Ambassador for International Cooperation in the Field of Heritage Jean-Luc Martinez, accompanied by the Special Advisor to the Ambassador for Cooperation in the Field of Heritage of France Benoit de Saint-Sham, paid a working visit to Chisinau on March 26.
The French officials met with Minister of Culture Sergiu Prodan and other representatives of the Ministry to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. The dialogue focused on mechanisms for the monitoring and management of immovable cultural heritage, the organization and functioning of relevant institutions, and examples of best practices in the restoration of historic monuments with international support. Problems related to unauthorized interference with cultural heritage were also addressed.
“Cooperation with international experts and access to external sources of funding allow us not only to preserve these monuments, but also to give them a new life, turning them into points of attraction for cultural tourism,” said Moldovan Culture Minister Sergiu Prodan.
The central topic of the visit was the restoration of the city villas of Hertz and Kligman, as well as the Winter Garden in the courtyard. The delegation conducted an on-site inspection to assess the condition of these buildings of historical importance and found that although restoration works had been carried out earlier, they had not been fully realized. The restoration of these monuments requires specialized expertise and significant financial resources.
“We are simply lucky that the so-called “restoration” of the buildings in the 2000s was not completed, otherwise we would have lost the architectural gift left to us by famous Chisinau residents Moses Kligman and Vladimir Herz,” Roman Guniavii, a development specialist, noted on social media. –
In Hertz’s mansion, the “restorers” managed to destroy the stucco and fill everything with concrete. Kligman’s building was saved. The special role of the head of the art museum, Tudor Zbyrnya, is worth mentioning. It was thanks to him that these monuments were saved from destruction.
French experts, together with Moldovan specialists, have started to evaluate the restoration project and the preliminary results will be announced soon.
The delegation also visited the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Causeni, which is a successful example of international cooperation in the field of heritage restoration, thanks to the partnership between the Moldovan government and the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for the Support and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.
The visit also included a tour of the National Art Museum of Moldova, where the French officials witnessed the restoration process of the artistic heritage supported by the Romanian government. The delegation also toured the museum’s warehouses where valuable works of art are stored, discussing methods for their conservation and protection.
During the three days, the delegation visited several cultural and artistic institutions in Moldova, including the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, the Artcor Center, the National Museum of Natural History and Ethnography, Old Orhei, the Bunker Gallery of Contemporary Art, the Casa Zemstvei Cultural Center, and the Constantin Brâncuși Art Gallery in Chisinau.
