(Hi)stories and Reconciling Memories. The German and Romanian Communities of Sântana

On 25 November 2010, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile, in collaboration with the Faculty of Political Science within the University of Bucharest, opened the photographic exhibition entitled (Hi)stories and Reconciling Memories. The German and Romanian Communities of Sântana.

The exhibition was based on the field researches which took place in the interval July-August 2010 in Sântana (Arad County). It aimed to explore, from an ethnographic and historical point of view, the dominant ethnic communities of Sântana, that is, the German and the Romanian one, and to present documents of the different stages within the solving of the ethnic conflict that arose in the region in the aftermath of 1945. The tradition, the history and the stories of this mixed community were rendered through pictures within personal archives, present-day photographs and interview fragments.

The exhibition was displayed at the Institute for Political Research in the interval 25 November-17 December 2010.

The project benefited by the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Grigore Gafencu. A Destiny

In the interval 15-30 November 2010, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile in collaboration with the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and the Diplomatic Archives Section within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs organized the exhibition entitled Grigore Gafencu. A Destiny, at the Museum of the City of Bucharest.

The exhibition aimed at presenting the contribution of the diplomat Grigore Gafencu in the forming of the Romanian democratic exile, insisting on the dramatic moments of his life and his career as well. Audio recordings of his broadcastings with Radio Free Europe were also made available for the large public, together with a display of personal objects pertaining to his diplomatic activity.

The exhibition was organized in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the National Archives of Romania, The Museum of the City of Bucharest, the National Cinematography Centre – the National Film Archives, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Romanian Cultural Institute.

IICCMER exhibition: June 1990, 13^th-15^th. Crime Scene Investigation

The story we are about to tell you is not a pretty one. As you enter the exhibition in the University Passage (June 12th – 27th, 2010), be prepared to hear about lies, violence, hatred, and dead bodies.

Twenty years ago, Bucharest was the scene of unconceivable violence, which the postcommunist power perpetrated against hundreds of Romanian and foreign citizens. On June 14th, 1990, thousands of miners from Jiu Valley arrived in the capital. Armed with hammers and iron rods, they were incited by the Romanian authorities to beat, to humiliate, to rob and to rape hundreds of students, teachers, open opponents of the regime, artists, pensioners, tourists, passers-by. Ethnic Romanians, Roma people, Hungarians and even foreign tourists were all abused. After the carnage, the officials acknowledged only six deaths. Only months later, some of the arrested people have been freed. They were not paid any physical and moral reparations.

More details

The exhibition entitled Common Denominator: Death

The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile, the National History Museum of Transylvania – Cluj-Napoca, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Romanian Peasant’s Museum, supported by Projects Abroad and the National Council for Studying the Securitate Archives, are presenting the exhibition entitled Common Denominator: Death. The event is organised as a result of the ten field campaigns undertaken in order to exhume the remains of the opponents of the communist regime who were swiftly executed by the Securitate in the interval 1948-1952.

These actions were initiated as a result of the petitions sent to the IICCR by the opponents’ descendants and took place in the interval 2007-2009. The cases presented within the exhibition refer to 17 persons who were executed (most often shot to death). Their remains were traced and exhumed by means of archaeological methods in Hălmăsău, Nepos (Bistriţa-Năsăud County), Glodghileşti, Băieşti (Hunedoara County), Odoreu (Satu Mare County), Teregova (Caraş-Severin County), Muşca, Sălciua, Câmpeni (Alba County), Sântejude Vale (Cluj County).  In the foregoing locations the victims were buried either in individual graves (Glodghileşti, Satu Mare, Băieşti, Sălciua, Câmpeni, Sântejude Vale) or in mass graves of two victims (Hălmăsău/location 2, Teregova), three victims (Nepos) or four victims (Hălmăsău/location 1).

The exhibition “Common Denomintor: Death” was presented at Charles University in Prague, between 22 february - 5 march 2010, during the fourth edition of the “Mene Tekel” International Festival. The exhibition was organized in partnership with the Romanian Embassy in the Czech Republic and The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes from the Czech Republic.