Description
Wood churches Cizer and Petrindu are part of the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum heritage and are exposed in the open air section of the museum called National Ethnographic Park „Romulus Vuia”. Both churches have extraordinary interior paintings which never had been restored. Restoring these two monuments and extending the visiting circuit of the National Ethnographic Park will lead to an increased number of tourists of the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum. The overall objective of the project is showcasing the historical monuments within the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum - open space section, respectively restoring and conserving the wood churches Cizer and Petrindu, in order to increase tourism attractiveness in Cluj and Transylvania. The target group includes the tourists who could visit the two churhes Cizer and Petrindu, people from the local community, the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum, Cultural NGOs or other specific organizations .The necessity of the partnership derives from the applicant’s need not making just a simple restoration, but carrying it as an urban planning to become sustainable over time.
Summary of project results
“Romulus Vuia” National Ethnographic Park - the first open air ethnographic museum in Romania and the sixth in Europe - was founded on April 12th, 1929, being an integral part of the Transylvanian Ethnographic Museum with a thematic plan drawn from the need to achieve a complex ethnographic museum, where pavilion and outdoor exposure complement each other. The wooden churches Cizer and Petrindu are part of the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum heritage and are exposed in the open air section of the museum called “Romulus Vuia” National Ethnographic Park. The need for the implementation of this project lies in the fact that the two churches, both representative for local spirituality and for Cluj County, were in an advanced state of degradation. The restoration of these monuments and the extension of the viewing circuit of the Ethnographic Park with the church in Petrindu will make it possible to increase the number of visitors to the Transylvania Ethnographic Museum and will lead to a better understanding of the traditional cultural values within the present community. At the same time, there was a need to create additional space for cultural and leisure activities, in order to transform the Ethnographic Park into an attractive objective for cultural activities, events, temporary exhibitions, public activities, various conferences and workshops, traditional fairs and festivals, as well as for family visits and outdoor activities. Both objectives of the project, general and the specific ones, have been achieved through the project's activities in the 29 months of implementation. This was done by restoring both the monument buildings and the interior paintings. The touristic potential of Cluj County, through the rehabilitation of the rehabilitated cultural heritage tour of the Transylvanian Ethnographic Museum, as well as the development of the "Romulus Vuia" Ethnographic Park by expanding the open air section, will increase significantly. The Ethnographic Park will be a place with complex facilities, where the cultural, educational and recreational functions will be harmoniously complemented. The new park will provide the city's tourists and inhabitants with an attractive space where they can connect to the original ethnographic themes but also to develop other innovative active programs.
Summary of bilateral results
The bilateral relations between Romania and Norway have been strengthened throughout the project through the active involvement of Norwegian experts in project activities. Expertise provided by NUDA representatives for urban development and planning has been carried out since the writing of the project because it was intended to promote those methods by which design to generate sustainable urban planning, to create a special place. The Master Plan prepared by the Norwegian experts was the basis for organizing the international solutions contest. The contest organized has generated precious deliverables on how to rearrange the Ethnographic Park. The competition generated a series of documents: the competition theme and rules, the jury report, the competitors' drawings, the announcement of the result of the contest. Regarding the sustainability of the project, the Cluj County Council through the Decision of the County Council no. 206/2016 approved the achievement of the objectives resulting from the international contest for the development of the National Ethnographic Park.