Doua bijuterii pierdute / Two lost jewels

Recent a aparut pe Facebook o pagina extrordinara, Romania in negru pe alb, sub initiativa dlui Florin Cicos, un vechi colaborator. E o rezursa minunata cu sute de fotografii de exceptie, toate din Romania, cu tema automobilistica. Nu pot sa il recomand destul.

Printre poze apare un Lorraine-Dietrich din 1907 in fata unei cladiri care mi se parea cunoscuta. Un Google rapid imi confirma ca am dreptate: este vorba de conacul Hagi Tudorache din Gradistea, judetul Ilfov, construit in 1896. Una din cele mai somptuoase conace din Tara Romaneasca, cu un interior superb care supravietuise in intregime pana acum vreo 10 ani ... dupa care, caramida cu caramida, cladirea s-a distrus, unrmand a fi demolata complet in 2013. In prezent a ramas o anexa si o gramada mica de moloz. Iar Lorraine-Dietrich a disparut si el in ceata istoriei.

In lista de proprietari de automobile din acea perioada, nu apare niciun Tudorache, Theodoraki, sau alte varatii al numelui. Deci probabil era masina unei rude sau unui musafir. Ramanem doar cu o poza foarte valoroasa, de interes atat pentru iubitorii de istorie sau arhitectura cat pentru pasionati de automobilimsul romanesc.

Recently Florin Cicos, an old contact, has set up a fantastic page called Romania in black and white. It's a superb resource of old photos, all from Romania, all with a motoring theme. I can't recommend it enough.

Among the images is this 1907 Lorraine-Dietrich in front of a building which seemed familiar to me. A quick Google proved my hunch was correct: this is the old Hagi Tudorache manor from Gradistea, Ilfov, built in 1896. One of the most sumptuous manors of Wallachia, with a superb interior which had survived complete until about ten years ago .... after which, brick by brick, it was destroyed, with the final demolition happening in 2013. Currently, an annexe remains alongside a small pile of masonry. The Lorraine-Dietrich is of course long disappeared in the mists of history.

No Tudorache (or any variant spellings) appears in the lists of vehicle owners published in that period. So it was probably the car of a guest or a relative. All that remains is a very valuable photograph, of interest both for lovers of architecture and history as well as people interested in Romania's motoring past.

More: here and here.