On Calistrat Hogas Street, No 1, in Piatra Neamt, visitors can discover the memorial house / museum dedicated to a classical Romanian author, Calistrat Hogas, very popular and influential in the past, now sadly mostly forgotten.
The beautiful old house was built in 1885 and in the past was part of a larger complex, which included another two buildings, an orchard, a large courtyard and so on. It is an architectural and historical monument of the highest artistic value, well preserved despite it's age, and it is interesting to discover here all about the life and works of Calistrat Hogas. It was built in traditional Romanian style, inspired by peasants houses, on a simple, earth foundations, with the walls being made out of wood and earth, but decorated in a mix of neoclassical and folk motifs. In the end it was an impressive living house, worthy of an author, as his wife came from a respected and rich family.
After Calistrat Hogas passed away, on August 28th 1917, the family continued to live here - the wife and the writer's two daughters - and in 1939, in the summer, Sidonia Hogas (one of the daughters) officially opened the first museum dedicated to the life and works of her father, in one of the house's rooms. It was filled with memorabilia, personaj objects and manuscripts, and Sidonia used to present these to visitors, serving as the best guide. It was only in April 1969 that the Romanian state turned the entire house into a memorial house and museum, using the large collection that was bought from the Hogas family. In 1994, after the museum proved to be popular and rather successful, the museum was put together as we can see today, as to present the atmosphere in the last part of the writer's life.
The very first room is dedicated to one of the author's greatest passions, travelling and hiking, as he tried all of his life to discover the beauty of his country step by step. He travelled a lot and wrote about what he saw. There is also a small selection of artworks dedicated to the subject. In the other rooms we discover several different exhibits, ranging from photographs and manuscripts to books, works of art, personal objects, family memorabilia, original furniture and decorations. Of special interest is the room where the author used to work, a rather small space, still with his chair, table, writing tools, paintings and a book collection.
The Calistrat Hogas Memorial House in Piatra Neamt is not to be missed when you come to the city, even if you do not know much about the author, as it is a very special place, of great beauty.
2008-02-26
