Irina Bossy-Ghica, prima parte/1st part

Istoria României consemneaz\ starea de prefaceri structurale în care se aflau principatele Române la mijloc de secol al XIX-lea, perioad\ care a fost marcat\ de abdicarea „Domnitorului Unirii”, de instalarea Locotenen]ei Domne[ti [i urcarea pe tronul }\rii a primului rege al României, Carol I. Este [i perioada de str\lucire a familiilor de nobili romani care au excelat în politic\ [i cultur\.

Descendent\ direct\ a dou\ dintre acestea, Ghica [i Cantacuzino, doamna Irina Bossy-Ghica a avut amabilitatea s\ ne acorde un interviu.

„Vreau, pur [i simplu, “I just want s\ ajut România!” to help Romania!” IrinaBossy-Ghica Romanian history notes the state of strucInterviu / Interview Prima parte / 1st part tural transformations of the Romanian principalities in the middle of the nineteenth century – a period marked by the abdication of the Unifier (Prince Cuza), the installation of the princely lieutenancy, and the enthronement of Romania’s first King, Carol I. It was also a period of brilliance for the noble families of Romania, which excelled in politics and culture. A direct descendent from two such families, the Ghica and Cantacuzino families, Irina Bossy-Ghica was kind enough to offer us the following interview.

De unde provine numele familiei dvs., Bossy?

Numele vine din Moldova, de la mo[ia Bosieni, de unde se tragea familia bunicului meu patern, Robert Bossy. Tat\l s\u, Vasile Bossy, Pre[edintele Cur]ii de Casatie între cele dou\ r\zboaie mondiale, se chema Vasile Bosi înainte de a pleca s\-[i fac\ studiile de drept la Paris, unde numele i-a fost schimbat dup\ grafia francez\, în Bossy. Revenind în ]ar\ a ales s\ p\streze aceast\ grafie.

Ave]i o cas\ superb\!

M\ întreb de unde porne[te povestea ei, pentru c\ este e o construc]ie care se afl\ între Casa Miclescu [i Rectoratul Facult\tii de Medicin\. Locuiesc în ea de pu]in timp, am cump\rat-o acum cca 15 ani. Casa noastr\ familial\ se afl\ pe strada Paris. O cump\raser\ bunicii mei când s-au c\s\torit, la începutul anilor 1920. Acolo sau n\scut tat\l meu [i m\tu[a mea. Când au venit comuni[tii, au încercat în toate felurile s\-l opreasc\ pe tat\l meu s\ termine medicina [i i-au dat note proaste la marxism, iar în ultimul an, pentru a-l împiedica s\-[i termine studiile, i-au pus ni[te taxe de [colarizare imposibil de pl\tit. Atunci, bunica mea a vândut casa „pe nimic”, pentru a putea achita acele taxe. La scurt timp dup\ vânzare a venit na]ionalizarea (n.r. râde). Casa a r\mas în proprietatea statului, iar dup\ ’89 a intrat în posesia unei celebre familii de nomenclaturi[ti (n.r. râde prelung, semnificativ)… În perioada în care lucram la Ambasada Fran]ei (la mijlocul anilor 2000), m\ întâlneam foarte des cu persoana „repartizat\” în casa bunicii mele. La un dîner eram a[ezat\ al\turi de acea persoan\ [i am profitat de ocazie ca s\-i spun c\ numele meu de fat\ este Bossy-Ghica (între timp m\ c\s\torisem [i m\ chema Boulin). Atât. S-a schimbat la fa]\ [i mi-a r\spuns: Nu mai locuiesc acolo! Dar, probabil, casa este tot a familiei lui. Veniturile îi permit s\ o p\streze, cu siguran]\. E p\cat, îns\, c\ nu o renoveaz\. Mi-ar fi pl\cut s\ m\ invite s\ o vizitez… (n.r. râde).

Revin la istoria casei în care locuiesc acum. Casa se vânduse pe legea 112 [i era ceva ce nu v\ pute]i imagina. Pe palierul de la etajul întâi era o toalet\ stricat\ care avea Where does your surname, Bossy, come from?

The name comes from the Moldavia region, from the Bosieni estate, where my paternal grandfather, Robert Bossy, hails from. His father, Vasile Bossy, who was president of the Supreme Court between the two World Wars, was initially called Vasile Bosi before he went to study Law in Paris, where the spelling was then changed in accordance with the French orthography to Bossy. When he came back, he decided to keep that spelling.

You have a wonderful house!

I wonder where its story begins, because the building is situated between the Miclescu House and the Medical School’s Rectorate. I have been living here for a short while, I bought the house approximately fifteen years ago. Our family house was on Paris Street. My grandparents bought it when they got married, in the beginning of the 1920s. My father and aunt were born there. When the Communists came, they tried in every possible way to preclude my father from finishing Medical School, they gave him bad marks in Marxism and in the final year they demanded a tuition fee that was impossible to be paid. Then, my

„Nu m-am întors în România pentru a face bani sau pentru a pune mâna pe putere!” “I didn’t return to Romania to make money or seize power!”

grandmother sold the house for nothing, so they could pay the tuition fee. A short time after the sale came the nationalization (laughs –Ed.). The house was passed into state property and, after 1989, it came into a famous family’s possession, members of the nomenklatura (she lets out a long, significant laugh – Ed.). During the period when I was working at the French Embassy (in the mid-2000s), I used to have very frequent encounters with the person that my house had been allocated to. At a dinner I was sat next to that personality and I took the occasion to let them know that my maiden name is Bossy-Ghica (in the meantime, I had gotten married and was called Boulin). That was all. Their face changed and they told me: “I do not live there anymore!”. But the house likely still belongs to their family. Their earnings have surely allowed them to keep it. It’s a pity they’re not renovating it, though. I would have liked an invitation to visit… (laughs – Ed.) Coming back to the history of my present house, it was sold as per Law no. 112 and you cannot imagine the state it was in. On the first floor there was a broken bathroom with a hole that opened right onto the cellar. I live in this house, and the other one, the Miclescu House, which I managed to save, is also mine. I bought it in 2006 and took great care with its renovation, together with the architect {erban Sturdza, a renovation specialist. The works took two years. In the meantime, we decided to live in this one and rent the much bigger house next to ours to a law firm.

In your spectacular career you have at one time been a Cooperation Advisor at the French Embassy in Bucharest, coordinating the French-Romanian collaboration. How were those times?

I lived through a very encouraging period in Romania between 2004 and 2007. The perspective of EU accession had given wings to reforms and you could see an obvious political will to progress in all fields. My mission was to help the administration and the Romanian government to implement the European rules and legislation, and also to put in contact certain offices of the administration with their homologues in France, through experience exchange and administrative twinning as part of the PHARE projects. At the same time, I was also a cultural advisor and the manager of the French Institute in Bucharest, and I was coordinating the French cultural centers in Ia[i, Timi[oara, and Cluj. The French Institute in Bucharest was – and maybe still is – the only one to have a cinema hall. This is not accidental, for France is one of the greatest nations for cinematography and cinephiles. Even today, the Elvira Popescu Hall remains one of the centers of cinephilia in Bucharest. When I was

o gaur\ ce d\dea direct în pivni]\… Eu locuiesc în aceast\ cas\, iar cealalt\, lipit\ de ea, Casa Miclescu, pe care am reu[it s\ o salvez, este tot a mea, am cump\rat-o în 2006 [i am renovat-o cu mare grij\, împreun\ cu arhitectul {erban Sturdza, specialist în domeniul restaur\rii. {antierul a durat doi ani. Între timp, am decis s\ locuim aici, [i pe cea de al\turi, mult mai mare, am închiriat-o unei firme de avocatur\.

~n spectaculoasa dvs. carier\ a]i fost numit\, la un moment dat, Consilier de cooperare al Ambasadei Fran]ei la Bucure[ti, pentru a coordona colaborarea între Fran]a [i România. Cum au fost acele vremuri?

Am tr\it o perioad\ foarte încurajatoare între 2004 [i 2007 în România. Perspectiva ader\rii la Uniunea European\ d\duse aripi reformelor [i se vedea o voin]\ politic\ evident\ de a progresa în toate domeniile. Misiunea mea era de a ajuta administra]ia [i guvernul român s\ preia regulile [i legisla]ia european\, dar [i de a pune diferitele servicii ale administra]iei în contact cu omoloagele lor din Fran]a, prin schimburi de experien]\ [i înfr\]iri administrative în cadrul proiectelor PHARE.

În acela[i timp eram [i Consilier cultural [i Directoarea Institutului Francez din Bucure[ti [i coordonam centrele culturale franceze din Ia[i, Timi[oara [i Cluj.

Institutul Francez din Bucure[ti era - [i este poate [i ast\zi - singurul care dispunea de o sal\ de cinema. Ea a fost construit\ în anii ’70, când s-a redeschis institutul. Nu întâmpl\tor, deoarece Fran]a este una din marile na]iuni cinematografice [i cinefile. {i ast\zi, Sala Elvira Popescu este unul din centrele cinefiliei din Bucure[ti. În vremea când „dirijam" Institutul Francez, colegii mei, directorii celorlalte institute culturale str\ine - mai ales europene - solicitau foarte des Sala Elvira Popescu pentru a organiza festivaluri ale cinematografiei din ]\rile lor. Sunt o european\ convins\ [i eram foarte mândr\ c\, astfel, Institutul Francez devenea un adev\rat institut cultural european. Ambasadorul nu era întotdeauna de acord cu mine; trebuia s\ m\ bat pentru a-mi ap\ra ideile europene, când mi se repro[a c\ vreau s\ cheltuiesc o parte din bugetul de care dispuneam în „scopuri care nu intereseaz\ direct Fran]a"… Aproape c\ m-a trimis înapoi la Paris – nu [tia nimic despre Europa, fusese ambasador doar în Africa [i venise cu o mentalitate african\ [i când a v\zut ce simpozioane fac (aniversam 400 de ani de la na[terea lui Cervantes, am organizat o serat\ în toate limbile, s-a citit Don Quijote în norvegian\, în ceh\…si evident, în român\) nu a înteles c\ astfel Fran]a era în centrul culturii europene [i, deci, era interesul Ambasadei s\ apar\ în a[a o postur\. Am încercat sa-i explic ambasadorului c\ Fran]a este un hub cultural European [i nu numai. Dar, din p\cate, în acela[i timp, Fran]a vota NU la referendumul din 2005 (Referendumul de ratificare a Constitu]iei Uniunii Europene). Nu am s\ uit niciodat\ acest lucru. Eu venisem cu misiunea de a ajuta România s\ devin\ membru în UE , iar Fran]a a spus NU la referendumul UE.

Sentimentul anti-european devenise „la mod\”. Fierbeam de revolt\. Fusesem invitat\ la o reuniune a Institutului Cultural Italian, unde a fost invitat [i domnul Vladimir Bukovski care a afirmat c\ UE este ca Uniunea Sovietic\ [i c\ are comisari (ca cei ai poporului din URSS) [i c\ Uniunea (ca [i Uniunea Sovietic\) trebuie comb\tut\…Cu tot respectul pe care-l aveam pentru Bukovski, marele disident rus, m-am ridicat în picioare [i i-am spus c\ nu permit s\ se fac\ astfel de afirma]ii tocmai în acel moment în România. Toat\ lumea a fost consternat\ - în România Bukovski era o icoan\.

{i cu ce v\ ocupa]i acum? Renova]i fostele propriet\]i care au apar]inut familiei dvs.?

A[ vrea s\ pot face mult mai mult !

Când m\ plimb cu so]ul meu francez pe str\zile din Bucure[ti unde sunt atâtea case frumoase, ne zicem mereu c\ am vrea s\ le salv\m pe toate! Din p\cate nu avem sumele necesare. Dar poate am avea ace[ti bani dac\ Gherganii (Domeniul Ghica de la Ghergani) nu ne-ar înghi]i tot ce avem. To]i banii pe care i-am adunat din vånz\ri de diverse propriet\]i, plus alte sume din împrumanaging the French Institute, my colleagues, the managers of the other foreign cultural institutions, especially European ones, very often requested the Elvira Popescu Hall to organize festivals dedicated to the cinematography of their respective countries. I’m an out-and-out European, so I was very proud to see the French Institute become a true institute of European culture. The ambassador did not always agree with me – I had to fight for my European ideals when I was accused of wanting to spend a part of our budget for “purposes that were not in France’s direct interest”. He almost sent me back to Paris. He didn’t know anything about Europe – he had only been an ambassador in Africa beforehand and he came back with an African mentality. So when he saw the kind of symposiums I was organizing – to celebrate Cervantes’ 400 year anniversary, I held a multilingual soiree, where we read Don Quixote in Norwegian, in Czech… and, obviously, in Romanian – he did not understand that this put France at the center of European culture, so it was in the Embassy’s interest to appear in such a position. I tried to explain to him that France is a hub for European culture, and not only. But, unfortunately, at the same time, the French voted “NO” at the 2005 Referendum (the referendum for the ratification of the Constitution of the European Union). I will never forget this. My mission was to help Romania become a member state, while the French were saying NO to the EU. The antiEuropean sentiment had become chic. I was boiling with rage. I had been invited to a reunion of the Italian Cultural Institute, where Mr Vladimir Bukovski had also been invited. He claimed that the EU was like the Soviet Union and that they had commissars (like the Soviets had) and that the EU (like the Soviet Union) must be resisted. With all the respect I had for Bukovski, the great Russian dissident, I stood up and I told him that I would not tolerate such claims at that moment in Romania. Everyone was dismayed –Bukovski was an icon in Romania.

So what are you working on now? Are you renovating the buildings that belonged to your family?

I wish I were able to do more! When I’m walking with my French husband on the streets of Bucharest, where there are so

muturi, i-am investit în Domeniul de la Ghergani. Construc]ia e finalizat\ în propor]ie de 75%.

{tim c\ restaura]i domeniul Ion Ghica de la Ghergani, înscris pe lista monumentelor istorice de importan]\ na]ional\, împreun\ cu ilustrul arhitect {erban Sturdza, pre[edintele Funda]iei Pro Patrimonio. Ce va deveni acest domeniu? Care va fi destina]ia lui?

Domeniul Ghica de la Ghergani va fi, [i este deja, un important centru de cultur\ [i întâlniri europene, care sper s\ devin\ [i un important centru de studii europene. La Ghergani organiz\m deja evenimente culturale. În fiecare an organiz\m zilele europene ale patrimoniului – „por]i deschise", concerte, piese de teatru, expozi]ii [i tot ce se poate organiza în aer liber. Lång\ conacul lui Ion Ghica, pe care-l restaur\m, vrem s\ ridic\m [i un hotel. Dup\ 15 ani de b\t\lii administrative, dup\ ce am recuperat domeniul de la Ghergani, primarul mi-a spus c\ nu îmi poate retroceda tot terenul deoarece o treime din acesta a fost anexat de Romsilva, care [i-a construit acolo un sediu [i o pepinier\. A[adar, anii de comunism – pân\ în 1990 a func]ionat acolo un spital, o institu]ie public\, care s-a ocupat de capel\, de morminte – au fost mult mai putin devastatori, în compara]ie cu perioada postcomunist\. Comuni[tii nu au restaurat conacul, l-au urâ]it prin ad\ugiri de beton, dar nu l-au degradat. Dup\ ’90 s-a distrus [i s-a furat tot ce se putea jefui.

Într-o zi, cei ce veniser\ la furat de cire[e dintr-un pom aflat chiar lång\ mormåntul str\bunicii mele, Irina Ghica, n\scut\ Cantacuzino, l-au mutilat grav. Pentru c\ str\bunica mea a murit prematur, la numai 35 de ani, str\bunicul meu i-a construit un mormânt din marmur\ (este [i el monument istoric de importan]\ na]ional\, executat de un sculptor italian), iar pe lespedea acestuia au fost sculpta]i 5 îngera[i reprezentând cei cinci copii ai Irinei. Ho]ii de cire[e au t\iat craca cu fructe, care a c\zut [i a decapitat doi dintre îngera[ii sculpta]i pe lespede. Capetele au fost p\strate într-un seif al spitalului, care, dup\ un timp, a fost furat cu totul. Poate datorit\ faptului c\ era din fier!

Apoi, a fost furat\ tabla de cupru de pe cupola capelei unde este înmormântat Ion Ghica împreun\ cu so]ia sa, Alexandrina. A plouat prin acoperi[ mai bine de 10 ani, au crescut pomi printre ziduri, pictura interioar\ a fost distrus\, în timp ce eu ceream încontinuu retrocedarea domeniului. Primarul de atunci a avut o singur\ strategie: nu r\spundea solicit\rilor mele f\cute în scris, iar în acest timp vindea p\r]i din proprietate. La un moment dat, am f\cut o întâmpinare asistat\ de un avocat [i mi s-a r\spuns c\ nu mi se poate retroceda proprietatea deoarece este monument istoric de importan]\ na]ional\. Dar nicio lege nu prevedea acest lucru… Într-un târziu, prin many beautiful houses, we’re always thinking about how we would love to save them all! Unfortunately, we don’t have the funds for this. Maybe we would if the Ghica Domain in Ghergani weren’t swallowing all our funds. All the money we saved from selling various properties, and other funds from loans, we invested in the domain at Ghergani. The construction is 75% finished.

We know you are in the process of renovating the Ghica Domain, present in the list of historic monuments of national importance in Romania, together with the illustrious architect {erban Sturdza, the president of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation. What will the domain become? What are your plans with it?

The Ghica Domain in Ghergani will be –and is already – a center for culture and European encounters, and I hope it will become an important center for European studies. We are already organizing cultural events at Ghergani. Every year we hold The Days of European Heritage – open doors, concerts, theater plays, exhibitions, and all that can be organized in an open air setting. Next to Ion Ghica’s renovated mansion we want to build a hotel. After fifteen years of administrative battles, after recovering the domain in Ghergani, the mayor told me that he couldn’t return to me the whole land because a third had been annexed by Romsilva, and they’d built there an office and a nursery. So in the years of Communism, until 1990, a hospital operated there, a public institution that looked after the chapel, after the graves… They were much less destructive than those that came after them, in the post-Communist period. The Communists did not renovate the mansion, they marred its beauty with concrete additions, but they did not degrade it. After 1990, they destroyed and they stole all that could be destroyed or stolen. One day, those who came to steal cherries from a tree right next to the grave of my great-grandmother, Irina Ghica (nee Cantacuzino), severely maimed it. Because my great-grandmother died prematurely, at only 35 years of age, my greatgrandfather built a marble grave for her (al-

ni[te circumstan]e speciale [i dup\ alegerea unui nou primar, acesta mi-a retrocedat, în fine, domeniul, cu numai 16 hectare de parc, din cele 36 pe care le avea mo[ia întreag\, pentru c\, a spus el, „doar atât a mai r\mas”! La întocmirea actelor, primarul mi-a zis c\ livada de 4 hectare o va lua el, „pentru prim\rie" (n.r. råde cu putere). {i, ca în povestea celor „10 negri mititei", am r\mas cu 12 hectare.

Primarul mi-a spus c\ nu vrea s\ m\ „spolieze” [i c\ îmi va da diferen]a de 4 hectare în alt\ parte. În acea perioad\ nu eram în ]ar\, lucram la Pre[edin]ia Francez\ a Uniunii Europene, din 2008. L-am trimis pe so]ul meu, care, din p\cate, nu vorbe[te române[te, [i a acceptat propunerea primarului. Acesta i-a dat 3 hectare într-un sat unde nu se poate nici construi [i nici nu se poate face agricultur\, [i un hectar în alt\ parte. Acum, domnul primar a decis s\ construiasc\ 3 blocuri ANL la 50 de metri de monumentul istoric, ceea ce este împotriva legii care stabile[te zona de protec]ie a unui monument istoric, la raza minim\ de 100 m de jur împrejur. Dar prim\ria a f\cut un PUG (Plan Urbanistic General) f\r\ a ]ine cont de aceast\ dispozi]ie legal\ [i de aceea voi ataca în justi]ie acest act.

Domnul Drago[ Anastasiu, proprietarul publica]iei The Robelos, ini]iaz\ [i dezvolt\ o serie de proiecte pe care le putem numi „de ]ar\” (în înv\]\mânt, antreprenoriat, turism [i mentoring). În efortul dvs. de recuperare [i readucere la via]\ a mo[tenirii familiei dvs., v\ înscrie]i pe aceea[i direc]ie. Crede]i c\ exist\ în România for]a care s\ genereze schimbarea?

Sigur c\ da. Exact acest lucru vrem s\-l facem [i noi la Flore[ti (Jud. Prahova), dar în plan cultural. Deocamdat\, din p\cate, la Flore[ti exist\ doar ruina fostei cl\diri supranumit\ Micul Trianon, construit\ de str\str\bunicul meu, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, supranumit „Nababul" datorit\ fabuloasei sale averi care se m\rise odat\ cu descoperirea petrolului. Palatul este (a fost) o replic\ mai mic\ a Marelui Trianon de la Versailles, construit de Ludovic al XIV-lea al Fran]ei. Din castelul de la Flore[ti a mai r\mas în picioare doar structura exterioar\ cu faimoasa dubl\ colonad\ [i m\rea]a intrare în form\ de U. Dac\ ruina se pr\bu[e[te, s-a pierdut totul. În efortul meu de a salva cl\direa am f\cut nenum\rate demersuri pentru ob]inerea de fonduri europene, dar regulamentele de eligibilitate excludeau, pân\ acum, posibilitatea de a consolida o ruin\!… Poate aceste dispozi]ii se vor modifica pentru noul ciclu de fonduri europene care s-a deschis anul trecut…

Eu am propria mea experien]\ legat\ de castel. Dup\ ce am terminat de citit cartea lui Raul Bossy, unchiul dumneavoastr\, [i alte câteva memorii scrise de Argetoianu în perioada interbelic\, m-am dus s\-l vizitez. Cl\direa arat\ ca dup\ un jaf…

Din p\cate, da! Cl\direa are peste 110 ani. Str\-str\bunicul meu a murit în 1913, în timpul R\zboiului din Balcani. În 1916 a venit Primul R\zboi Mondial, iar Micul Trianon a fost ocupat de nem]i. Ei au f\cut ce au f\cut [i cei de la Ghergani, au furat tabla de cupru de pe acoperi[ [i au f\cut din ea gloan]e. Distrugerile care s-au produs atunci sunt consemnate în spusele unui ofi]er german care a afirmat c\, printre minunile care pot fi admirate în România se num\r\ [i Flore[tiul, localitate care se poate compara cu Bucure[tiul în ceea ce prive[te monumentele de arhitectur\. Iat\, spre exemplu, ce scria despre acest monument, în Memoriile sale, Generalul german Friedrich Paulus, care cuno[tea bine România, fiind c\s\torit cu o descendent\ a familiei Rosetti: „In afara petrolului [i a Castelului Pele[ de la Sinaia, Valea Prahovei mai ascunde [i o alt\ comoar\ inestimabil\ – Micul Trianon, un palat mai m\re] [i mai reu[it decât originalul parizian din care s-a inspirat”.

Povesti]i-ne despre „Micul Trianon”. Care este stadiul lucr\rilor? Care va fi destina]ia lui?

Eu am testamentul original al „Nababului” în care acesta men]ioneaz\ c\ las\ mo[tenire castelul de la Flore[ti celui de-al doilea fiu al s\u, Niculae Cantacuzino, iar primului fiu, Mihai, Palatul de pe Calea Victoriei din Bucure[ti, care ast\zi ad\poste[te Muzeul George Enescu. Cu toate acestea, din motive pe care nu le cunosc, castelul de la Flore[ti a ajuns tot în proprietatea lui Mihai Cantacuzino. Mihai, care a dezvoltat activit\]i în zona exploat\rii petroliere, a avut în proprietate dou\ castele. Din p\cate, el a murit în 1928 într-un accident de ma[in\. Fosta lui so]ie, Maruca, r\mas\ v\duv\, s-a c\s\torit cu George Enescu, [i nu s-a mai preocupat de Flore[ti. Unul din cei doi copii ai v\duvei, Alice, nem\ritat\, a între]inut Palatul, dar cel de-al doilea copil al v\duvei, Bâzu, (Constantin) Cantacuzino, mare aviator, nu s-a interesat de monument. Fata lui, MariaIoana, care a fost închis\ de comuni[ti înc\ de la vârsta de 16 ani, nu s-a putut îngriji de pala-

tul care fusese confiscat. Acum, el este atât de distrus încât nu se mai distinge nici m\car amplasamentul sc\rii care cobora în parc de pe terasa cu colonad\. Totul e distrus. Doar rezisten]a [i calitatea construc]iei face ca ea s\ mai fie în picioare. Dac\ compar\m pozele f\cute la momentul recuperarii lui, în 2011, cu cele f\cute zilele trecute, putem vedea c\ a disp\rut corni[a. Pur [i simplu s-a pr\bu[it. Cu toate acestea, în ghidul solicitantului pentru fondurile europene destinate restaur\rii mo-

numentelor istorice este prev\zut c\ aceste fonduri nu pot fi distribuite decât pentru refacerea aidoma a unui monument în ruin\ [i NU pentru simpla consolidare a ruinei. Cum ar fi s\ reconstruim Partenonul grecesc de la „0”, respectånd „mutatis mutandis” aceast\ clauz\…? Nu cred c\ ar vrea cineva s\ vad\ Partenonul grec reconstruit din ciment.

În primul rånd reconstruc]ia palatului de

la Flore[ti ar fi imposibil\. Planurile originale s-au pierdut, sunt istorici care spun c\ Micul Trianon a avut 365 de camere, cåte una pentru fiecare zi a anului, dar nu [tim sigur. Înainte de 1989 a existat un arhitect, Dl. Hoin\rescu, care, la cererea lui Ceau[escu, a elaborat un plan de reconstruc]ie a monumentului (l-am v\zut [i eu). Totu[i, nu cred c\ este ceea ce ar trebui f\cut, dar o interven]ie urgent\ de consolidare este imperios necesar\. Dac\ ruina se pr\bu[e[te, 90% din so a historical monument of national importance, built by an Italian sculptor), and on the gravestone five little angels were sculpted, representing her five children. The cherry thieves cut the branch with fruits, and it fell and decapitated two of the angels on the gravestone. The heads were kept in a safe in the hospital, which was, after some time, stolen – perhaps because it was made of iron! Then, they stole the cooper board from

the dome of the chapel where Ion Ghica is buried together with his wife, Alexandrina. It rained through the roof for more than ten years, trees grew through the walls, the interior decoration was destroyed, all this while I was continuously asking them to return the domain. The mayor at the time had a single strategy: he wouldn’t answer my written requests, and at the same time, he would sell parts of the property. At one point, I sent a statement with the assistance of a barrister, and they responded that they could not return the property to me because it was a historical building of national interest. But there was no law stating this. Finally, through some exceptional circumstances, and after a new mayor had been elected, he returned the domain to me – only 16 acres of the park, because, as he put it, “that’s just what was left of the initial 36 acres”. When we did the paperwork, the mayor told me he would keep the four-acre orchard for the town hall (laughs powerfully – Ed.). So I ended up with twelve acres, just like in the story Ten Little Niggers. The mayor told me he didn’t want to rip me off and that he would give me the rest, the four acres, somewhere else. I was not in the country at the time (I was working at the French Presidency of the European Union, in 2008), so I sent my husband who, unfortunately, doesn’t speak English, and he accepted the Mayor’s offer. He gave him three acres in a village where you can neither build anything nor do agriculture, and another acre somewhere else. Now, the mayor has decided to build three NHA apartment buildings fifty meters away from the historical monument, which is against the law that establishes an exclusion zone of a hundred meters all around. But they made this planning without observing this obligation, which is why I will attack it in court.

Mr Drago[ Anastasiu, who owns The Robelos, is initiating and developing a series of projects we could call “country projects”, in education, entrepreneurship, tourism and mentoring. In your efforts to recover and bring back to life your family’s legacy, you follow the same route. Do you think there is force in Romania to create change?

Of course. We are trying to do the exact same thing in Flore[ti (Prahova County) but at the cultural level. At this time, unfortunately, there is in Flore[ti only the ruin dubbed The Little Trianon, built by my greatgreat-grandfather, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, nicknamed The Nabob, for his fabulous wealth, which increased with the discovery of petrol. The palace is a smaller replica of The Grand Trianon in Versailles, built by Louis XIV of France. At the Flore[ti castle, on-

istoria acelui loc va disp\rea, [i cu el memoria unei familii care a f\cut istoria României.

Exist\, pe mo[ia de la Flore[ti, care este fieful Cantacuzinilor de 400 de ani, zece case f\cute de str\mo[ii mei, p\rin]ii Nababului, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino. Aceast\ mo[ie, de-a lungul genera]iilor, a fost permanent edificat\, modernizat\ [i amenajat\. Nababul a dat fiec\rui b\iat din familie câte o cas\, iar celor doua fete (una dintre acestea fiind str\bunica mea), câte o jum\tate de cas\. Aceste case ar putea constitui un luxos ansamblu hotelier care ar fi unic în România. Cu piscin\, SPA, restaurant de 4 stele, golf [amd. Parcul m\soar\ 150 de hectare. Am adus un arhitect de golf, un englez, pentru c\ englezii sunt cei mai mari speciali[ti în acest domeniu, care mi-a spus c\ terenul se preteaz\ perfect pentru golf. Mi-a stabilit pre]ul, patru milioane de euro, [i mi-a spus s\-l contactez când voi avea banii!

Povesti]i-ne [i despre Ghergani…

Cånd am ajuns s\ iau în primire domeniul de la Ghergani m-a lovit un miros înfior\tor [i am aflat c\ primarul precedent autorizase construirea a dou\ abatoare, la o distan]\, iar\[i, ilegal\ fa]\ de conacul lui Ion Ghica! Norocul meu a fost c\ proprietarii au dat faliment [i au închis abatoarele. Construc]iile oribile, din tabl\, au r\mas, îns\, [i pot fi „admirate” mai ales iarna, când copacii sunt desfrunzi]i. Am f\cut cercet\ri [i am aflat c\ terenul pe care se aflau cele dou\ abatoare a fost våndut de fostul primar dup\ ce eu f\cusem cererea de retrocedare a domeniului! Ceea ce este total ilegal, deoarece legea spunea c\ nu pot avea loc tranzac]ii, de niciun fel, cu terenuri revendicate de fo[tii proprietari, înainte de pronun]area unei decizii judec\tore[ti care s\ stabileasc\ statutul terenului aflat în litigiu. Proprietarii abatoarelor cump\raser\ terenul în mod fraudulos, în complicitate cu fostul primar, pentru a ob]ine, tot fraudulos, fonduri europene. Au fost judeca]i [i condamna]i. Dar ilegalit\]ile nu s-au oprit aici. Acum trei luni, noul proprietar al acestui teren dobândit ilegal a t\iat o planta]ie de nuci care ne mai proteja de imaginea acelor abatoare. Nu doar c\ exist\ o lege care interzice t\ierea oric\rui arbore f\r\ autoriza]ie, dar nucii sunt proteja]i chiar de o lege special\. {i în acest caz m\ bat cu autorit\]ile pentru a identifica vinova]ii care, se pare, s-au volatilizat… Nu se poate tolera aceast\ stare de lucruri !

Am alertat Direc]ia Jude]ean\ de Cultur\ de la Tårgovi[te, Garda de Mediu [i Poli]ia. Men]ionez c\ eu, pentru a t\ia un cire[ de pe proprietatea mea, care amenin]a s\ cad\ peste mormåntul str\bunicii mele (monument istoric de importan]\ na]ional\), a trebuit s\ fac nenum\rate vizite la Prim\rie [i la Romsilva [i a trebuit s\ a[tept luni de zile pentru autoriza]ie, iar noul proprietar a t\iat într-o singur\ zi 20 de nuci falnici, f\r\ ca nimeni s\ se sinchiseasc\! A venit Garda de Mediu [i s-a interesat doar de masa lemnoas\ t\iat\, în metri cubi! Poli]ia a dat din umeri, a spus c\ nu [tie cine sunt f\ptuitorii, când ei sunt cunoscu]i de tot satul, dup\ spusele localnicilor. Direc]ia Jude]ean\ de Cultur\ de la Tårgovi[te a r\spuns, prin responsabilul împuternicit, c\ nu are competen]a s\ emit\ autoriza]ii de t\iere a pomilor…

Men]ionez c\, înainte cu doar o lun\, aceea[i persoan\ a considerat c\ cererea mea de toaletare în mod legal a arborilor de pe domeniul meu, de c\tre un peisagist al Institutului Na]ional al Patrimoniului, are nevoie de un aviz direct de la Ministerul Culturii de la Bucure[ti, deoarece este un monument istoric de importan]\ na]ional\! Întrun stat de drept, membru al Uniunii Europene, nu pot exista standarde duble, în func]ie de persoana c\reia i se aplic\ (sau nu) legea!

În primul s\u mandat, în 2009, primarul a vopsit în portocaliu (culoarea partidului) Prim\ria din Ghergani, Liceul din Ghergani (construit de bunicul meu) [i gardul propriet\]ii mele (care este monument istoric de importan]\ na]ional\)! Timpul a trecut, gardul a fost decolorat de soare, iar acum este roz! O minune! Cred c\ e singurul monument istoric din lume care a fost vopsit în roz. Primarul a f\cut ce a vrut el, iar eu acum, pentru a readuce gardul la culoarea lui ini]ial\, trebuie s\ cer o aprobare de la Ministerul Culturii. E un r\zboi al nervilor! Primarul ar trebui s\ fie cel care aplic\ legea, dar el ly the outer frame, with its famous double colonnade and the great U-shaped entrance, still stands. If that collapses, all is lost. In my effort to save the construction, I have taken countless steps to try to obtain European funding, but the norms at the time excluded the possibility of renovating a ruin. Maybe they will change for the new cycle of funding that started last year…

I have my own experience with the castle. After having read your uncle Raul Bossy’s book and a few other memoirs of Argetoianu’s, from the interwar period, I went to visit it. The building looks like a warzone.

Unfortunately, it does! It is over 110 years old. My great-great-grandfather died in 1913, during the Balkan War. The First World War came in 1916, and the Little Trianon was occupied by the Germans. They did the same thing that those at the Ghergani domain did: they stole the cooper board on the roof and used it to make bullets. The damages that happened then were

noted by a German officer, who claimed that, among Romania’s beauties, you can also count Flore[ti, a town which compares to Bucharest in terms of architectural monuments. Here’s, for instance, what the German general Friedrich Paulus, who knew Romania well, being married to a descendant of the Rosetti family, wrote about the monument in his memoir: “Apart from oil and the Pele[ Cas-

tle in Sinaia, Prahova Valley hides another invaluable treasure: the Little Trianon, a palace more sublime and better done than the Parisian original which inspired it.”

Tell us about the Little Trianon. What is the state of the works? What is the destination?

I have the Nabob’s original testament, where he mentions that he is leaving the Flore[ti castle for his second son, Niculae Cantacuzino, and for his first son, the palace on Victory Lane in Bucharest, which today houses the George Enescu Museum. In spite of this, and for reasons I do not know, the castle in Flore[ti ended up in Mihai Cantacuzino’s possession as well. Mihai, who went into oil exploitation, had two castles in his possession. Unfortunately, he died in 1928 in a car accident. His widowed wife, Maruca, married George Enescu and stopped looking after the domain in Flore[ti. One of her two children, Alice, who didn’t marry, took care of the palace, but her second child, Bâzu (Constantin Cantacuzino), a great pilot, didn’t look after the monument. His daughter, Maria-Ioana, who was imprisoned by the Communists as young as sixteen, could not look after the confiscated palace. Now, it is so destroyed that you cannot even make out the stairway that used to lead to the park, down from the colonnade terrace. Everything is destroyed. Only the resistance and quality of the construction holds it together. If we compare the photos taken in 2011, when it was returned to us, with the photos taken a few days ago, we can see the cornice has disappeared. It simply collapsed. Still, the applicant’s guide for European funding for historical monuments states that funding can only be awarded for the complete reconstruction of historical monuments, not just for reinforcing a ruin. How would it be to reconstruct the Greek Parthenon from the ground up, respecting this clause to a tee…? I don’t think anyone would like to see the Parthenon rebuilt with concrete. First of all, reconstructing the Flore[ti palace would be impossible. The original construction plans have been lost – some historians say that the Little Trianon had 365 rooms, one for each day of the year, but we do not know for sure. Before 1989, there was an architect, Mr Hoin\rescu, who worked on a reconstruction plan, at Ceau[escu’s request (I’ve seen it myself). Still, I don’t think this is what should be done. But an urgent reinforcement intervention is necessary. If the ruins finally collapse, 90% of the history of that place will disappear, and along with it, the memory of a family which made history in Romania. There exist ten houses built by my ancestors (the Nabob’s, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino’s, parents) on the Flore[ti estate, the fiefdom of the Cantacuzinos. This estate has, over the generations, been permanently fortified, modernized, and organized. The Nabob gave a house to each boy in the family, and to the two girls (one of them being my great-grandmother), half a house. These houses could be part of a luxurious hotel ensemble, which would be unique in Romania. With a pool, SPA, 4-star restaurant, golf course etc. We brought a golf architect, an Englishman, because the English are the biggest specialists in this field, and he told me that the field would be perfect for a golf course. He set his price – four million euros – and told me to contact him when I have the money!

Also tell us about Ghergani!

When I came into possession of the Ghergani Domain, I was shocked to discover that the previous mayor had authorized the construction of two slaughterhouses, again, at an illegal distance from Ion Ghica’s mansion. I was lucky in that the owners went bankrupt, so they had to close. The horrible buildings, made of steel sheets, have remained, and they can be “admired” especially in the winter, when the trees are leafless. I investigated the matter and found out that the land on which the two slaughterhouses were built had been sold by the mayor after I had made the request for the land to be returned, which is completely illegal, because the law states that no transactions can be made involving land that has been reclaimed by the previous owner, until the ownership status has been settled. The owners of the slaughterhouses had bought the land fraudulently, in collusion with the mayor, in order to obtain, fraudulently as well, European funding. They were judged and sentenced. But the illegalities did not stop here. Three months ago, the new owner of this illegally acquired land, which is now in litigation at my request, cut down a walnut-tree plantation, which was protecting the domain from the image of those slaughterhouses. In Romania there is not only a law which forbids cutting down any tree without authorization, but also a special law in the case of walnuttrees. In this case as well I have to fight with the authorities for my rights – it seems the perpetrators have evaporated. This cannot be tolerated! I have alerted the County Directorate for Culture, the Environmental Guard

este deasupra tuturor! T\ierea nucilor m-a dezgustat. Cånd am reclamat la prim\rie ilegalitatea, au motivat c\ era un loc al nim\nui! Nu e posibil a[a ceva [i ar trebui s\ ne indign\m cu to]ii atunci când se încalc\ legea, în special de c\tre cei ce sunt pl\ti]i din banii no[tri s\ o aplice.

Acum, primarul (pentru c\ a v\zut c\ vin la conac oficialit\]i cu sutele, c\ vine ambasadoarea Fran]ei, c\ vin consuli…) ar vrea s\ m\ vad\ plecat\ de aici, ca s\ pun\, din and the Police. When I had to cut down a cherry tree on my property, which was about to fall on my great-grandmother’s grave, which is a historic monument of national importance, I had to visit the town hall and Romsilva countless times, and I had to wait for the authorization for months, while the new owner cut down twenty proud walnut trees in a single day, without anyone complaining. The Environmental Guard came and all they were inter-

nou, måna pe domeniu. Dar acest lucru nu se va întâmpla! Vreau s\ ar\t c\ România nu este chiar „sat f\r\ câini"! Primarul, care în16 ani nu a pus o conduct\ de ap\ sau canalizare în ora[ (pentru c\ Ghergani a fost declarat ora[) construie[te pentru „votan]i” blocuri ANL – f\r\ utilit\]i, la 50 m de un monument istoric, când ar avea la dispozi]ie atåtea alte terenuri unde ar putea construi. S-a hot\rât s\ construiasc\ pe fostul teren al Domeniului Ghica, pe care am acceptat s\ nu-l revendic, deoarece con]inea toate acareturile conacului, în care, între timp, se înfiin]aser\ Centrul social al ora[ului R\cari, Casa de b\trâni [i o gradini]\ de copii. A[a a în]eles primarul s\ m\ „r\spl\teasc\" pentru generozitatea mea!… ested in was the volume that was removed, in cubic meters. The police shrugged and said they didn’t know the perpetrators –when the whole village knows who they are, according to the villagers. The County Directorate for Culture in Târgovi[te responded, through their empowered person, that they do not give out authorizations to cut down trees. I’d like to note that, a month earlier, the same person judged that the request to groom the trees on the domain, made by a landscaper from the National Institute for Patrimony, following all the legal requirements, needed authorization not only from the County Directorate, but also from the Ministry of Culture in Bucharest, because we are talking about

The second part will be available in the next issue. a historic monument of national importance! In a constitutional state, member of the European Union, you cannot have this system of double standards, where whether the law applies or not depends on the person who is asking. In his first term, in 2009, the mayor painted orange (the color of his party) the town hall in Ghergani and the High School, built by my grandfather, and the wall of my property, which is a historic monument of national importance. And now, with the passing of time, the color has faded and the wall is now pink. A miracle! I think it’s the only historic monument in the world painted pink. The mayor did what he pleased and now, in order to bring back the wall to its initial state, I have to ask for approval from the Ministry of Culture. It’s a battle of nerves! The mayor should serve the Law, but he’s above it! I was disgusted by the tree cutting episode. When I complained about this at the town hall I was told that that land was no man’s land!

This is impossible and we should all be outraged when the law is trampled under foot, especially by those who get paid to serve it. Now the mayor – having seen hundreds of officials coming at the mansion, the French ambassador, consuls… – would like to see me out of here, so he could once again get his hands on the mansion. But this won’t happen!

The mayor – who, in sixteen years, hasn’t installed a water pipe or a sewer pipe in this city, because Ghergani has been declared a city – builds for the “voters” NHA apartment buildings without facilities, when there are so many other places in town where he could build them. He decided to build on the old Ghica Domain, which I agreed not to reclaim, because it contained all the outbuildings of the mansion where in the meantime they created a social center and a retirement home and a kindergarten.

And now, this is the reward I get for my understanding that I showed to the institutions that captured the land we owned!

Roxana Stan