Bid-Book Brasov 2021 - European Capital of Culture Brasov 2021 Team

MUNICIPALITY OF BRASOV Bid-Book Brasov 2021 - European Capital of Culture Brasov 2021 Team: Project coordinator: DRAGOS DAVID Concept, vision & artistic strategy: NICOLAE PEPENE The team: NICOLAE PEPENE RADU COLȚ SORIN GANEA GABRIELA BRAȘOVEANU MEDEEA KATERINA PETROVAN Design & editing: INOVATIV MEDIA Translations: Eran Catt Photo credits: Agenția Metropolitană Brașov Primăria Municipiului Brașov Revista ASTRA Nicolae Pepene Asociația Carpaterra / Mihail Iacomir Biblioteca Județeană G. Barițiu Brașov Emi Cristea Victor Ștefănescu Inovativ Media Municipality of Brasov Bid-Book Brasov 2021 - European Capital of Culture In Brasov County, not afar from the old medieval road between Brasov and Sighisoara, at Mercheasa (in the commune named Homorod), 60 km from the city of Brasov, stands ”The Elder of the Carpathians“, a mountain oak (sessile), whose age is twice that of the two prominent historic towns of Romania’s past. Brasov’s historic coat of arms is a royal crown placed on the cut trunk of amountain oak (sessile) extended in 13 strong roots. Ever since the Middle Ages, throughout Europe, the oak symbolizes solidity, strength, longevity and height, both in the spiritual and in the material sense. It has always and everywhere represented both moral and physical strength. Also, through its crown, the oak is a symbol of hospitality and it represented the equivalent of a temple in the European art. It is the oak that the people of Brasov have chosen in 2015 as a symbol to define the past, present and near future of the city they inhabit. 3 Introduction – General considerations Brasov has chosen to grow through culture! The city located on the border lined by the The first documentary attestation Carpathian Mountains on the border of the kingdom, of Brasov happened in 1235, empire or principality, protected its riches behind strong fortifications, erected upon the urge of King Sigismund under the name of Corona. of Luxembourg as of the dawns of the 14th century. At the burg’s borders, to the mountain, in Schei, a strong Romanian Orthodox community, politically It was founded by the Saxon settlers who came to and economically sustained by the Romanian rulers Transylvania from Western Europe since the second continued its development. Intensive trade south of half of the 12th century, on a dwelling that traces back the Danube also ushered to Brasov a significant Balkan in the Neolithic and Bronze Age (actually the two community. archaeological cultures were named after toponyms of In the Middle Ages, Brasov has earned a reputation Brasov: Noua and Dealul Melcilor). unparalleled in southeast Europe because of its Saxon The medieval town of Brasov had the status of craftsmen. The qualitative and, where appropriate, free city of the St. Stefan’s crown and received major handicrafts brought in Romanian language a special political and commercial privileges from both its feudal word for Brasov’s merchandise: “brasoveniile “ (T.N. – lord, the king of Hungary, as well as from the leaders Brasov craftsmanship). of the two Romanian neighboring medieval states, The Brasov’s regional influence touched the spiritual Romanian Country (Wallachia) and Moldova. life as well. The Saxon humanist of Brasov, Johannes The vigor of the historicalroots is given by the Honterus was a decisive personality in imposing the economic prosperity of the medieval Brasov and Protestant Reformation among Saxons. He created the personal freedom of its inhabitants. Built on Brasov as the most important humanist center in the outskirts of the most important passage of Transylvania. In this cultural circumstances, he the Transylvanian Carpathians, Brasov has taken founded a printing press (1539), the first gymnasium advantage of its settlement on a trade route that (1542) and the first school library on the territory connected the shortest trade line from the south of the of Romania (1547). In this environment, in Brasov’s Danube and Black Sea to Transylvania and further to Schei, deacon Coresi, a Romanian scholar and printer Central Europe. Up until the late nineteenth century, craftsman of the late 16th century, printed the books Brasov had become the largest city in Transylvania. which are currently cherished as treasures of the old The symbol of those times is the construction of the Romanian language. At the first Romanian school in Citadel Saxons’ parish church (the Black Church), the Schei, the first Romanian grammar book (1757) came largest church between Vienna and Byzantium. also into existence. Introduction – General considerations 4 In outstanding diplomacy, the inhabitants of for Romanians were a secular process, however, the Brasov kept their freedoms even after the imposition Hungarian population soared in the late 19th century, of Ottoman suzerainty by mid 16th century. At the owing it to the Szecklers who took the jobs created end of the 17th century, the community of Brasov during the first industrialization of the city. experienced its first historic stem shearing. The After WWI, Brasov evolved from the borders of Habsburg Empire imposed new rules, annulled an empire to the heart of a kingdom. Praised for freedoms, and modernized a society accustomed until its historical heritage and the charming natural then to making its own destiny. Only a year after the setting, Brasov was even proposed in 1919 to Austrian occupation, in 1689, the great church of the become the capital of Grand Romania. The economic Saxons, the city pride, became “Black” after a fire development of the city continued in the interwar that drew a red line between the Middle Ages and period, as evidenced by industries with a high the modern era, between the medieval ruins and the technological level (aviation industry). Now, the city buildings that enrich the historic center structure branches easily with new industrial zones Another dark mark in the town’s and Barsa Land’s and housing for workers. history was the civil war between 1848 - 1849, when World War II and the postwar period changed the European revolutionary zeal seeded an ethnic radically the life in the mountain city. A community conflict that countlessly then poisoned the relations with an organic development, with highly respected between Romanians and Hungarians for a period historical roots, was overcome by the class struggles, difficult to define. Since then, the local leaders’ a process executed by means of the Soviet Union’s wisdom and experience of the blessings of living specific tools. Between 1950 - 1960, Brasov became peacefully have protected the community’s core from Stalin’s homage town and the local communist the strikes of extreme nationalism. propaganda struggled to write the name of the great ruler with trees on Mount Tampa. It is then that the Saxons’ tragedy started and got marked by blows received In 1848, in Brasov, Andrei Muresanu wrote from the two totalitarian regimes that have rocked the history of Europe: Nazism and the patriotic song’s lyrics “Desteapta-te Communism. romane!” (Rise, Romanian!), which became The popular democracy policy of forced the anthem of the Romanian State in 1990. industrialization in Romania and attracting rural population in the industrial proletariat caused a great urban emergence. Brasov became one of the most important workers’ The 19th century, the “nations’ century” clearly cities, being valued as the promised land for outlined the cultural routes for each of Brasov’s young people who fled in from poor villages in search “nations”. Although they have given due weight to of a better future. In Brasov, they received from the the development of social, political and especially communist regime a chance to cover primary needs: economic relations in the community and they were jobs, houses, schools and hospitals. Moreover, they the beneficiaries of an education that cultivates found an elegant, clean city, wanted by tourists for respect for cultural and spiritual diversity, the people its clean air and diverse opportunities for leisure. of Brasov expressed themselves culturally in parallel In 1951, Poiana Brasov hosted the World universes. Kronstadt of the Saxons, Brassó of the University Winter Games. On this occasion, the Hungarians or Brasov of the Romanians emerged as first modern hotel and the first cable-car were branches of the same trunk, and pulled strength inaugurated. Other major investments followed from the same roots, yet seeking light in different that turned Poiana Brasov into the most important realms. Romanian mountain resort. A “tourism industry” Until the mid-19th century, the Saxons represented capitalized on the cultural heritage and natural the majority of the city population. After 1900, history of the area by organizing routes, especially Brasov was a city inhabited by 121,378 people, for foreign tourists in which we discover the origin divided into three main groups of citizens of the of the most popular Transylvanian offers: ‘’Fortified empire: Romanians (44.95%), Hungarians (30.13%) Churches Tour” and “Dracula Tour “. and Germans (24.92%). If the demographic trends 5 Communist Brasov owned trucks, tractors, and mature population, the percentages related bearings factories, military industry, chemical to population under 25 years failing to provide industry, textiles, footwear, cosmetics, and food demographic regeneration on medium and industry. Each industrial site led to the construction long term. of apartment buildings for waves of workers. In just In terms of ethnic composition, while two decades after the war, the historic center was Brasov is known for its historical multiethnic caught between Mount Tampa and “the mountain” community image, 91% of the population is of working-class concrete neighborhoods. made of Romanians. A higher ethnic diversity is found in the metropolitan area. Currently, Brasov appears The crisis of the communist regime in the 80’s to have overcome the post- of the last century hit mainly the working-class revolutionary transitional period, being included on the cities. Poor living conditions, social humiliation, list of the Romanian cities that the political police, shameless propaganda, breach undergo economic expansion.

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