Museum dedicated to Romanian canoeist Ivan Patzaichin to open in Danube Delta in spring

The buildings that will host the Ivan Patzaichin Museum in Mila 23, the Romanian canoeing legend's home village in the Danube Delta, have been completed, Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association announced.

The museum, which is set to work as a community innovation center, is scheduled to open in May 2024.

The activities that will take place here will focus on "recovering and reinterpreting the social norms typical of the Danube Delta area, in the context of the Ivan Patzaichin Center for Traditional Culture," the association said.

The center plans to showcase ways the Delta can develop sustainably and encourage the young residents to stay in the area. "The traditions and customs can be preserved and integrated into modern life, offering the residents of the area the chance to use them to gain alternative revenue sources throughout the year. The museum will not be only for visiting, but it will be a gateway to nature, a lab and a connection to the creative world, aiding in preserving, exploring and using local traditions as a contemporary resource for development," the association in charge of the project explained.

The ensemble of the museum consists of two buildings, made of wood and local materials - reed and clay. It integrates parts of the house where Ivan Patzaichin's parents lived after the 1970 flooding.

The 18-meter-tall Observatory – Museum, built entirely from stratified wood, will host at its ground level the most important medals that Ivan Patzaichin won throughout his career. Patzaichin won 30 titles at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships. The upper levels will host a multimedia installation detailing the life of Patzaichin, from the childhood spent in the Danube Delta village to his time as an Olympian, a coach and mentor, and social entrepreneur.

The nearby building will host cultural activities run by various local organizations as well as meetings of the Delta stakeholders (NGOs, tourism operators, local authorities), summer camps, and artistic residencies.

The ensemble will also host a local gastronomy point, a workshop for wood boat repair and maintenance, and a charging station for electric boat engines and bikes.

The project required a RON 3.6 million investment (approximately EUR 720,000). It received a RON 2.376 million non-refundable financing through the Operational Program for Fisheries and Sea 2014-2022.

The museum will be administered by Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association.

Among other projects run by the association is Pathfinders of the Waters. The project targets villages along the Danube with limited access to cultural activities, using the traditional canoe (lotca in Romanian) to promote the value of local heritage and the acquisition of new skills among children. The project was one of the winners in the Education, Training and Skills category of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023. 

(Photo: Rowmania.ro, press section)

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