Lideri culturali ardeleni şi modernitatea unor concepte de protejare a bunurilor culturale (1940-1945)
Leading Intellectuals of Transylvania and the Modernity of Their Interest in the Protection of the National Heritage (1940-1945)

Summary/Abstract: In keeping with his previous scientific interests in promoting the Romanian national heritage, the author of the present paper has taken advantage of new documents found in archives in order to discuss the efforts made by some leading intellectuals from Transylvania to protect the national heritage during the 5th decade of the 20th century. In fact, ever since the 1930s, academics from Cluj (Romulus Vaida, Coriolan Petran etc.) took an interest in heritage protection and were supported by the activity of the local university and other relevant institutions. During the 1940s, the leading figure among the intellectuals from Transylvania who were involved in heritage protection was professor Constantin Daicoviciu. Aided by specialists working in several museums from Transylvania, professor Daicoviciu became involved in actions of reclaiming and protecting cultural goods at a time when Romania fought in WW II. The new and very interesting documents which we have found in archives (and which are published in the addenda accompanying this article) have allowed us to discuss the following issues: the organizational and administrative difficulties of the Museum of Alba Iulia (of which we learn from a letter written by its director, professor Ioan Berciu, on January 16th 1941); Octavian Floca’s opinion on the real estate belonging to the Museum of Deva (a report written on January 18th 1941); the opinions expressed by Marius Moga, a specialist working at the Museum of Timişoara, on the selfsame museum (reports written on June 9th and 15th 1941); Romulus Vuia’s letter to Mihai Antonescu (June 21st 1941) in which he discussed the financing of the Etnography Museum and the National Park from Cluj etc. The same efforts for protecting the national heritage were directed towards the fine arts, in particular those which were traditional for the Romanian people. In this respect, the author of the present paper would like to draw attention to a very interesting study by Traian Bilţiu-Dăncuş, Memoriu asupra problemelor de organizare ale Artelor Plastice în Transilvania şi mai ales în Transilvania de Nord. Traian Bilţiu-Dăncuş discusses the following main issues: the need to make an inventory of, and to preserve, the folk art heritage; the relationship between folk art and high art; the activity of the Academy of Fine Arts from Cluj; the importance of religious and artistic education; the organization of artistic workshops in areas which were geographically and historically significant (The Apuseni Mountains, Maramureş, Ţara Oltului, Hunedoara); the historical and aesthetic relevance of Romania’s museums etc.

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