationaux de Iarchitecture moderne, care intenionau s
smulg violent arhitectura din impasul s u academic i s
o curee ), ci n procesele verbale ale congreselor Uniunii
Internaionale a Arhitecilor i ale predecesorilor s i (CPIA -
Comite permanent international des architectes -
i R.I.A. -
Reunions Internationales dArchliectes.
nc de la nceput,
aceste ONG-uri au c utat s stabileasc standarde ct mai
nalte i uniforme pentru practica de arhitectur , confruntat
cu schimb rile structurale ale societ ii industriale; ei au
ncercat, ntr-un fel, s geometrizeze procesul de definire i
recunoa t ere oficial a profesiunii de c tre noile democraii
liberale, proces care luase forme diverse ( i uneori chiar
conflictuale) n rile membre.
*** Contribuie la simpozionul COLLAGE EUROPA, organizat
de NAi (Nederlands Architectuurinstituut) la Rotterdam n
noiembrie 2004.
***
Traducere n romn : Miruna Stroe
1 Expoziia a c uprins, ntr-un sobru i deosebit de_artistic design de ansamblu,
momente semnificative din marile ora e din Est. In afara acestora, o serie de
planuri-machet ncercau s sistematizeze dezvoltarea lor general n urma
r spunsurilor schematice pe care corespondenii din rile respective le-au dat la
ntreb ri privitoare la: mari magistrale i c l diri simbolice construite sub comunism,
marile ansambluri, zone industriale dezvoltate n aceast perioad , transportul n
comun etc. Dup tiina mea, de i cam schematic ca problematizare ( i prin
aceasta preasimplificatoare), o astfel deabordare este prima de acest fel i foarte
necesar pentru nelegerea fenomenului. De atunci s-au mai organizat i alte
asemenea analize.
2 MUMFORD, Eric,
The C IAM
Discourse
on U rba nism
1928-1960, MIT Press,
2000
3 Acest studiu, reprezentativ pentru evoluia paralel a celor dou lumi, este
he idea for this paper came to me from t
bition, which aimed to compare urban dev
either side of the lron Curtain.' It seems that sim
be detected in these separate developments, a
idea that is also viewed favourably in Romanian
circles, in my opinion. As an architect who lived
munism, I am cautious of drawing hasty conclu
respect, since appearances can be dangerousl
This is why I shall attempt to examine the state
tectural profession under communism, since
a background for architectural production. It w
opportunity to continue the interrogation of a
lence formulated in my contribution to the volu
Concrete,
which I presented at the symposium.
In order to explore both avenues, I shall bring
moments when architects from both worlds
bated common professional issues at a middling
tive
level, rather than at the most fervent level
garde. This means I have tried to discover va
not in the radical works of the CIAM (aimed
breaking architecture's academic deadlock a
up the professlon), but in the minutes of the
Union of Architects and the congresses of its p
(CPIA - Comite permanent international des arch
RIA -
Reunions Internationales dArchitectes).3
F
beginning, these NGOs have tried to set high
uniform standards for an architectural practice
by the structural changes of industrial society
somehow to geometrise the ongoing process
and officially recognising the profession in the
democracies, a process that had taken various
flicting) forms in the member
countries.
With a minimalist and highly artistic overall design, the exhib
significant moments experienced by large East European
to these, several plans/scale models attempted to summa
development thereof, based on the concise answers provided b
from the countries in question to questions regarding: main
buildings constructed during the communist era, large com
areas developed during the period, public transportation ve
knowledge, although too generic in its identification of the set
(and thereby too reductive), such an approach is the first of
necessary in order to understand the phenomenon. Since t
comparisons have been made.
2 MUMFORD, Eric,
The CIAM discou rse on U rbanism
1928
2000
3 This research, significant for paraliel evolution in the tw
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
18/21
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
19/21
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
20/21
***
Comunicare la simpozionul
O N D IF FE RE N E
organizat de
WurttembergischerKunstvereindin Stuttgart n 21 May 200 5.
** *
Publicat anterior n
Secolul 21
nr.
6 9/20 05
Dreapta-stnga.
Explorareaconceptelor.
***
Peaceast cale, in s mulumesccu toat gratitudineadoamnei
MarianaCelacpentruprimatraducere a textului n limba romn i
pentruimplicita critic a primei forme n englez a textului.
S
cena dezvolt rii arhitecturii n timpul comunismului s-a
dovedit a fi un subiect de cercetare complicat i - n
termeni de experien uman - un moment ct se poate de
tulbur tor: un nod de fire nclcite, legnd politic , construcii
i oameni, idealuri, mistific ri i drame umane, o schem
ambigu care se descifreaz i se interpreteaz cu greutate.
De la prima citire a perioadei,
Dou cri, visul comunist i
Dacia 1300,
am ncercat s m uit ceva mai atent la cteva
faete pe care primul studiu le-a atins fugitiv. Una dintre
acestea este ceea ce am numit arhitectur ocult .1
Prima problem pe care o ridic subiectul este legat de
chiar definirea lui, lucru nu tocmai simplu atta vreme ct, n
general, comunismul a avut i o dimensiune obscur , ocult ,
inevitabil reflectat de toate aspectele vieii umane ale acelei
perioade. O investigaie cuprinz toare privind natura confuz
i contradictorie a comunismului este un subiect de factur
mai curnd filosofic . Eu sunt ns arhitect, atent n primul
rnd la chestiunile arhitecturale. De aceea voi recurge la o
delimitare t ehnic , mai specific , a subiectului; respectiv,
m voi referi la acea parte a activit ii de construcie care a
fost ntr-un fel sau altul scoas de sub incidena planific rii
comuniste fiind manevrat de membrii cercului interior
n propriul interes privat. Din aceast perspectiv , evident
reductiv , dimensiunea ocult s-ar putea urm ri prin trei
indicator i : (1 ) absena unei teme scrise de arhitectur , deci
a unor date precise privind programul funcional, economic,
estetic (aceste date erau transmise prin canale obscure,
sibiline), aspect n total opoziie cu supra-reglementarea
activit ii obi nuite de proiectare, (2) non alana financiar , i
ea n total contradicie cu obligaiile de economicitate i de
egalitarism aplicate oric ror celorlalte construcii, (3) absena
acestei arhitecturi din publicaiile curente, protejarea ei de
orice expunere public , n contradicie din nou cu folosirea
extins a arhitecturii pentru scopurile propagandei. Aparent,
aceast arhitectur nu exist .
2
1 A fi pu tu t s o nu mesc arh ite ctur parale l , te rm en c are d es crie d es tu l
de exa ct subiectu l. Am ales atribu tu l oc ult , mai de grab , pentru fora sa
metafor ic .
2 Fap tul introduce mari dificult i n docu mentare, de acee a ce le care u rm ea z
***
Contributionto the symposium
O N D IF FE R EN E
orga
the WurttembergischerKunstvereinin Stuttgart, 21 May 2
** *
Publishedin Romanianin
Secolul21
Nos.
6 9 2005
as
ta-stnga. Explorareaconceptelor (Right-Left.Exploratio
cepts) .
** *
On this occasion, I would like express my gracious t
MarianaCelacfor the Romaniantranslationof this text, an
implicit critique of its initialEnglishform.
R
esearch into the scene of architectural developmen
communism tumed out to be a complieated and - in
terms - a troubling experience: a clew of tangled threads
politics, buildings and people, ideals, mystifications and
dramas, an abstruse plot difficult to decipher and to in
Since my first reading of this scene
Two Books, the Com
Dream and Daeia 1300,
I have tried to go deeper into
the aspects that this study has touched upon only fle
One of them is what I have called occult architecture.
My first concem with regard to this topic is how to d
which is not at aII simple, insofar as Communism in
had an obscure, EVEN MYSTIC oecult dimension, in
reflected in aII the fields of human life of that period. S
(all-embracing) inquiry into the contradictory and co
nature of Communism is rather a philosophical rnatter.
an architect, I shall try to be more specific from the archi
perspective and to delimit my topic technically : to be
I shall refer to the area of building activity that was so
exempt from the Communist planning, and was manoeu
the members of the inner circle in their own private
From this obviously reductive perspective, there ar
indicators of the occult dimension to be traced:
absence of any written architectural theme, of any preci
concern ing the functional, economic, aesthetic prog
(these data were transmitted through obscure,
channels), totally opposite to the overregulation of usua
activity, (2) financial nonchalanee, in total contradiction
economical and egal itarian approach to aII other buildi
the absence of this architecture from architectural public
its protection from aII public exposure, again at odd
the common use of architecture as a propagandistic
Apparently, this architecture did not exist.
I co uld ha ve na med it par alle l archite ctu re, which a lso d escr ib
de fin ing features /aspects of t h is h id d en a re a o f a rc hit ec tu ra l product ion.
I have opted for the adjective occult, g iv en its m eta ph orica l fo rc e:
in a more provocative way to th e s ec re tive , arcane, nature o f th e ,
establ ishment's modus operandi. Thus , I think that occult arch itectt.re
i n k eepi ng w ith the m ore ludic elem ents of th is t ex t.
2 This makes documen tat ion difficult and, a t least a t th is s ta ge of the r
have to re ly on th e te stimon ies of the a rch itec ts (unfortu na te ly dw in dling
that wer e involved in the design o f these build ings . I wou ld like to exteoo
gratitude.
-
7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist
21/21
n
1990 90-95
din populaia Bucure tiului, central ismul
extrem, maniera ocult de transmisie a .Jndical llor, cerina
confuz a unei monumentalit i decorative, pe care nici el i
nici anturajul lui nu reu esc s-o articuleze altfel dect prin
vechea sintagm a formei naionale
n noile condiii de arbitrariu politic i de control paroxistic,
spaiul libert ii i al argumentului profesional se restrnge
drastic. Canalele de comunicare cu cultura occidental
se nchid i ele n aceea i perioad , a a c orice posibil
paralel se opre te aici. Noua
form prescris
e cu att mai
dominatoare cu ct este mai neexplicit ; ea trebuie doar s
plac . Dovad stau machetele de volum i de faad pentru
Casa Poporului care i se ofereau lui Ceau escu spre alegere,
in situ la scara 1/1. Muli arhiteci p r sesc ara, iar cei care
r rnn sunt redu i la condiia de slujitori cu abilit i tehnice,
chemai s execute ordinele singurului arhitect . Profesiunea
de arhitect nu e doar naionalizat ; spaiul ei de mi care este
pur i simplu devastat. Cnd opinia profesional se mai
aude, ea ia forme disidente pe care puterea se gr be te s le
n buse, a a c puini sunt cei care le af1 .29 i n acela i timp,
tinerii absolveni se gr besc s lucreze la marile proiecte
ale lui Ceaue scu pentru a r mne n Bucure t i, ceea este
i mai trist. Finalmente, sistemul de arhitectur instaurat n
1952 pentru a servi proiectului comunist i dovede t e din
plin eficacitatea imoral .
N C HIP D E C ONC LU ZIE
De i nu-mi face nici o pl cere s-o spun, cercet rile de pn
acum nu fac dect s -mi nt reasc p rerea c , n Romnia,
proiectul comunist n beton se traduce prin istoria unei
traume a profesiunii - chiar dac exist i realiz ri notabile
( i ele incontestabil exist ). Poate c e o interpretare prea
emoional , dar ceea ce v d n arhitectura noastr ast zi m
face s cred c a fost un traumatism i c nc i resimim
consecinele. A a c mi vine greu s accept ca atare idei
privind neutralitatea formelor n raport cu conjuncturile
politice care le circumscriu sau despre similitudinile cu
arhitectura occidental - din punctul meu de vedere iluzorii.
Nu cred c o astfel de poziie poate constitui o premis
suficient de solid pentru a descrie cuprinz tor evoluia
arhitecturii sub comunism. Cred ns c asumarea lucid a
acestei traume ne poate ajuta s evalu m arhitectura acestei
perioade, i pe noi n ine, cu un alt ochi: ochiul normalit ii
privind o anormalitate. Ceea ce nu e u or, pentru c , a a
cum a spus-o istoricul Lucian Boia, comunismul a fost o
capcan a istoriei i ca n orice capcan e mai uor s intri
dect
s
iei
3
28
Vez i
Arh itec i n tim pu l d ic tat urii Am int ir i
c it. i EN ESC U , Ion M irce a ,
Ar h itect
su b c om u nis m
Ed. P aide ia, 20 06.
29 D es pre actel e de opozi ie ale profeso ril or M irce a A1ifan ti , A sc anio D am ian .
G rigo re Ion es cu , Aur elian Tri cu i P ete r D ere r, vezi ZAH AR lAD E . A .M .
Doua
was to live by
1990
extreme centralism, the
which indications were conveyed, the unclea
for decorative monumentality, which neither Cea
entourage managed to articulate except by recou
syntagmata of the national form
Inthe new context of political arbitrari ness and pa
trol, the area of freedom and professional argume
cally restricted. The channels of communication
culture were blocked in the same period, so any
ogy stops here. The new prescribed form is aII th
neering because it is less explicit; it is meant on
The in situ volumetric and facade 1/1 rnock-ups fo
House that were offered to Ceauescu to choo
witness to that. Many architects left the country
who stayed were demoted to servants with te
asked to carry out the orders of the sole archit
fession was not only nationalised, but also its
terly devastated. When professional opinions
aII, they adopted dissident forms that the regime
so few people caught wind of thern. At the sam
university graduates were eager to work on Ceau
projects in order to stay in Bucharest, which w
der. Ultimately, the architectural system establish
order to serve the communist project fully prove
effectiveness.
IN PLACE O F A CO NCLUSIO N
Although I take no pleasure in saying it, the resea
strengthens my opinion that in Romania the
comt
in concrete
can be translated into the history o
the profession - even if there were some outstan
ments (which, undeniably, exist). Perhaps this is
tional reading, but what I can see in our presen
production makes me believe that it was indeed
we still endure its consequences. I therefore find
cept as such ideas regarding the neutrality of form
their encapsulating political circumstances or rega
ties to Western architecture, which, from my poi
illusory. I do not think that these ideas can be pr
enough for a thorough description of the evolutio
ture under communism. But I do believe that, if w
up to the trauma, it will ultimately help us to evalu
tecture of this period and ourselves from a differen
with the eye of normality looking upon an abnorm
not easy, since, as historian Lucian Boia said, com
a trap set by history and as with any trap it is e
than to get out
3
28
See
Ar h ite c i n tim pu l d ic tat urii Am inrili
cre
ard 1
Ar h itect sub comun ism Paw.a 2006.
29