Blazonry House in Chiojdu, Buzau, Romania

Blazonry House

• On a hill that dominates the whole area, in the center of the Chiojdu village, in Buzau country, Romania, is a manor house made in traditional style
• The house was built in the 17th century by free peasants called Mosneni, who owned large plots of land. They used a special material and a special technique for decorations, as well as wooden elements made in traditional ways. The Mosneni were free peasants who were allowed to own land.
• What sets it apart, even more, is one of the three coats of arms, representing the double-headed eagle, the last coat of arms of the famous Romanian princely family Cantacuzino.

Union of Architects in Romania

• The property was purchased for 35,000 Euros. For the administration of the building and for the whole endeavor related to the urgent conservation, access to funds, design, etc., the former owner, Florin Dragulin, was hired by UAR.
• Arch Calin Hoinarescu put together the file for the change of the B to A listing monument, in order to facilitate the obtaining of the European funds needed for consolidation and restoration of the house. Consultants were asked to draw up fundraising files.
• The building dates back to 1823.
• The cellar is made of massive stone on which the ground floor is built of a load-bearing wall system, all resistance frames are made of solid oak wood combined with stone and brick. It is a system so strong that for several decades it rained in it, the roof fell, but the walls remained, Florin Dragulin, former owner says (agerpres.ro).
• On April 27, 2012, the Union of Architects in Romania (UAR), as a beneficiary, signed with the Managing Authority – the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism – the financing contract for the implementation of the project entitled Consolidation, restoration and functional remodeling of the Blazonry House, Chiojdu Commune, Buzau County.
• In 2014, the building restoration was concluded and the furnishing was initiated. Also, the construction of the information center was started and the realization of the external arrangement. A collection of objects and testimonies of local civilization was also initiated.
• The house looks like an Oltenian chateau, but it has a unique architecture. It is a massive house, probably conceived as a defense, which is why it is assumed that it has housed a garrison for a period of time, former owner says (agerpres.ro)

Original piece restored

The project is seen as a regional development priority, highlighting the tourist potential of the region. The project will develop a wide range of goods and services subsequently acquired by tourists and travel companies, including goods and services produced by other economic fields(trade, construction, transport, food, small and craft industries).Blazon representing the bicephalic eagle, a symbol of the basilicas, the last of the Cantacuzins in Romania, on the wall at the main entrance of the Blazonry House, in Chiojdu commune, Buzau County.

The Cultural Center was inaugurated in June 2016. Once the restoration process was completed, the House was open for visitors

“If it had not been taken over by the Union of Architects in Romania, this monument of traditional Romanian architecture would have disappeared”, Florin Dragulin, former owner and current custodian says.

Sources: www.romania-insider.com,  www.wikipedia.org,  www.uniuneaarhitectilor.ro/casa-cu-blazoane,  artsandculture.google.com