fooc a lost city photos of bucharest's past

8/13/2019 FOOC a Lost City Photos of Bucharest's Past

1/6

4 October 2013 Last updated at 23:24 GMT

A lost city: Photos of Bucharest's pastBy Tessa Dunlop Bucharest, Roan!a

"ndre! #andele $as a youn% arch!tect $hen he be%an photo%raph!n% h!s hoe country, Roan!a, !n

the 1&'0s( )!s caera captured a per!od o* hu%e chan%e under coun!st d!ctator +!colae

eausescu( -or soe, h!s stunn!n% photos are no$ a pa!n*ul re!nder o* a t!e o* destruct!on, and a

l!*e lost(

./ts cool / really l!e !t(. Born !n the year o* the 1&& Reolut!on, #aul !s one o* a ne$ %enerat!ono* Roan!ans 5 ult!l!n%ual, $ell5educated and ab!t!ous *or h!s country(

)e !s understandably proud o* the %!ant )ouse o* the #eople, once eausescus palace( "*ter all, !ts

no$ hoe to Roan!as *led%l!n% deocracy and only truped !n s!6e by the #enta%on bu!ld!n% !n

the 78(

9e are hoer!n% !n one o* !ts any a!rless, po!ntlessly lar%e halls, $a!t!n% *or a con*erence on

susta!nable tour!s to *!n!sh !n the neer5end!n% roo net door(

/ dont share #auls sent!ents( The ast slabs o* arble *eel su**ocat!n% 5 $e ay as $ell be stuc

!n the centre o* an outs!6ed $edd!n% cae(


2/6

#hoto%rapher "ndre! #andele !s ephat!c: .The #alace; )a /t !s a $all !n the $ay o* the people( "

da, een(.

From Our Own Correspondent

9e hae et !n a tea shop !n the old


3/6

./ $as an arch!tect,. he epla!ns( ./ could *!nd plans @andA appro!ate $hat they $ould destroy(

+ot eactly, no5one ne$ that( They $ere $!ld, totally out o* control(.

8een s=uare !loetres o* the c!ty centre $ere destroyed to ae $ay *or the #alace o* the #eople(

"ndre! $anted to tae soe p!ctures be*ore old Bucharest d!sappeared alto%ether(

/e been co!n% to Roan!a *or 20 years but / hae neer seen !a%es l!e these(

" c!ty cau%ht !n !ts ery o$n "ra%eddon( "ndre! presered a Bucharest that no lon%er e!sts 5 the

e=u!s!te %lass5coered aret, the arch$ays, cobbled streets, the !ne5clad !llas, the c!ty once

called the .l!ttle #ar!s o* the ast.(


4/6

But !n any o* the p!ctures the !%hty onslau%ht has already be%un 5 !nnuerable cranes che$!n%

the!r $ay throu%h peoples l!es, the *acade o* the cra6y palace loo!n% up oer the threatened

c!tyscape( "nd then, !n soe others, theres Cust sno$ or dust and the desert o* deol!t!on(

+ot a erbose an, !n *ront o* h!s p!ctures, "ndre! becoes alost chatty(

."*ter t$o years o* photo%raph!n% the arch!tectural destruct!on / dec!ded that !t $as ery bad, but !t$as een $orse that they $ere ru!n!n% the l!es o* 22 !ll!on people( 8o / be%an to tae p!ctures o*

eeryday l!*e( / th!n they are uch ore str!!n%(.

The net ser!es o* photo%raphs sho$!n% eeryday l!*e under eaucescu !s l!e a haunt!n% s!lent

o!e( 9e see desolate streets $hen there $as no petrol, =ueues *or *ood that neer cae, tras

straddled by desperate couters, useless cars bur!ed under sno$ and a $edd!n% party p!c!n%

the!r $ay throu%h the streets( +o5one !s s!l!n%(


5/6

/ cant dec!de $h!ch !s ore aston!sh!n% 5 the photo%raphs or the photo%rapher; )o$ d!d he %et

a$ay $!th ta!n% p!ctures $h!ch so openly .den!%rated the soc!al!st real!ty., a cr!e that carr!ed a

s!5year pr!son sentence !n coun!st Roan!a;

"ndre! epla!ns that he $as a part5t!e sports photo%rapher, so he had a state5sanct!oned ecuse to

carry a caera(

"nd he tells e / ust understand the stran%e psycholo%y o* the state pol!ceen: .Tessa, they are

ery a%%ress!e $!th those $ho are a*ra!d, but uch less a%%ress!e $!th people $ho are not at all

a*ra!d( / $as con*!dent( Dont h!de !* you dont $ant to %et cau%ht(.

"ndre!s bra6en beha!our captured a !tal sl!ce o* Roan!as pa!n*ul past(


6/6

et !t too a *ull 1 years be*ore he could sho$ h!s photo%raphs to an aston!shed Roan!an publ!c(

The people !n po$er d!d not $ant to be re!nded o* $hat they had %ot so $ron%( )e had to $a!t(

"ndre! #andele

"ndre! shru%s: ./ hae seen $oen oer 40 eplod!n% !n tears !n *ront o* y photo%raphs, because

they sa$ the!r l!*e had been destroyed, but they real!sed !t 20 years too late( "nd a lot o* teena%ers

lau%hed neurot!cally 5 because they reco%n!sed soeth!n% !n the p!ctures that the!r parents had told

the, but they had neer seen *or theseles(.My youn% *r!end #aul represents the %enerat!on that escaped that hell(

)es s!lenced by "ndre! 5 h!s eper!ence, h!s audac!ty, h!s p!ctures(

Later, as $e $al bac throu%h the centre o* Bucharest, ta!n% !n !ts sch!6ophren!c appearance $!th

*resh eyes, #aul =u!etly concedes: /t isa p!ty eausescu had to bu!ld the palace cople r!%ht !n the

!ddle o* the old c!ty(.

-ro Our O$n orrespondent: L!sten onl!neor do$nload the podcast(

http:EE$$$(bbc(co(uEne$sEa%a6!ne5243>4?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qjlqhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/foochttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24368485http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qjlqhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/foochttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24368485

fooc a lost city photos of bucharest's past

Documents