A man from Suceava County has developed a true passion for preserving traditional Bucovina houses. He restores wooden cottages that are on the verge of being demolished, purchasing them from their owners and rebuilding them in new locations, giving them a renewed charm.
Iosif Cirstean, 46, is a traditional wood artisan fascinated by the work he does to save century-old log cabins.
About five years ago, he launched the concept of the 'Bucovina Cottage Ambulance', successfully saving no fewer than 200 old houses.
"'The Bucovina Cottage Ambulance is an initiative aimed at rescuing Bucovina houses slated for demolition. In our region here in Bucovina over 100 houses disappear every year, ending up burned or in rubble. Seeing how many are lost and how valuable they are to us, I decided to get involved and try to save at least a few of them. We're happy that after almost five years of activity, we've managed to rescue nearly 200 houses," Iosif Cirstean told AGERPRES.
In practice, the craftsman identifies houses at risk, finds a new owner for each, then carefully dismantles and rebuilds them at the new site.
"Saving them means buying them from the owners usually at symbolic prices, because they just want to get rid of them. We mark each part, take them apart piece by piece, transport them to another location, and rebuild them there," Cirstean explained.
"For traditional Bucovina houses, there is life after death. They're very old, over 100 years, but we bring them back to life, we sort of resuscitate them. We try to preserve as much as we can, so that something beautiful remains after us," he added.
The restorer says the work has grown in popularity, and more Romanians are seeking to live in traditional Bucovina homes.
Comentează