BORSEC, A BITTER MEMORY! Cover Image

BORSEC, O AMINTIRE AMARÃ!
BORSEC, A BITTER MEMORY!

Author(s): Niculae Grama, Robert Negru
Subject(s): Architecture, Preservation, Tourism
Published by: Editura Universitară “Ion Mincu”
Keywords: Borsec; balneal resort; tourism; villas / buildings; decay; ruin; building rehabilitation; building renewal; revitalisation; building rescue;

Summary/Abstract: The image of the resort changed radically in the last 15 years. Most of the villas, conceived in a unitary architectonic style, with delicate laced wood front decorations, became as „ghosts” claiming the right to be recognized. From 1937 – when the International Balneology Congress took place in Borsec – to today, the huge difference shows helplessness and most of all, indifference. Sixty years after, this successful interwar resort is facing an accelerated decay and finally, an imminent collapse. The decay of the buildings (as shown below), caused by their old age and by the gaps in the legislative system contributed to the disappearance of tourism; its regeneration is essentially connected to the clarification of the property regime, to the efficient rehabilitation of buildings – of course, those that can still be saved and, obviously, by supplementing the deficit in housing through new ones in accordance with the specificity of the area. Hesitant, disparate and yet real, some signs of revitalisation can be seen. After almost 3 years from the last visit in 2007, some buildings are in a process of “restauration”, or rather a repair process. It’s the case of the facilities in Source no. 3 and no. 4, as well as the Villa no. 46 in process of restauration. This might be the starting point for the awaited revival. The stoic existence of some of the villas, as well as the stubborn fluidity of the mineral springs, captured and indexed in the past century, assures the continuity of these places. The intention of the authors is to bring the matter to the attention of the public before it becomes too late, so that the return to normality can be made: the reintroduction of Borsec in the international balneal tourist circuit.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 143-156
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: English, Romanian
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