Those who visit Bucharet must not forget that in close proximity to this busy and beautiful city there is much to see, although some of the places are not too well known. One of these places, of great beauty and elegance, is the Mogosoaia Palace (Palatul Mogosoaia), 12 km from Bucharest, an interesting complex of great artistica, historical and achitectural value, now often hosting art exhibitions and artistic events. It draws it's name from the wife of boyar Mogos.
The story of this palace begins in 1702, when the first structure was built on the shore of the Mogosoaia Lake, and according to the documents we now have, this first building was very different from today's palace. Yet, despite the difference, from the very first variant the Mogosoaia Palace was an example of "Brancovenesc style", a mix of Oriental and Western influences of that time, together with Romanian folk techniques and themes. This mixture of Venetian, Ottoman and folk art proved to be quite popular, being used for many public and private buildings. In the beginning, the vast court of the palace was filled with servant's quarters, the kitchen, the icehouse, while the apartaments were to be found upstairs. In those times, the palace often hosted big parties and dances, and therefore was very popular. This blissful times came to an end after the beheading of Constantin Brancoveanu, when the palace became for a while a Turkish inn. Soon after, it's structure will be severely damaged by the Ottoman raids, in the 18th century.
Some years later, all of the estate was bought by the Bibescu family, descendants of the Brancoveanu family, and under their rule it prospered. The new owners took great care in restoring and extending the Mogosoaia Palace, working together with French and German masters. In a short time the domain was "enriched" with the so-called Elchingen Villa, built by prince Nicolae Bibescu for his wife, Helene Ney d'Elchingen. At the beginning of the 20th century prince George Valentin Bibescu gave the palace to his wife, the poet and writer Martha Bibescu, but unfortunatelly by then the palace was ruined and abandoned. Deciding to once again bring it to it's full glory, Martha Bibescu hired the chief architect of Venice, Domenico Rupolo, to turn the palace into the house of her dreams. After completing the work, the Mogosoaia Palace was the new meeting place for intelectuals, writers, artists of the interwar period.
In 1945, shortly before the change of political regime, Martha Bibescu donated the estate to the Romanian state, to be included on the list of historical monuments. In the '50s it was used to host the Medieval section of the Art Museum (some of the works are still exhibited inside), and the Elchingen Villa was used as House of Creation for the Romanian authors. Those who weren't in jail or didn't fled abroad, at least.
Nowadays, the Mogosoaia Palace hosts the Museum of Art and Architecture, and at the basement there is a lapidarium, a collection of objects and artefacts.
Not only is this palace a beautiful architectural and artistic achievement, but the huge park which surrounds it is just as good. Situated near the Mogosoaia Lake, it is aranged in the Italian way, with a loggia, columns, even a small labyrinth made out of living hedge. At a short distance one can find the chapel/ funeral vault of the Bibescu family, where all the members of this distinguished family sleep their eternity.
2007-11-29
