Major cultural investment program of over EUR 262 million announced for historical monuments in Romania

Minister of Culture Raluca Turcan recently revealed that the Government has greenlit a new investment initiative named “Cultural Foundations.” This program, proposed by the Ministry of Culture, aims to preserve significant historical landmarks and construct new cultural edifices. Turcan emphasized that the investments will be sourced from funds acquired from the Council of Europe Development Bank and domestic finances. The total net cost of the project is estimated at around EUR 262 million, inclusive of project management expenses, along with applicable taxes and fees within Romania.

The approved project, prepared together with the Ministry of Finance, entails investments in objectives such as the Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, the National Opera, the Romanian Athenaeum, and other buildings across the country. The investments will be made from funds contracted from the Council of Europe Development Bank and national funds.

The list of investments announced by the Minister of Culture includes:

Construction of a new building wing for the Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History in Bucharest.
Complete restoration and modernization of the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest, along with the construction of a scenery depot.
Restoration and arrangement of the Constantin Brâncuși National Museum in Târgu-Jiu.
Restoration of the Batthyaneum Library in Alba Iulia, a branch of the National Library of Romania.
Strengthening, restoration, and arrangement of the headquarters of the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest.
Partial interior restoration and refurbishment of installations at the Romanian Athenaeum.
Restoration and arrangement of Queen Maria’s Villa in Mamaia, Constanța County, including the surrounding land.
Restoration and valorization of the estate (museum-house, chapel, and annexes) in Tescani, Bacău County – the “Dumitru and Alice Rosetti-Tescanu-George Enescu” Section of the “George Enescu” National Museum.
Strengthening and restoration of the Samurcaș House within the Romanian Peasant Museum.
Restoration and valorization of the Cucuteni Archaeological Site Museum – “Moldova” National Museum Complex in Iași.
Strengthening, restoration, and arrangement of the architect Paul Gottereau’s Villa – a cultural space of the National Institute of Heritage in Bucharest.
Restoration and arrangement of the Transylvanian History National Museum in Cluj-Napoca.
Strengthening, restoration, and arrangement of the headquarters of the National Cultural Fund Administration in Bucharest.

“Currently, three projects funded through three loans contracted by Romania from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEDB), totaling EUR 410.4 million, are being implemented by the specialized structure of the Ministry of Culture. The objectives of these projects include the restoration and reconstruction of objects classified as historical monuments of national importance and buildings of cultural interest. Among these, works of consolidation and restoration for 13 historical monuments have already been completed (including the Palace of Culture in Iași, the National Art Museum – Royal Palace, the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theatre in Iași, the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum, the Blue House – Sibiu, the Romanian Peasant Museum, etc.), as well as construction and/or rehabilitation works for the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre – Bucharest, the National Library, and the Hungarian Theatre in Cluj,” according to the memorandum entitled “Principle Agreement on Contracting a Loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank for the Project ‘Cultural Foundations,’ which aims to preserve historical monuments and construct buildings for cultural purposes.”

The cited source also states that “the cultural sector continues to require urgent investments, especially for large-scale constructions in precarious conditions and impossible to finance from non-reimbursable sources due to the limitation of the amount that can be accessed and/or due to the cumulative non-fulfillment of the conditions required by the applicant’s guide.”