Despre salvarea istoriei / About saving history

La cateva zile dupa Revelion am poposit intr-o comuna din judetul Suceeava - o comuna unde se gasesc extrem de multe vestigii vechi, din epoca lui Alexandru cel Bun, Stefan cel Mare, si Petru Rares. Cladirea cea mai veche - ruinele unei catedrale catolice din 1410 - o cunosc de mult timp. Pana acum un an, oile taranilor se plimbau printre ruine si balarii ; ici-colo era cate un fragment de arhitectura gotica ; era practic retrocedat naturii. Un fragment m-a impresionat in mod special. Inca vizibil dupa cateva secole era un blazon pe o piatra masiva cazuta. Posibil data chair din epoca in care aceasta comuna era mare targ si capitala Moldovei. Oricum, vroiam extrem de mult sa o car de-acolo si sa o pun undeva unde s-ar pastra mai bine. Poate un muzu sau, daca nu intereseaza pe nimeni, in colectia personala. Bine inteles, n-am facut asa ceva.

Candva in 2010 totul s-a curatat si pe langa ruine a fost amenajat un mic parc, cu lumini, banci, cosuri de gunoi, etc. Din pacate, mult (incluziv blazonul...) a si disparut, banuiesc iremediabil. Desi fara discutie arata mai civilizat, constat cu parere de rau ca o bucata de istorie s-a pierdut.

Ce legatura are asta cu vehicule istorice? Pur si simplu, salvati tot ce puteti! Ce e mai rar trebuie cumparat si sau restaurat sau conservat. Altfel va disparea... In cel mai rau caz, cine gaseste ceva interesant trebuie sa dea sfoara in tara: pe strada X se gaseste automobil marca Y si proprietarul sta la etajul N... Am avut o surpriza placuta anul asta afland ca inca mai exista cel putin trei exemplare de autocamioneta Dacia 1302, un model pe care eu personal il credeam disparut. Toate trei sunt in circulatie dar in stare precara. Se pot reface relativ usor. Daca cineva nu pune mana pe asa ceva, azi-maine va fi doar o amintire. Deja destule modele autohtone sunt mai rare decat Aston-Martin, Rolls Royce, sau Bentley. Am face bine sa nu pierdem si mai mult decat s-a dus deja.


Just after the New Year I visited a small village in the North of Romania filled with historic monuments from the fifteenth and sixteenth centruies. The oldest building - the ruins of a 1410 Gothic cathedral - I know from quite some time ago. Up until last year, the place had practically been reclaimed by nature, with sheep wondering among the ruins and fallen masonry among the weeds. The most impressive piece was an massive piece of masonry with a weathered crest carved on it, possibly from the days when the village was an important market town and indeed the Moldavian capital. I would have loved to remove that piece from the grounds of the cathedral and preserved it, either in a museum or if necessary in my own personal collection.

Some time last year, however, the whole complex had been cleaned up, sanitised, and turned into a little park. And a lot has disappeared. including the shield. Without a doubt, it looks more civilised, but a lot of history has disappeared.

What link does this have with saving historic vehicles? Put simply, if you see something you like, get it, restore it, or if you can't restore it at least preserve it. Otherwise, it will disappear... In the worst case, simply let others know: on street X there is a Y, and the owner lives on the nth floor... This year I found out that of a model I had believed extinct (the Dacia 1302 truck) there are still three running, all in precarious condition but all still there and restorable. But unless someone does get one and look after it, within a few years they will doubtlessly have been crushed. We already have a situation where certain Romanian-made vehicles are rarer than Aston Martins, Bentleys, or Rolls-Royces. We would do well to make sure they don't all die out.