The exquisite architecture ahead of its times of Romania's pavilion at the Liège 1905 Universal Exhibition. (old postcard, Valentin Mandache collection)
The first professional Romanian architects were trained in the 1880s at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the building above, Romania’s pavilion at the 1905 Liège Universal Exhibition, is a proof of the excellent skills and vision reached by these individuals in less than one generation. Before them, most of the local buildings, in that former frontier territory of the Ottoman empire, were the work of skilled craftsmen and only exceptionally and at great expense there were brought in foreign architects. The style of the building is in the vein of the Arts and Crafts architectural movement combining traditional Romanian peasant architecture and decorative motifs rendered in a well proportioned modern linear style. One can also assimilate the style of the building with a dynamic Neo-Romanian and reduced to essence architectural message, freed from its heavy and over-ornate, church borrowed Byzantine register, which will constitute the biggest drawback of the Neo-Romanian order in the subsequent decades. There are also interesting Art Nouveau elements in this building derived from Romanian ethnographic motifs, all seamlessly integrated within its wonderful linear frame. This particular design type was continued and perfected by the remarkable architect Henrieta Delavrancea-Gibory (1894-1987) in her famous Black Sea shore holiday villas. I would also like to point out another interesting fact related to the building presented in this old postcard (I found it at an antiques fair in Shoreham, UK): that it was sponsored by the Association of Romanian Oil Producers (mentioned on the lettered frieze on its façade), thus heralding the importance of this industry and its revenues, as the country became of one of world’s most important oil producers, for the development in the inter-war period of a rich and remarkable architecture ranging from Neo-Romanian to Art Deco and most polished international modernist styles.
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I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.
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If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.
