Mihai Dim. Sturdza

ZN- mai 2012

SAVOIR FAIRE

Aristocraţie, poveşti şi totuşi istorie

Volumele masive par o lectură imposibilă, doar par astfel.

Mihai Dim. Sturdza

Este strănepot al lui Mihail Vodă Sturdza, domnitor al Moldovei. Academia Mihăileană  purta numele ctitorului.  Bunica paternă, Olga Sturdza   a făcut şi sculptură, cu destul succes. Totuşi Mihai Dim. Sturdza s-a născut la Bucureşti. Bunicul matern a construit celebra casă care îl are acum proprietar pe dl. G. Becali.

Născut în 1934 într-o familie istorică, bogată, cultivată, părea că va avea o viaţă uşoară. N-a fost aşa.  Arestat la 18 ani, este deţinut politic pînă în 1954, devine student  al  Universităţii bucureştene, este învăţător la o şcoală sătească şi mai apoi traducător  în Bucureşti.  Stabilit în Franţa în 1963, diplomat al Institutului de Ştiinţe Politice din Paris,  devine  interpretul oficial pentru limba română al preşedinţilor Franţei pînă în 1986 cînd  se alătură echipei de redactori ai postului de radio Europa Liberă .   Soţia sa vine din vechea aristocraţie franceză.

 Se stabileşte în România în 1991 şi începe marea aventură, după atîtea altele, mari şi ele, marea aventură  a acestei cărţi.

Ce este genealogia ?

Nu mai ştiu cine spunea că majoritatea dintre noi ne ştim strămoşii pînă la 2-3 generaţii în urmă. Dacă am fi fost în Imperiul Britanic ne-am fi putut reconstitui genealogia din arhive. La noi  arhivele păstrează urmele mai ales ale familiilor boiereşti, astfel că acestea îşi pot reconstitui arborele genealogic pentru mult mai multe generaţii în urmă. Dar la noi e mai greu de reconstuit aceste încrengături genealogice pentru că s-au pierdut foarte multe acte, s-au distrus. De unde nebunia cu proprietăţi revendicate  pe drept sau pe nedrept, cu punerea în posesie şi aşa mai departe. Dacă veţi avea curiozitatea de a citi măcar cîteva poveşti din carte veţi vedea că nimic nu e nou sub soare şi că arghirofilia e probabil unul dintre cele mai vechi păcate.

Cartea

La o masă rotundă întîmplată la Sighet cu ceva timp în urmă , dl. Mihai Dimitrie Sturdza spunea : “Revenind la originile mele sociale, care, în 1945-1946, erau deja socotite de propaganda comunistă drept origine foarte putredă (acesta era termenul), familia mea făcea parte cu multă vizibilitate din ceea ce se numea atunci "bestiile burghezo-moşiereşti".În 1945, moşierimea nu mai era compusă, cel puţin pentru trei sferturi din ea, din ceea ce fusese moşierimea vechiului regim, moşierimea boierească. Boierimea decăzuse, sărăcise sau se consacrase unor profesii liberale, moşiile trecând în mâna clasei noi (aşa cum câteodată spune şi marxismul, când are dreptate). Se ridicase burghezia, foştii arendaşi luaseră locul vechilor moşieri. Mai rămăseseră, totuşi, destule familii, printre care şi a mea, proprietară, printre altele, în 1907, a celebrului domeniu de la Flămânzi, unde a izbucnit răscoala. Atunci, proprietari erau bunicii mei, proaspăt căsătoriţi.”

Şi astfel a lămurit lucrurile.  Ca să lămurească toată povestea cu aristocraţia românească, ce familii erau boiereşti şi care nu prea, istoricul Mihai Dim. Sturdza a pornit în lupta cu bibliografia prea stufoasă sau inexistentă, după caz, pentru  a da lucrarea de referinţă care este « Familiile boiereşti din Moldova şi Ţara Românească : enciclopedie istorică, genealogică şi biografică » din care un prim volum a apărut în 2004, iar cel de-al doilea  în   2011, celelalte urmează.

                                                                 

Mariano Fortuny si Venetia

Alaturi de textul din Forbes adaug aici si fotografiile care il ilustreaza .

Fabrica de pe Giudecca are un showroom la intrare.

In gradina interioara se organizeaza vara petreceri,

Inapoi la Palazzo Fortuny,

A short walk and a fête

A short walk and a fête

My hometown Iași is in the North East of Romania. Look on the map Eastern Europe. Quite unknown, is an European town, the last one to the European Union border. It isn’t a metropolis : 300,000 inhabitants, with a first known document attesting the town before year 1400. It is all about history. And culture. We have the first Romanian university, but now they multiplied and the town has a youth vibe we miss during the summer.

 I give you a chance to have a taste of this Iasi I know and love and I take you on a short walk along one street, named after an important Voevod (meaning he ruled the country), Stephen the Great.

So it begins in front of the hotel build by the French architect Gustave Eiffel. Yes, the same as the tower, but built 7 years earlier, in 1882. And as the Americans know already,  Eiffel did the interior structural elements of the Statue of Liberty. Small world, isn’t it? Traian Hotel   is a neoclassical masterpiece and to add more charm to the place, an urban legend says that Greta Garbo stayed here in 1934 with a lover. 

 

And some old photos show how it changed in time.

1890

 

1906

1909

 

1917

 

1936

1942

1969

And if you don’t know or you don’t remember that Romania was a communist country, here it is a photo from 1977 to show a piece of this. On the building you can see the portrait of Nicolae Ceausescu,  the head of the Romanian Communist Party and the Conducator of the country. On the balcony, the speakers,  for celebrating in September 1977 the opening of scholar year. Between them, the man himself, Nicolae Ceausescu and the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party  for Iasi County,meaning that he practically ruled it,  Ion Iliescu, whom will be the first democratic president of Romania  after December 1989.

But let’s enjoy the walk and don’t enter in the politics. The golden rule for a good party is not to talk about religion, politics and money. So, we look along the street  and  at the other end of the street, the Palace of Culture, which just have been restored and has some museums inside. But a visit there maybe another time.

I preferred the view with the  a hundred  years old tile trees, here in 2003.

This building is from the early 20^th century, as the old palace burned several times along centuries, the last terrible one was in 1880.

But you must see the changes outside the palace and how history  is more present you’ll think.

1930 

1943 

A peaceful place, with Germans in town  and cars were requisitioned for the Army and no fuel  for civilians.

Next year the scenery changes

1944

Yes, the front line in the World War II was in my hometown.

But  the Romanians are survivors , when they survive, and they  are looking for beauty in life. You’ll see flowers everywhere and a celebration for life wherever you look. The enjoy walk  includes a short stop to my favorite florist Darlington. It gave me a pink mood, as you can see.

Passing in front of the National Theater, build by two Viennese architects, Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, at the end of the 19^th century after the old  theater burned

And I can saw you an history in images. So, we start with 1900 and how it looked brand new. Look also at the people in the following images. Fashion changes and so does the transport.

1901 

1905 

1910

1915

 

And, as you know now, the Red Army was here  in 1944.

Next building is an old palace transformed in the City Hall.  It was built by  the architect Johann Freywald between 1800-1816, and after the fire destroyed it  in 1827, rebuild  between 1831.  The owner was the Rosetti-Roznovanu family. In the second half of the 19^th century a famous love story marked the place. The beautiful and cultivated bachelor  Nicolae Rosetti-Roznovanu fall in love with Maria, married to a powerful old boyard.  The son from a previous marriage of the husband fight and died for the honor  of the family. After the bloody episode the two lovers could marry, not without difficulties from the head of the Orthodox Church whom had the place just across the street!

Maria Rosetti-Roznovanu as an old woman. 

They sold the building to the Mayor in 1891, and the palace was  used as a Regal residence, and in the World War I as hospital and for the Government, as Romania was partly occupied by Germans and the capital was moved to Iasi.

Across the street, the Mitropolia, where the Mitropolit lives and preys since ever. The Mitropolit is the head of the Orthodox Church for the entire province. Mitropolia is a place of pilgrimage for Christians as Saint Parascheva is here.

1910 

1924 

1941 

 

You can see the actual Church which is a Cathedral and on the left, the building housing the Mitropolit.

Germans on the street.

You can see the Stephan the Great street. The Mitropolia and, near us, a jewel  of architecture, Thei Ierarhi, monastery build in the middle of the 17^th century. The photos was taken in 1944. WWII, Germans.

But we return to the enjoy walk of this day. And I stop in front of something you all will recognize as I think we all have the sin of good chocolate, exceptional Belgian one in this case.

The team.

The event was cover by the talented Gabriel Hritcu. Thank you for the photos.

 In my hometown (you can find it as Jassy or Iassy)  Leonidas celebrates two years. The party was a joy for children and grown ups, with clowns, actors and…chocolate. Exceptionally for the event a ganache with a nut on top. 

I invite you all to visit the place, there are so many things, places and people to discover. Enjoy!

                                                           

I thank Adrian Serghie and his https://www.facebook.com/iasifotografiivechi/  where you   can find more beautiful old photos.

Povestea scurta o gasiti aici http://ralix.ro/ciocolata-leonidas/