Balcic, a Romanian interwar architecture paradigm
The subject of the first course is undoubtedly highly interesting, although one of the texts (the one by Michel Foucault – which was published almost a quarter of century ago) - still offers multiple angles of interpretation and generous themes to reflect on space.
As any theoretical construction, the proposed value system in architecture, based on the six paradigms, develops a system that investigates space, especially in architecture, that refers to the built-space, that involves an absolutely necessary degree of abstract isation.
As far as the subject of my doctoral thesis is concerned - „Romanian architecture in the third decade of the XX century between tradition and modernity in Balcic” – it could have something in common with the issues in the two texts on the blog. But the abstract approach imposed by the reading materials does not match with the concreteness of such particularly beautiful places.
However we could try to find out an approach…
First of all, Balcic is a different space: a town that belonged to Romania along with what is called Cadrilater between 1913, at the end of the Second Balkan War (Bucharest treaty) and 1940, when it started to be a Bulgarian territory.
For a short time Balcic embodied a dream that came true. A small fishing town where the main economic activity was commerce with cereals turned into an attractive resort after several years. It is the place where Queen Mary’s of Romania favorite summer residence was.
To the new owners, Balcic offered the novelty of a quasi oriental exotic scenery: a forgotten place at the end of the world, mainly inhabited by the Turks, Tartars and Bulgarians. It was a dry, stony area. The spare vegetation was in contrast with the ineffable colors of the sea that went deeply inland in a gulf around which the land looked like an amphitheater. It was called the Silver Coast.
The first to discover the beauty of these places were the painters still wearing military uniforms during the First World War. From the very beginning they were irresistibly attracted by the wild nature that combined the sea and mountain and had an incredible light. The emotion rendered by their feelings is to be found in paintings from many museums and private collections.
Balcic became an oasis for these painters who were shortly followed by poets, writers, journalists, actors and musicians. During the summer, every year all the artists from Bucharest moved here, turning the place into their capital. There was a lot of creative effervescence in a sleepy environment, melt down by the sun. The more Balcic was discovered, the more ordinary people came, simply eager to evade from the daily city life. It was an exotic destination, one hour and a half away from Bucharest after 1934, when the airport built nearby made the first direct flights possible.
It didn’t take long for famous people to appear as well: politicians, rich people, business people, well-known intellectuals. Of course the eccentrics and the VIPs could not miss. Their presence was soon felt by means of the buildings that appeared in their tens on the steep slopes of the gulf. The architects (Emil Guneş, Duiliu Marcu, Paul Smărăndescu,) that came from Romania to design them were obviously influenced by the Balkans elements present here, so that what they produced was not at all similar to what they had done in their country so far.
A special role in keeping the specificity of the place was held by Queen Maria, who came close to these places with love and warmth, urging people to respect and take care in choosing the building style so as not to disturb the environment. „Tenha Juvah” - „The Peaceful Home/Nest”, her residence on the sea shore, is an example in this respect: half villa, half mosque.
Among the architects that intertwined an original synthesis between the traditional architecture (Romanian and Balkans elements) and the modern one that appeared in the Western Europe at the beginning of the XX-th century, was Henrietta Delavrancea-Gibory (1894-1987), one of the first women architects at the time. The immaculate whiteness of the villas built here between 1932-1939 for different beneficiaries (Eliza Brătianu, General Rasoviceanu, Octavian Moşescu, Dinu Pillat, Mircea Cancicov, Nae Ionescu, Ştefan Popescu) according to her plans are among the most remarkable achievements. Some of them can be seen even today. They are the target of my field investigation for my doctoral thesis.
It is a paradox of history that all of this achievements of inter wars modern Romanian architecture are now out of the country.
Here, in the Balcic of the third and fourth decades of the previous century, there are several possible aspects of such a space: a compensation heterotop (according to Michel Foulcault). It was a place remote from civilization, lost in history and still close to us by means of the transportation that was modern for those times. It was also an exotic place where the mountain met the sea, an environment with people apparently coming from the fabulous orient and wild nature. Definitely, in those times, each that came to Balcic found here something attractive and inviting to return:
First of all there was the Balcic of the painters and artistic world (Nicolae Dărăscu, Iosif Iser, Lucian Grigorescu, Kimon Loghi, Samuel Mützner, Paul Miracovici, Gheorghe Pătraşcu, Jean Al. Steriadi, Nicolae Tonitza).
Secondly it can be seen as the Balcic of those who loved holidays in the middle of nature, far away from the comfort of the big cities, willing to be part of a different oriental environment. It is also the Balcic of the aristocracy who enjoyed journeys by yacht and who built here splendid villas facing the sea.
But above all, Balcic is Queen Mary’s beloved royal residence, the place where she spent the last and saddest years of her life and where she wanted her heart to be buried in the small crypt of the Stella Maris chapel. The today’s existence of the town is due mainly to this long-lasting royal residence, against all the hardships of history.
The subject of the first course is undoubtedly highly interesting, although one of the texts (the one by Michel Foucault – which was published almost a quarter of century ago) - still offers multiple angles of interpretation and generous themes to reflect on space.
As any theoretical construction, the proposed value system in architecture, based on the six paradigms, develops a system that investigates space, especially in architecture, that refers to the built-space, that involves an absolutely necessary degree of abstract isation.
As far as the subject of my doctoral thesis is concerned - „Romanian architecture in the third decade of the XX century between tradition and modernity in Balcic” – it could have something in common with the issues in the two texts on the blog. But the abstract approach imposed by the reading materials does not match with the concreteness of such particularly beautiful places.
However we could try to find out an approach…
First of all, Balcic is a different space: a town that belonged to Romania along with what is called Cadrilater between 1913, at the end of the Second Balkan War (Bucharest treaty) and 1940, when it started to be a Bulgarian territory.
For a short time Balcic embodied a dream that came true. A small fishing town where the main economic activity was commerce with cereals turned into an attractive resort after several years. It is the place where Queen Mary’s of Romania favorite summer residence was.
To the new owners, Balcic offered the novelty of a quasi oriental exotic scenery: a forgotten place at the end of the world, mainly inhabited by the Turks, Tartars and Bulgarians. It was a dry, stony area. The spare vegetation was in contrast with the ineffable colors of the sea that went deeply inland in a gulf around which the land looked like an amphitheater. It was called the Silver Coast.
The first to discover the beauty of these places were the painters still wearing military uniforms during the First World War. From the very beginning they were irresistibly attracted by the wild nature that combined the sea and mountain and had an incredible light. The emotion rendered by their feelings is to be found in paintings from many museums and private collections.
Balcic became an oasis for these painters who were shortly followed by poets, writers, journalists, actors and musicians. During the summer, every year all the artists from Bucharest moved here, turning the place into their capital. There was a lot of creative effervescence in a sleepy environment, melt down by the sun. The more Balcic was discovered, the more ordinary people came, simply eager to evade from the daily city life. It was an exotic destination, one hour and a half away from Bucharest after 1934, when the airport built nearby made the first direct flights possible.
It didn’t take long for famous people to appear as well: politicians, rich people, business people, well-known intellectuals. Of course the eccentrics and the VIPs could not miss. Their presence was soon felt by means of the buildings that appeared in their tens on the steep slopes of the gulf. The architects (Emil Guneş, Duiliu Marcu, Paul Smărăndescu,) that came from Romania to design them were obviously influenced by the Balkans elements present here, so that what they produced was not at all similar to what they had done in their country so far.
A special role in keeping the specificity of the place was held by Queen Maria, who came close to these places with love and warmth, urging people to respect and take care in choosing the building style so as not to disturb the environment. „Tenha Juvah” - „The Peaceful Home/Nest”, her residence on the sea shore, is an example in this respect: half villa, half mosque.
Among the architects that intertwined an original synthesis between the traditional architecture (Romanian and Balkans elements) and the modern one that appeared in the Western Europe at the beginning of the XX-th century, was Henrietta Delavrancea-Gibory (1894-1987), one of the first women architects at the time. The immaculate whiteness of the villas built here between 1932-1939 for different beneficiaries (Eliza Brătianu, General Rasoviceanu, Octavian Moşescu, Dinu Pillat, Mircea Cancicov, Nae Ionescu, Ştefan Popescu) according to her plans are among the most remarkable achievements. Some of them can be seen even today. They are the target of my field investigation for my doctoral thesis.
It is a paradox of history that all of this achievements of inter wars modern Romanian architecture are now out of the country.
Here, in the Balcic of the third and fourth decades of the previous century, there are several possible aspects of such a space: a compensation heterotop (according to Michel Foulcault). It was a place remote from civilization, lost in history and still close to us by means of the transportation that was modern for those times. It was also an exotic place where the mountain met the sea, an environment with people apparently coming from the fabulous orient and wild nature. Definitely, in those times, each that came to Balcic found here something attractive and inviting to return:
First of all there was the Balcic of the painters and artistic world (Nicolae Dărăscu, Iosif Iser, Lucian Grigorescu, Kimon Loghi, Samuel Mützner, Paul Miracovici, Gheorghe Pătraşcu, Jean Al. Steriadi, Nicolae Tonitza).
Secondly it can be seen as the Balcic of those who loved holidays in the middle of nature, far away from the comfort of the big cities, willing to be part of a different oriental environment. It is also the Balcic of the aristocracy who enjoyed journeys by yacht and who built here splendid villas facing the sea.
But above all, Balcic is Queen Mary’s beloved royal residence, the place where she spent the last and saddest years of her life and where she wanted her heart to be buried in the small crypt of the Stella Maris chapel. The today’s existence of the town is due mainly to this long-lasting royal residence, against all the hardships of history.
