Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist

7/21/2019 Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist

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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


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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


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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) .


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- 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 .

-


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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


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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


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.


9/21


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


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


12/21

UV NT~

N WOR


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


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


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


16/21


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


18/21


19/21


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.


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

Documents

Ana Maria Zahariade , Arhitectura in Proiectul Comunist