Adobe townhouse dating from the 1930s, Buzau, south-east Romania (©Valentin Mandache)
The above photograph shows a picturesque and well maintained adobe structure house from the town of Buzau in south-east Romania, built sometime in the 1930s, which although now is quite centrally located, at that time was at the outskirts of the city. Adobe is a traditional construction material, which has been much used not only in the Romanian countryside, but also in the cities. Until the last decades of the c19th only the wealthy were able to afford kiln fired bricks. Many townsmen thus used the cheap adobe for building their houses as late as the 1930s and even later in many part of Romania. The adobe houses, although quite high maintenance in terms of time and effort spent, are extremely comfortable for the Romanian climate, constituting excellent bargain buys for someone looking to acquire a traditional/ period property in this country. I like in this particular example its proportions and the simple, but enchanting decoration, the wall finish made from a mix of lime and sand on a clay background, a reminder of the old bucolic times when the Romanian towns were often just larger villages.
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I endeavor through this series of daily articles to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural history and 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 sourcing 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.
