Memorial house of great Romanian writer Ion Creangă reopens after controversial renovation

The memorial house of Romanian author Ion Creangă in Ţicău, a neighborhood of Iași, reopened Friday, December 15, after a controversial renovation.

The establishment, housed in a traditional peasant home (bojdeucă in Romanian), will be the first literary museum in Romania. A series of cultural events will mark the reopening over the weekend, as announced by the Iaşi County Council in a press release. 

Ion Creangă’s peasant house recently underwent a renovation that was strongly criticized for having changed too many elements.

According to critics cited by Libertatea, the rehabilitation project of the 'Bojdeuca in Ţicău' did not maintain the simple, rural aspect of the house where the writer Ion Creangă lived for a period and which also hosted the poet Mihai Eminescu. They say that the house looks too modern, with metal roofing, parquet flooring, double-glazed windows, and in-wall heating. In reply, the contractors argue that the changes were not major and that the renovation was badly needed.

As a result of the controversy, the minister of culture sent the ministry's control body to verify the legality of the permit for the intervention carried out at Ion Creangă's peasant house. Additionally, the National Commission for Historical Monuments and the National Institute for Heritage were asked to give their opinion on the quality of the works.

The leadership of the Romanian Academy also sent an open letter to the president of the Iaşi County Council, Costel Alexe, requesting everything possible be done to restore Ion Creangă's ‘Bojdeuca’ in Ţicău to "its authenticity" and to remain a distinct symbol of Romanian identity, "a distinct landmark of the spirit of the place," and a special cultural attraction.

"Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca, now restored, remains a bridge to our literary past and an advocate for preserving authenticity. The efforts in the restoration process were focused on preserving the memorial and literary value of this special place without altering its history," the Iaşi County Council statement says. 

According to local authorities, the value of the works accounted for the rehabilitation of the peasant home was EUR 699,460 excluding VAT. This includes the rehabilitation and modernization of the annex building, constructed in 1989, which will be transformed into a library and space for temporary exhibitions and events, with works amounting to EUR 897,465.

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(Photo source: Iasi County Council on Facebook)