Calarasi Municipal Museum
Category Museum
LOCATION
Strada 1 Decembrie 1918 3-5
910040 Calarasi
DESCRIPTION
The Calarasi Municipal Museum is situated in the old Town Hall. The Municipality of Calarasi set up the Municipal Museum in 2014, in the old Municipality building which functioned between 1888 and 2013. The museum was created following local donations and based on the available collections which could be exhibited.[1]
The Municipal Museum has a complex activity going beyond the ordinary museum functions of storing and capitalizing objects through exhibitions or advertising materials. The Municipal Museum is a dynamic museum, a place where leisure time can be enjoyed, reading books and modeling paper objects.[2]
A modeling and pottery workshop was set up from the opening, which was equipped with a pottery wheel, a ceramic burner oven with a capacity of 60 liters and three wheels for training and decoration. The development of this workshop being made following multiple public requests.
The Municipal Museum has become a true landmark in the socio-cultural activity of the Calaraseni community through the multitude and variety of events it has organized or hosted (painting, sculpture, watercolor, photography, musical shows, book launches, literary and extra-curricular activities). It has registered around 3600 visitors since opening.
The top floor houses exhibitions and creative activities. Creative events focus on areas such as drawing, painting, modeling, pottery, glass, paper, photographing, engraving, braiding, making sure not to be restrictive. The floor also operates as a common space, consisting of two rooms - the reading room and the collectors' club. The reading room consists mainly of books donated by the carpathians, as well as the purchase of specialized books necessary for the workshops.
HISTORY
The building was built between1886 and 1887 following the plans made by the architect Ion Socolescu (1856-1924). From January 1, 1888 to early 2013, with small interruptions, it functioned as a Communal Palace, City Hall, Popular Council and again as a City Hall. Since the 19 September 2014, it has been inaugurated as a headquarters for the Municipal Museum. Its exposition follows, through objects, the route followed by the typical member of the community throughout his life. Family is considered to be the place where each of us starts his journey, where we feel best, the environment through which we know ourselves, but also the interface through which we explore the unknown from the outside. The following points on the exhibition are the hairdresser, the school, the corner shop, the café, the cantine, the mayor's office. The novelty of this museum is that the exhibits come from donations from the locals.[3]
From an exhibition point of view, the museum chronologically breaks down the history of the Calarasi starting with the presentation of the archaeological discoveries, by mentioning the first documentary references presenting the moment of the change of status (1833 - the county capital) and the moment of liberation (1852), but also the moments when the entire Romanian people faced difficult moments (The War for Independence, World War I and World War II), ending with the Communist period and the contemporary period. The exhibition space dedicated to the aforementioned is located on the ground floor of the building, in 8 mosaic-equipped rooms.
SITE SIGNIFICANCE
The Municipal Museum has a complex activity going beyond the ordinary museum functions of storing and capitalizing objects through exhibitions or advertising materials. The Municipal Museum is a dynamic museum, a place where leisure time can be enjoyed, reading books and modeling paper objects.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The museum is opening from 09:00 to 17:00 every working day
OTHER INFORMATION
The museum is listed on the Historic Monuments List. Calarasi is the administrative centre of the county with the same name. Calarasi is known for its food industry, the melamine chip industry, the steel industry, the paper industry and the prefabricated industry.
CLASSIFICATION
Historical site
[1] Muzeul Municipal Călăraşi
https://audiotravelguide.ro/muzeul-municipal-calarasi-calarasi/
[2] Muzeul Municipal Călăraşi îşi pune amprenta în lumea culturală a urbei, 2018
[3] Muzeul Municipal Calarasi, https://www.facebook.com/pg/MuzeulMunicipalCalarasi/about/?ref=page_internal