SUMMARY

 

The release of the navigation in the Danube in 1856 resulted the beginning of the reactivation of the commerce through the Black Sea and the flourishing of the area of Dogrogea and primarily of the cities-ports Brăila, Constanţa, Tulcea, and also the trading post of Galati. In these areas-cities Greeks had an important role in the financial –business/ commercial- and social activities. Thus they financed and erected churches, schools, foundations for the public, they created businesses -such as printing offices, industries, workshops, banks, shipping agencies- they built houses with remarkable quality, interesting architecture and important contribution in the urban scene.
In those trading posts, where Greeks rose to prominence, in the areas of Dogrogea and Moldova, where the transfers of architectural standards from the Asia Minor or the Aegean or Ionian islands create trends and influences in the architectural expression, it seems primarily that neoclassicism prevails. At the same time, elements that derive from authentic prototypes of eclecticism and renaissance appear. Moreover, the majority of the facets of those buildings is influenced by the rigid geometry of the traditional classicism, with the division of the facet in three parts and the arrangement of the apertures in vertical axes. This simply three-part structure, with the main entrance and the balcony on the first floor, is, especially for the residential buildings, a primary and repeated type, which was conserved in the area until the beginning of the 20th century.
On the other hand, the Greek presence in Transylvania and the activation of the Greek merchants through companies in the terrestrial commerce of Central and Southeast Europe, had, as a result, the concession of several benefits. In Brasov and in Sibiu, the evidence of the Greek presence, as it arrives to the present times through the architectural reserve, is mainly detected in churches, schools, and private buildings –houses or commercial settlements- in prominent locations, of central parts of the cities. It is remarkable that in the cities of Transylvania or Banat – Orsova, Timisoara, Drobeta Turnu Severin, the Greek population assimilates socially to the local one, in an attempt of unity around the commercial firms-companies. This attempt is demonstrated also through architectural expression. 
In Valahia and especially in Bucharest, the architectural heritage that is related to the Greek presence is represented with a pluralism of forms and types. This could be interpreted in various ways: the continuity of byzantine inheritance, expressed through churches and public utility institutions/ building complexes of the fanariot era (schools, caravanserais, libraries, hospitals), but also buildings related to the businesslike activities of Greeks (banks, commercial stores), which are assimilated in the multi-collective architectural expression of the capital, but also private houses, either in a neo-Romanian style, or in a neo-classical and eclectical morphology. In every way the apparitors of Greek origin does not seem to have searched for Greek architects or constructors.
Today, in an attempt to interpret the urban space as our reference area, we find various architectural forms and types that Greeks used as a means of expression. The Greeks were adapted in the local society, but were also pioneers in the acceptance and in the use of new styles in architecture. However, it does not seem that they differentiated their own status.                          
The volume: “Routes and Junctions of Commerce and Culture in the Balkans. Enhancement and promotion of the Greeks’ cultural monumental heritage” is the first phase of the homonymous research program, which is elaborated through an interstate scientific collaboration with Romania, with the initiative of Greece, which has the general coordination. The financial support of the research was undertaken by the Greek Ministry of Macedonia – Thrace. Moreover, the financing of the implementation of the project was made by several sponsoring. The first phase of the program, that is already completed, is focused on the geographical area of Romania and is about the in situ research (research for archives, bibliography, photographs, designs), the registration and the codification of the material/ data and the reaching to conclusions. This research material is the exact content of the present volume, in which the monumental residential reserve of Greek interest is presented. This reserve is located in eight typical cities: Bucharest, Brăila, Galati, Constanţa, Brasov, Sibiu, Tulcea and Turnu Severin. In total there have been recorded and presented 189 buildings and architectural complexes, architecturally and historically documented, which are related to the economic and social activity of Greeks in the cities mentioned above.   
In the research and towards the completion of it, several scientists from the collaborative academic institutions of both countries participate. That is to say the University of Western Macedonia – Department of Balkan Studies, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Department of History and Archaeology, The Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning of Bucharest, the Craiova Academic Institute of Romania.  
The historic and geographic context but also the architectural and urban analysis are made by the writers of the present volume: Dr Architect Eleni G. Gavra, Lecturer in the University of Western Macedonia – Greece, scientific responsible and coordinator of the whole effort, describes the historic framework, presenting trade and culture as major factors for the  ekistics evolution and architectural typology at the aforementioned urban regions; methodological context of the project are also presented by her. Assistant Professor PhD Iakovos Michailidis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Greece) refers to the Greeks of Romania, focusing in the historic period from 17th to 20th century. Professor PhD Peter Derer (“Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban Planning of Bucharest) outlines the presence of the Greeks diachronically in Romania, relating to the architecture and the layout of the cities in various historical periods. Dpl Architect Adrian Florin Balteanu (“Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban Planning of Bucharest) studies and documents the Greek presence in Bucharest through the research of this specific architectural reserve. Ioana Lupoaie (Dpl Architect, MSc Urban Planner, assistant in the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urban Planning, Bucharest) researches and analyzes the architectural heritage that is relevant to the presence of Greeks in Brăila and Galati. Octavia Stepan (Dpl Architect, MSc Urban Planner, PhD Student Ion Mincu), studies the Greek presence in the cities of Constanţa and Tulcea, through their urban layout, but also through the architecture of specific buildings. Lecturer PhD Ciprian Lucreţius N. Suciu (Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini – Greece), in collaboration to the Dpl Architect (MSc Urban Management) Raluca Popa from Romania, study and analyze the position and the relationships of the Greek merchandisers in the economical and social life of Sibiu, through the local history and architecture. Architect Raluca Popa also studies and presents the architecture that is relevant to presence of Greeks in the commercial and economical activity in Brasov. Finally, Dr Paula Scalcau, Professor in Craiova Academic Institute of Romania, presents the results of a long research about the Greeks of Romania, recording their presence in Turnu Severin, through the urban layout and architecture that is mainly relevant to the activities of Greeks in the commercial and business sector.   
The cities that were chosen to be presented in the first phase do not completely cover the whole of the recorded Greek presence in Romania. However, it is considered that these eight cities are typical, especially relatively to the historic “quest” of Greeks merchants and entrepreneurs in their terrestrial and seaworthy routes.
The presentation of each city follows the same methodological type. First there is a small introduction that records the most important historic events/ facts that influenced the city and also records the connection of the Greek presence to those events/ facts. Then, there is the thorough presentation of the buildings, in a form of organized and systematic cards. In these cards, there are presented elements of the identity of each building, its history, its exact place, its plans and/ or its photographs, and extra information about its present condition, preservation and use. The architectural monograph of each city is completed with the presentation of the bibliography and the sources of the research and also with tables/ indexes of the most important personalities among the Greeks that participated in the economic and social activity of the city.
In total, for the eight cities 141 buildings and complexes were researched and are presented thoroughly in cards. Of these, 82 are houses, 23 are public buildings, 27 are commercial / trading buildings and 8 are single monuments. Of all those buildings, 56 of them are today characterized as monuments by the Romanian State and are registered in the Romanian catalogues of national monuments. Many of the buildings are used today as private houses. Moreover it must be mentioned that 17 of them are Greek churches that are preserved and are used by the local Greek Communities.        

The purposes of this study are to explore how the architecture and urban design in the cities of Romania was influenced by the Greek culture and civilization, and also to find the extents of this influence. 
On a theoretical level, such an influence could be exercised in different ways: a) directly, by the thorough achievement of the architectural or urban projects using labor human forces trained according to the Greek civilization and culture, or b) indirectly by mediators or intervenes.
In the direct case, the demand, the finances, the legal frame, the project designers (especially), the enterprise, the materials etc, are only related to certain members of the Greek community or to some professionals of other ethnic origin, but familiar to the Greek civilization/ culture. In the second case, in the materialization of the final architectural/urban project those members are involved in specific parts of the construction process (due to the lack of designing process), while the rest of the construction process is done by professionals of other ethnic origin, non-familiar to the Greek civilization/ culture. 
There are different levels of Greek influence on the Romanian territories of: there is the one that results from the primary source of civilization/ culture, there is the one that derives from a secondary source, and there is the level that has a descendant character.
Through a complex, parallel evolution, with some homogeneity compound values between autochthon and immigrant communities, the presence in architectural/urban field of the Greek (direct or indirect) influence varies to the historic period, but generally following a descendent path from the importance point of view.
Here are exemplified some historic periods and their Greek (direct or indirect) influence.
The Antiquity illustrates almost perfectly the direct influence through the integral transfer: the Black Sea Greek cities were the complex product of the will to colonize new territories, with financial resources, organization models, trained work force and property forms of East Mediterranean Shore Greek communities. The image and the structure of these port cities and their public buildings, even being good chances for the case of the land around the cities with which they were related, weren’t too different from the Greek ones, and less different from the East Mediterranean ones. Another form of transfer is recorded in the same period by the participation of the Greek constructors, employed or enslaved, to the fortified towns in the capital region of Dacia.
The Fanariotes[1] rulers influenced only indirectly the architectural and urban production through juridical acts, donations to the churches and church construction, etc. The rulers from Mavrocordat, Ipsilanti, Caragea families were fond of fiscal, administrative, hygienic reforms, and there were included soma measures with an urban compound. Except for the religious buildings they distinguished by the activity in the public buildings realm: so inns, hospitals, springs and water pumps were made. A special interest is shown by the rulers and primacies to the education. The 18th century in Transylvania is a period when the Greek immigrants are carefully treated by the imperial court. After the Austrian citizenship was given (1742), in 1777 privileges were given to the Greek traders, showing the desire to attract active and qualified people living in the Ottoman Empire.
In the 19th century, one could say that the Greek presence diminished, but this happened only apparently: many families being naturalized. Their influence was in various economical, scientific, cultural fields. It is also to be underlined that in this century, there were the most examples of direct influence on architecture signed by Andrea Karidis, who rebuilt Bărboi Church in 1841, Ianis Theoharidis, who worked in Constanţa, building the Greek Community Church and School(1867), Avraam Ioannidis, the creator of the cathedral in Brăila 1872 (painted by Belizarie Paraschevopoulos)
In Bucharest is to be mentioned Giovanni Culluri, native from Corfu, architect of the Romanian Railways, Anastasios Metaxas the creator of the iconostasis of Greek Community Church, 1902. The number of Greek designers and craftsmen has to be higher, being considered the specific mark let in some cities, such as Constanţa and Brăila.
After the communism fall in 1989, the new democratic conditions, determined a new blossom in the Romanian Greek Community (which at the 2002 census numbered 6.513 people). In the possibility of the return, even partially, at the previous activity, an important process is the study of this activity evolution, here being included the activity in the architectural and urban fields.

      

BUCHAREST

“The oldest and most numerous references to the ethnical non-native population in Bucharest are about Greeks. They appear many times in the papers of the 16th century, as merchants and craftsmen, buying and selling shops.” After the Fanariotes era[2], it was the interethnic marriages, in the upper and middle classes that determined a decrease in the number of Greeks. Different annual censuses were studied, but no Greek figures in Bucharest were found until the Modern times. The first figures found are from 1898-1899 censuses; there were 1,358 Greeks, about 0.48% of the total population. In 1930 there were 4,293 Greeks, about 0.67% of the total population. In 1966 there were 1,827 Greeks, about 0.13% of the total population. In 1992 there were 935 Greeks, about 0.045% of the total population. The last census results (year 2002) compared to the ones of 1992 show an increase in Greek population (in 2002 there were 1,644 Greeks, about 0.085% of the total population). Many of these Greeks were merchants and craftsmen, according to the references. At the end of the 19th century, the 1898-1899 census recorded 1.358 Greeks living in Bucharest, of whom 665 (629 men and 36 women) were practicing different professions. According to the professions relevant to architecture there were; 2 contractors, 6 builders, 2 dyers, 24 painters, artists and sculptors. No engineers or architects were mentioned. These professions might have been included in the general category “other professions”.   
The working preferences for them are showed by the following figures: 162 bakers and pretzel-like products makers, 100 waiters, 94 unspecialized merchants, the other registered professions counted fewer than 50 persons. The Bucharest study did not get thoroughly into to make an analysis to tell in which professional field was the Greek influence important for any historical period. Instead, there are to be remembered some important personalities, such as Fanariot rulers (e.g. Mavrocordats), state servants (e.g. some Vlasto family members), important merchants and bankers (e.g. some Chrissovelloni family members), important persons for science (e.g. some Hepites family members).
Referring to the object of the study, the Greek presence in architecture, one should emphasize on the very low number of architects/engineers with Greek origins at that time and so it is strongly recommended that further studies must be made on their ethnic origin. Arghir Culina, Giovanni Culluri, Iacob Melic are some of these people. That is the reason why the case study has one or more from the following features: i) a Greek project initiator, ii) strong meaning for the Greek Community, iii) connections that the ideas on which the project lies upon has to the Greek Culture.
According to their original functions, the buildings that have been studied are: one with a diplomatic function (The Greek Embassy), several churches (e.g. The Greek Church, Kalinderu Church, Mavrogheni Church), several buildings housing commercial functions and services (e.g. Hanul cu Tei, a Chrissovelloni Bank building), several buildings that had both commercial and residential functions (e.g. the building owned by Miron S. Vlastos, the building owned by A. Grevanopol), several high society members residences (Prince Calimachi house, Suţu house), and some other houses (e.g. the building owned by Mavrodoli, or the one owned by Sipsomo, or Ferlendis).   
The functions, which appeared in the buildings’ history, are also to be considered. This fact shows the buildings’ affinity to those functions, hence the persistence of some representative values. It even shows the buildings’ ability of being re-used (see the case studies of Hagi-Mosco residence that functioned as the town hall, of the C. Xenocrat Houses which hosted a hospital, of Suţu residence, which became a bank, an office building and finally a museum).
Regarding the style of the buildings, it seems that the Greeks did not disregard any architectural style. There are various case studies representing various architectural styles: Neoclassical (e.g. Greek Church, Chrissovelloni house, Suţu house after 1880’s), Neoromanesque (only one case study, Hepites house from Lascăr Catargiu Bd., but this style has little presence in Bucharest), Neogothical (e.g. Suţu house, Vlasto house), Eclectical (e.g. Xenie house), Art-Nouveau (just stylistical elements at Poulopol house), Neoromanian (Elena Hepites house). There are also buildings with no particular style (e.g. A. Mingopol house). Besides the former Greek School, building which could be considered to have some Modernist features, no Modernistic buildings were identified.
The study presents architectural objects with different spatial and volumetric complexity levels, from the simplest (such as Ferlendis house, with just a ground floor, and a prismatic volume) to Suţu house (with a symmetrical room disposal around a central hall) and to even more complex buildings (such as the Greek School) or to architectural ensembles (such as the Stavropoleos Inn and Church).
Depending on their position in the city, there are buildings situated in the commercial centre (e.g. Stavropoleos Inn and Church, Chrissovelloni Bank building), others situated in the central residential area of the people with a medium and high economical status (e.g. Mavrodoli house, Faranga house), and others situated in the pericentral zone (A. Mingopol house). 
Regarding the importance for the Greek Community, special buildings (such as the Greek Church, the Embassy, the School), but also ordinary buildings and houses were studied.
Also, according to the importance for the city and its main functions, many churches, a hospital, a bank building etc were studied. Finally, the last case studies presented some funeral constructions and monuments.

 

BRAILA

In the city of Brăila grew the biggest and most important Hellenic Community in Romanian area, constituted in the second part of the 15-th century. In 1829 the number of Greek ships represented the 27 to 48 percent of the general commercial movement of Galati and Brăila harbors.
The Filemboric Bank – which was established in 1845 – was the first bank with commercial benefits in Braila, founded by five Greeks (Nicolaos Armelinos, Hristoforos Petalas, Dionisios Karussos, Ioannis Faragas and Anastasios Armelinos).
In the local monographs there are two references about areas where the Greek population was situated in the city. One is referring to the wealthy Greeks that lived in Belvedere quarter, near the Greek Church until 1950. The other reference is about another quarter named Carachiu, near the Administrative Palace towards Danube, from Călăraşi Boulevard to Cuza Boulevard. This part of the city was populated mostly by Greeks but it was considered a quarter of bad fame.
The first mention of Greeks in Brăila city is dated around the 15th century. In 1453 there were various ships from Greece and Constantinople. The primary domain of activity for Greeks was commerce, carrying on an old tradition, but there were also ship owners, dealers, salesmen, commercial and administrative officials, artisans, teachers, doctors and lawyers. In 1815 the majority of Greek merchants originated from Heptanes (Corfu, Paxous, Lefkas, Ithaca, Cephalonia, Zante and Kithira) settled down in the ports of Danube, in Galati and Brăila. At that time there were numerous private schools teaching in Greek language. Moreover in 1832 the National Public School of Brăila was built-up on a property of Athanasios Xenocratis, with financial support of many Greeks that lived in Brăila. After 1836 and “Porto Franco” declaration, the city had a large economical development, due to intensive commercial activity in the harbor. The new opportunities attracted foreign merchants, turning Brăila into a multiethnic community. At the same time, the permission to foreigners to buy properties for residential purposes led to an increase of Greek population.
The most important built objectives related to Greeks in Brăila are situated in the central area of the city. The Greek Church was built around 1863 - 1872 by the Hellenic Community with funds of its own, raised by parishioners, donations and inheritances. The architect of the Church was Abraham Ioannidis who gave to it a spectacular Byzantine-gothic form.
The former Greek Theatre, today “Maria Filloti” Theatre, had the assumed function of “The Club of Ioannis Rallis”. In the 19th century, the need for cultural expression of the population materialized by inviting well known artists who performed in various saloons. The theater was built around 1850 and for eight years it co-functioned as a theatre, hotel, club, restaurant, cinema, beerhouse, summer arena, confectionery and various shops. Finally, in 1858 it became the actual theatre.
The building of the Museum of Brăila, known as the French Hotel and Armelin Casino was built in 1856. The first owner was the Chapman Nicolaos Armelinos from the Filemboric Bank.
The House of Art Collections from Brăila, named Embericos House, is a monument of modern architecture, built in 1912 and designed by the architect I.L. Predinger. The building was the residence of a ship owner named Leonidas Embiricos. The famous Greek poet Adreas Embiricos –son of Leonidas Embiricos- was born here. After 1991 it functioned as an area for temporary but extended exhibitions and since 2001 it houses The Cultural Centre Nicăpetre.
The former Greek School was raised by Community in 1925 and now functions as General School No 5 in Brăila. Other renowned schools are the Private Greek Institute “Gh. D. Hrisochoidis” founded in 1882 and a School for Boys, which was built in 1890 and today is proclaimed as a historic architectural monument. The Hellenic Community also built “St. Spiridon” Hospital by its own funds as the Primary Communal School in 1923.
The high-scope mills and factories in Brăila were built at the end of the 19-th century by the Greeks Lychiardopoulos, Violatos, Abatis Valerianos, Millas, Serafidis, Giorgiadis and Melisaratos brothers. The last ones owned the most important factory in the country.

 

GALATI

The first mention of the Greeks in Galati is dated around the 14-16th century. At that time the city was the most important harbor in Moldova, due to the commerce on the Danube. In 1765 the potentate Grigore Al. Ghica laid the foundation for the first school teaching in Greek language at the Mavromol Monastery. Not until a hundred years later, more private Greek schools were established.
In 1821 the city was an important centre of “Filiki Eteria”[3]. The Hellenic Community was constituted in 1864 by Andreas Panas, Dimitrios Rodokanakis, Konstantinos Sokomanos, the main founders of the Greek Church in the centre of the city. After the Treaty of Adrianoupolis in 1829, the most important Greek trading firms (Paraschevopoulos, Polachis, Cutavas, Petridis), shipping agencies (Xidias, Lascaridis, Zahariadis, Troianos, Sotiriadis, Avgherinos) factories (Nimferatos , Haralambos Sfaelos) and numerous stores (Manzarinatos, Sure) were founded.
The quarter named “Valea” (The Valley), today known as “The Old City”, was inhabited by 90 percent by Greek workers. The area is situated under the Danube level and is frequently affected by floods. The war of 1940 caused persistent aerial bombing of the city and as a result Galati had the largest damage of all the Romanian cities. At that time the Valea quarter was entirely destroyed.
The transformation of the city in Porto Franco in 1837 and the permission to foreigners to buy properties for residential use led to an increase of Greek population. Moreover, in 1864 there was a permissive decision to all the Christian foreigners with Romanian domicile to buy real estate properties.
In 1857 “Venieris” Hellenic Institute, the best high school of Hellenic communities in Romania, was founded, by the leadership of Athanasios Venieris. Other famous Greek schools in Galaţi were: Tetzis Hellenic Institute and Mitropoulos Hellenic Institute.
In 1859 the Hellenic Commercial Institute was founded, having the support of the Greek Consul.
In 1864 in central historic area of the city, the Church Metamorfosis (“Schimbarea la Fata”) was built on a terrain bought by Hellenic Community. The building materialized with the financial support of the community’s members.
On the north part of the church there is the History Museum, and on the south part the Greek theatre, cinema “Central”, restaurant “Olympic” and the building of Hellenic Club and Chamber of Commerce, today the Registry Office. This complex was also built by the Hellenic Community.
On the west of the Church, there was until 1988 the Greek High School, which serviced since 1921.
In the actual centre of the town there are the most important houses constructed and inhabited by Greeks. Today most of them are private Romanian properties. For instance, there is Corvissiano House, which is actually the memorial house of the painter Nicolae Mantu. In that building run until 1990 the Office of the Public Records. Other buildings are the houses of Panaiotis Cutava, Victor Climis, Victor Macris, Paguţi Melisalatos, Zarafis, Dimitrachis, Dimitratos, Vrondisis, Matias, which are protected as historic monuments, inside of the urban ensemble and architectural reservation “Domneasca Street”. Some of them are renovated, housing public or private (residential) functions.
In Galati – Braila area Hellenic Communities are reliable and well organized, in time they owned in property churches, real estate and other important belongings.

 

CONSTANTA

Constanţa is recognized today as the economic, social and cultural centre of Dobrogea district. Since ancient times it was an attraction for merchants who were coming either from the wider Black Sea area or from the Mediterranean. Hence its development is based on the port’s activity. Constanţa is at the same time a gate city - through which the roads that are coming from the Carpathians open towards the sea - and a bridge city – crossed by migration waves, by commercial exchanges and by cultural influences. Around 1900 Constanţa’s development was enhanced by the construction of a real port and by the construction of a bridge that connected Bucharest and the country to the port.
But besides the port and its location Constanţa has other special characteristics. Its unique character lies upon Dobrogea’s socio-cultural context. This character was a result of the constant blending of different ethnic communities (that came with their language and traditions) in a period of thousands of years. This blending created complex cultural products implemented in a rich natural context. One of these communities was the Greek community.
As merchants Greeks left their traces in Constanţa since ancient times. In fact they were the ones who gave the first name of the city (“Tomis”). Later on military forces of Constantine the Great conquered the city and its name was converted from “Tomis” to Constanţa. It is difficult to specify the evolution and continuity of the Greek community in Constanţa, but its core can be located by the buildings that are still preserved: such as the Greek Church, the school, and the theatre. 
Because of their orthodox beliefs the Greeks built in Constanţa, between the years 1862 and 1867, a church named “Metamorphosis”. The fist document that confirms its existence is a Turkish official document -edited by the sultan Abdul Aziz Bin Mehmed Han- that delegated the local ruler to ensure that the church would not be taller than the Islamic mosque. The church was designed by a Greek architect named I. Theoharidis and was illustrated inside by a painter (hagiographer) brought from the Athos mountain. However the hagiographies deteriorated in time and were finally replaced in 1984.
In order to pass their language and knowledge to their children the Greeks from Constanţa built between the years 1864 to 1867 a school located across the church. Architect Charles Pieuchot made the design of the school, but later on, in 1909, the Greek architect that had built the church, I. Theoharidis, made some modifications to the school.
In 1898, the Greek community built a theatre named Elpis in the churchyard. This was the first theatre hall is Constanţa and it hosted numerous spectacles that made it an integral part of the cultural history of the city.
The three buildings mentioned above are today located in the ancient city centre of Constanţa, called “Peninsula” at the cross of Mircea cel Batran Street and Karatzali Street. Together with other buildings (houses, banks, shops, etc) also located in the Peninsula area confirm the economic, social and cultural involvement of the Greek community in Constanţa’s life. Among these it is worth mentioning the houses build by J.G.A. Alléon, a banker who came from Constantinople and brought with him an architect of Greek origin that studied in France - Pelopidas D. Couppas. Proof of the J.G.A. Alléon’s influence in the city around 1880’s, is the street along which he built his houses. For a period of time this street had his name (today the street’s name is C. A. Rosetti).
Another Greek family that influenced Constanţa was the Tranouli family. One of the most important achievements made for the benefit of the city by the Tranouli family is today’s Constanţa National Theatre. In 1927 Demostene Tranοuli built this theatre. The construction period lasted six months and the building was to house the Cultural League in Constanţa destined for spectacles, film projections and meetings. Undoubtedly the Greek community contributed to the development and growth of Constanţa city, not only in an economic sense through commercial and port activities, but also in a cultural and architectural sense through the houses built. These buildings together with other houses made by Romanians, Armenians, Turks, etc form a unique architectural heritage for Constanţa and for Romania, namely the Peninsula area.

 

BRASOV

The first written record of the city of Brasov can be found in the Ninivensis catalogue of 1235, where it is mentioned under the name of Corona. Due to its geographical position at the confluence of some of the most important commercial roads and under the protection of the Carpathian Mountains, Brasov became in the 14th century the administrative and religious centre of the Country of Bîrsa. The city developed around the church of Saint Mary, known today as the “Black Church”. In the 15th century the city was organized around the main square and the church, having already two main roads: Platea Petri and Strada Porţii. In time the built area extended to the line of the fortifications. Near the fortification there were three districts: i) “The old Brasov”, which was the area that developed around the Church of Saint Bartholomew, ii) the Blumana district that was organized around the chapel of Saint Barbara, which was inhabited mainly by Sachsen peasants and iii) the “Schei” district, which was the old Romanian district.
Greeks came to Brasov during three periods of time and that was mainly caused by the trading routes that passed through the city. The first one started in the 15th century and lasts till 1588 when the merchants received the right to organize themselves into a commercial company. The second period was between 1588 and 1781, and it is characterized by the arrival of the political refugees and the blooming of the Greek colony. At that time the Greek Church and School were built. At first Greeks came to Brasov because of the Turkish invasion. Later on they came to the city because they were attracted by the privileges they received and also because of the commercial importance of the city.
At the same time that Greek Trade Company was constituted, the city of Brasov received a large number of privileges and thus attained strong political, juridical and cultural power. Moreover in the year 1636 Greeks had the power to elect the most important people of the community such as the commander and, later on, the judges and jurors for the commercial troubles.
Even though at the beginning the Trade Company was exclusively Greek, in time the community started accepting Romanian and Bulgarian merchants as well.
“Most of them came from the Balkan Peninsula in the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century, when the merchants were given privileges by the Turkish Empire. They were mostly Macedonian Romanians, Greeks or Bulgarians, Albanians or Serbian with Greek sympathies. Just as today one doesn’t know what kind of Slavs or Germans are hiding under the name “Magyars”, it was impossible to know which were the former origins of the merchants that called themselves “Greeks”. In Banat the storekeeper was called “Greek” no matter what his nationality was. Thereby the Saxon ladies from Brasov, when they were sending their servants to the store, told them: “go to the Greek store!” [Translation from the book of Sextill Puscariu, “Brasovul de altadata” – (The old days Brasov)].
“Most of the merchants, Romanian and Greek, had food shops, but in their shops one could also find textile products, especially en gross. Some of them were doing money transactions. Very few were doing leather and glass. Some were bankers.” [Translation from the book of Sextill Puscariu, “Brasovul de altadata” – (The old days Brasov”)].
The Greek school was considered by the Greek Trade Company as a neccesity for the commercial developement in the area. It was said that the Greek language was a ”fashion” of that time, but from the documents of the company it can be seen that the school was an important element of the future of the commerce in the area. The strong tradition among the Greek people and their desire to maintain their culture can’t be neglected either. Especially in those days when Greece was under the Turkish rule.
The Greek school was organised in such a way that it could transmit the Greek culture but also it could work at its maximum capacity. Though this meant the high level of multinationality that this once had. What must be taken under consideration is the fact that at the time the school started its activity, the Greek Company wasn’t 100 percent pure Greek anymore and, therefore, the school had a diversity of nationalities from the very beginning.
The courses were not only about the Greek culture and language but also included German, Romanian, French and Hungarian, languages which were also considered essential for a merchant in those days.
Besides houses and shops, the merchants from the Greek Trade Company used their money in order to build Greek Ortodox Churches. The church of the Holy Trinity was built from the money donated by the Romanians as well as the Greeks. The orthodox religion was the one that united the collaboration between these two nationalities which supported each other constantly in all the projects of the city. But after the year 1800, it seems that the Greeks also influenced by the donations from Constantin Brîncoveanu, tried to remove the Romanians from the church they built together, by bringing priests from Greece. Finally after a long trial that took place in Viena the Greeks won the church.
Nowadays there are plenty of documents and buildings, houses and churches, that belonged to the Greek merchants as a proof of their intense activitty and involvement in the social and economical life of Brasov.

 

SIBIU

Because of its geographical position, Sibiu had an important role in the merchandise trade, acting as a link between the Balkans and the Western Europe. Mainly the products were brought and sold by the Greeks, among other nations like Armenians and Sachsen, and because of that they had some privileges, advantages over the other ethnic groups.
Even though the Greeks had to face the obstacles and difficulties aroused by the major local ethnic group, the Sachsen, they had the Imperial monarchy looking after them, by means of imperial decrees and laws. In 1639, such a law allowed Greek merchants to organize themselves into a trading company, the first one in the country. At the beginning of the 17th century there were approximately 60 members, representing only a small part of the 400 Greeks merchants spread throughout Transylvania. This organization had benefited from their own judges and court to settle their own disputes, a company president and a church trustee.
Another moral and economic victory against the Sachsen merchants was achieved in 1782, when the Greeks gained the right to own buildings – houses or shops, inside the old city’s reinforcement walls.
Because of the Greek Trade Company (Compania) and the new rights Greek merchants obtained, many of them from Moldavia and Muntenia, and others from Greece came in Sibiu and settled down with their families developing even more the wholesale and the retail trade. In time they took advantage of their rights and became property owners. Unfortunately the gathered information offers only few examples. There are still preserved buildings and houses which belonged to some of the most important members of the Trade Company, like: Manikatis Safranos’s trade house, Hagi Pop’s trade house, Matei’s house or Trandafir’s house, and some other buildings that withstood changes of the owners mainly because of their premises, like today’s Metropolitan Church headquarters or the Printing house. 
Some of the richest members of the Greek Trade Company invested money in land properties on which the community built their own churches, at first outside the old city – close to the village Bungard, and later on, inside the city walls. For the Greek community, having their own churches and priests was very important. That is why a large number of priests and monks from Greece came to Sibiu in order to preach according to their beliefs and traditions. The only churches that are preserved today are the Greek Orthodox Church in the Bungard village and that in the old city, named “Feast of the Annunciation” Church. Studying the Trade Company notes, the reader comes across lists of goods and artifacts which belonged to those churches, and can be said that the members were willing to spend when it came to adorn the interior of those churches.
At the beginning of the 19th century the Greek Trade Company had mostly Greek members. But due to the fact that the ethnic group represented by the Sachsen gained more and more rights, the Greek merchants faced exclusion from the trade business and in 1853 the company broke apart.
The remaining Greek merchants joined other trade companies. As a result some of them returned to their homeland in Greece while others moved to Turkey.  
Today the Hellenic community in Sibiu is recently formed and has only 34 members (this is according to the 1992 population declaration).

 

TULCEA

Because of its location, at the point where the Danube River meets the Black Sea, Tulcea was an attraction for all those interested in sailing, in buying goods or exchanging them with others, in building ships etc. The location of this town explains the Greeks’ interest in it since ancient times. In fact being so close with the Mediterranean Sea, the cost of the Black Sea was well known by the Hellenic populations; a proof of this is the remains of the old colonies Histria, Tomis and Calatis.
Because of the constant presence of Greeks in Dobrogea area apart from Romanians, Bulgarians, Turks, Armenians etc it is difficult to identify precisely the evolution of their community in space and time. The written sources or data to confirm these aspects are often inexistent or were deteriorated or destroyed during time. Still, one of the first written confirmation dates since 1387 when the Greeks are mentioned together with other populations as inhabitants of this area by Dobrogea’s ruler of that time, Ivanco. In the first half of the 19th century the war for Dobrogea province between Russians and Turks generated the movement of populations, many of the peasants living in this area being sheltered in Tulcea town. Among them were Greeks that located themselves near the area where the lagoon joined the Danube River, along the Belvedere Street, presently Victoriei Street.
Established here the Greeks participated in the Tulcea’s economic life. Between 1830 and 1865 the town flourished based on naval constructions which were made possible by the wood in Dobrogea’s forests. But the chaotic exploitation of woods would determine the Turkish rulers to stop the naval constructions and the city entered an economic stagnation. A proof of the wealth of the Greek community in this period is the construction between 1848 and 1854, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Church of Constantinople, of the Greek Church in Tulcea. Beside the church a Greek school also started to function. The construction of the church is related to one of the oldest Greek families in Tulcea, the family started by Ioannis Kontopoulos. He was buried in the church courtyard, as his funeral monument inscribed in Greek letters shows. The architectural and cultural value of the church is confirmed by its inclusion on Romanian’s Monuments List.
On 14th November 1878 after the war between Russians, Romanians and Turks Dobrogea became a Romanian province. Being the most important town of Dobrogea at that time Tulcea was made its capital. Even though the town was underdeveloped, it slowly started to recover after the war. Investments were made to improve the town’s infrastructure and image, and the development of commerce attracted new investors some of them of Greek origin. Families like Flamaropol, Antippas, Pappadatos, Licheardopol, Caravelas prospered by doing commerce of cereals and alcohol and they were joined by other families like Cuculas, Tsaquiris, Veronicas and Cambitzi.
In 1910 the Greek community built nearby the Greek Church a Hall destined for meetings and cultural activities of the Greek community. The Greek families also invested on houses, shops, etc. With all the destructions caused by the communist interventions in the ancient city centre some of these buildings still exist. This work intended to present them from the architectural point of view and to show their contribution in Tulcea’s built heritage. One of the most remarkable houses located on Buna Vestire Street, is today included in Romania’s Monuments List and was built at the beginning of the 19th century by the Antippas family.

 

TURNU SEVERIN

The Greeks have old roots in the Severin area. The first to arrive there were the tradesmen who sailed down the Danube. Pottery from Rhodos and the Greek coins found in the area are the proof of an intense commercial movement between the locals and the Greek merchants. The connection between the Roman province Dacia and the Roman Empire was made here – through a bridge built by the famous Greek architect Apolodor of Damascus for Traian. Thus, Drobeta – an important city in the north of Danude- became an important urban centre, a crossroad of the main roads in the Roman Empire. This position, at the core of some important communication routes favoured Severin throughout its history. During the Middle Ages there used to be a fortress which was very important from both an economic and a religious point of view. In 1370 the Metropolitan Church of Severin was established and its first bishop – Daniil Critopoulos - was Greek.
The history of the modern city began in 1833, in a period which was particularly interesting for the urbanism of Romania. The increasing importance of the Danube as a result of the Adrianopolis Treaty in 1829 led to a new strategy regarding the city network. Severin is one of the new cities on the banks of the Danube with a pre-established plan. The actual constitution of the city began in 1836, when the first buildings were set up. The new trade city was linked to the Romanian and the European world through a highway that connected Craiova to Orsova and the railway Bucureşti-Vârciorova. The documents in the local archives show the interest in beautifying the city and abiding by the city rules, in building parks, public gardens and roads, in paving the city and the squares, in setting up the lighting, in taking care the preservation of the relics of the past.
Although the inhabitants of Cerneţi (the former capital of the district) were the ones that were asked in 1933 to be moved to the new city, they kept refusing to pay for the new lots for a long time. As a result, the city was made up mostly of foreigners. In 1865, the Greeks were in fourth place, representing 4% of the population, after the Germans (54.3%), the Romanians (27%) and the Jews (8.5%).
The documents kept in the archives bear testimony to the important role that the Greeks have had since the birth of the city. We find them on the lists of the buyers of the first plots, on the lists of the revenues that made up the city budget (through their taxes, they contributed to the capital of the new city). We find them among the big exporters in Severin, on the chart which the commercial judges used to be recruited from. We find them among the bakers, among the inn owners and keepers (The Red Inn, the oldest inn in the city, was built by the Greeks. Then came Dimitrie Apostol’s inn, Hristea Gheorghiu’s inn and all the hotels: Fortuna (later renamed Grand Hotel), Europe, Pantazopol, Orient, the Polihronie Brothers (later called Sakelaridis and then Traian). We also find them among the new city counsellors and later among the intellectuals (doctors, teachers, legal experts, writers and publicists).
Most of the Greeks in Severin came from Epirus and Macedonia. Whichever parts they might have left from, they never forgot them. Some of their fortune was put at the disposal of their villages where schools and churches, roads, bridges and fountains were built. At the same time, they tried to do something for their foster land and they contributed to the modernisation of Severin. Their presence in this area represented a beneficial factor, an element of stability and economic consolidation. Their friendly rapports with the Romanian population as well as with the other communities were strengthened by their philantropical activities.
There is still a small Greek community in Turnu Severin, a community which has been an affiliated member with the Greek Society of Romania since October 1995. Its members have a strong feeling of belonging to the Romanian world but they have been proudly aware of the world they came from. Many sympathisers and people who are fond of the Greek culture and civilisation have gathered around them, taking part in the life of the community.

 

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