Today we’re heading towards central
\nTransylvania and we’re having a stopover in Sibiu, because it is here that two
\nof Romania’s most interesting museums can be found. They are the ASTRA Museum
\nof Transylvanian Civilisation and the Brukenthal Museum. Both locations are
\nclosed as part of the plan that has been officially implemented to contain the
\nspread of the COVID-19 virus. However, you can still have a virtual tour of the
\nmuseum. The two museums have a rich history and a rich collection, and that’s
\nwhat you fill find out about, today, as a teaser for you to include them in
\nyour holiday agenda, as soon as they’ re open once again.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Dr. Alexandru Sonoc is head of Section with
\nthe Brukenthal Art Museum. Dr Sonoc is our guide today. Here he is, with
\ndetails about baron Samuel von Brukenthal, who was so very influential for the
\ncity of Sibiu, way back in late 18th century.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He was spotted by the queen
\nof Hungary, Maria Theresa, for his professional qualities as a solicitor and a
\ndiplomat, so he was offered various positions in the central administration in
\nVienna. In 1777, he became Governor of Transylvania and he took that opportunity
\nto have the collections shipped to Sibiu. In 1784, they could already be
\nadmired by some keen connoisseurs as well as by foreigners. Samuel von
\nBrukenthal put those collections together with the alleged purpose of opening a
\nProtestant university, which was not possible, given the counter-Reformation
\npolicy implemented by the state run by the Hapsburg dynasty. Nevertheless, he succeeded to endow the Evangelical
\nGymnasium in Sibiu with his collections, while the museum was opened in 1817,
\nas some sort of school museum.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It is one of the world’s first public
\nmuseums, second only to the Louvre and the British Museum. <\/p>\n
Dr. Alexandru
\nSonoc:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
For quite a long time, the
\nmuseum was a museum of the Saxons. In 1948, it was nationalized. In 1950, a
\nmerger of the museum occurred, with the Astra Museum. Then it expanded, since
\nmore sections were added, such as those for the apothecary’s shop and for
\nhunting. At present, one half of the museum’s managing board is made of state
\nofficials, while the other half is made of representatives of the Evangelical
\ncommunity in Sibiu. It is a one-of-a-kind experiment in Romania. The
\ncollections that were property of the Evangelical church are to be retroceded,
\nyet they will be left there under a bailment agreement and will be administered
\nby the museum and will be made available to the lay public, as stipulated in
\nthe Baron’s will, who made them available to everyone. In the context of the
\nEnlightenment period, the Baron realized his collections could contribute to
\nthe advancement of science, culture and arts in Transylvania, and he intended
\nthose collections to be made available to visitors on certain days of the week.
\nTo that end, he also established a foundation whereby he compelled the church
\nand his heirs to make them available to the public at large.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The palace in Sibiu was built in the baroque
\nstyle, between 1778 and 1288. It was Baron Samuel von Brukenthal’s official
\nresidence. He was the only representative of the Transylvanian Saxon community
\nwho was assigned notable public positions with the Austrian state. The period
\nof time Samuel von Brukhental spent in Vienna coincides with the period of time
\nhis painting collection came into being, while mention of the collection was
\nmade, in 1773, in Almanach de Vienne, as one of the most valuable private
\ncollections that could be admired in Vienna’s cultural milieu of that time. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Dr. Alexandru Sonoc:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
At present, the Brukenthal
\nMuseum is going through a process of modernization and reorganization. In the
\nBrukenthal Palace, the reorganization permanent exhibitions has seen an
\nadvanced stage, we have had such exhibitions for quite a few years now, since
\n2015. The preparation of an atmosphere exhibition is also underway. Over 2006
\nand 2008, other art items were removed from the palace, they were modern art
\nitems that at present have been placed in various sections housed by a detached
\nbuilding. As for the Romanian art exhibits, they have been placed in the Blue
\nHouse, Brukenthal Palace’s neighboring village. On the first floor, there are a
\ncouple of theme halls where 18th century living areas have been
\nrecomposed. We also have such theme halls on the second floors. The
\nmasterpieces sector has also been reorganized. Apart from that, on the ground
\nfloor, we have all sorts of small exhibitions, they are permanent, such as the
\nLapidarium or the Collection of the Plaster cast statues.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Brukenthal National Museum has always had
\ninternational collaborations, in Europe but also elsewhere around the world.
\nAlso it has been extended invitations for the participation in various
\ninternational exhibitions. It also organized exhibitions with its own items,
\nabroad, but also in various museums across Romania. And, although these days
\nthe doors of the museum are closed, you can have a virtual tour, made available
\nto you through the Google Arts and Culture project. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Two museums, one virtual tour…Here is another
\nvisit you can pay, comfortably seated at home, this time to the ASTRA Museum of
\nTransylvanian Civilization. First off, the ASTRA Museum is a space of
\nexperiences. Here is the Museum’s Cultural marketing
\nmanager Mirela Iancu.<\/p>\n
What we have on offer is not
\nan ordinary visit everybody can have , in a medley of Romanian rural regions,
\nwe make all sorts of opportunities available so that visitors can integrate
\nthemselves into a world we thought was long gone. The outdoor museum in
\nDumbrava Sibiului has a surface area of 132 hectares and has more than 400
\nexhibits. We’re speaking about mills and other technical installations, but by
\nentire households that preserve a way of life and work we are still fortunate
\nto have in some villages across Romania .<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Mirela Iancu<\/p>\n
The outdoor museum was
\nfounded in the 1960s, as the outcome of a research that had begun more than ten
\nyears before. It was set up by the renowned ethnographer and musicologist
\nCornel Irimie, Dimitrie Gusti’s best-known disciples. Initially, it was a
\nmuseum of folk craft, in a bid to capitalize on the resourcefulness of the
\nrural area and to rescue Romania’s pre-industrial heritage. In the 1950s, more
\nthan 5,000 technical installations were recorded, which still existed on
\nRomanian territory. Of them, a national commission made of ethnographers
\nselected, one by one, mills, saw mills, troughs, all sorts of technical
\nresourcefulness items were transferred to the museum beginning 1961.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The site of the Astra Museum also has several
\ncomprehensive digital publications, with lots of relevant images, highlighting
\nthe beauty of the glass and oil-painted icons. Also, the photo galleries, also
\nvery comprehensive, depict the effervescent activity as part of the Museum of
\nthe Transylvanian Civilization, during its opening hours.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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