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The exhibition "The Romanian Academy Library - a world of knowledge" opened at the "Theodor Pallady" Hall of the Romanian Academy.
Part of the exhibition, visitors will be able to see heritage pieces of universal value from the collections of the Romanian Academy Library, as among the exhibits there are charcoal seals from Alexander the Good (the oldest of them, dated 1429), Stephen the Great, Vasile Lupu, Ieremia Movila, the Proclamation of Islaz (programme of the 1848 Revolution in Romania, considered the first Constitution of Romania), but also the homage paid by four German artists to King Carol I of Romania, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his reign (dated 25 May 1891, in Munich), photographs taken by Franz Dushek the son, including the famous bridge of Cernavoda built by Anghel Saligny, agerpres reports.
A special chapter is reserved for exhibits from the numismatic cabinet collection. The exhibition presents Roman gold coins from the collection of engineer Constantin Orghidan, dating from the time of the Principality, but also from the Late Roman Empire, from the Tetrarchy to the fall of Rome, and 11 Roman imperial cameos of Augustus, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Constantine the Great. Some of them are one-of-a-kind pieces in the world, the medallion from the time of Constantine the Great, minted in 326 and immortalizing the emperor's visit to Rome, stands out.
The President of the Romanian Academy said that "the exhibition did not open at a random moment." "It opened at a critical moment for the Romanian Academy and for the Academy Library," said Ioan-Aurel Pop.
"The Romanian Academy is a main credit release authority, according to law, and it is a unique and independent institution, set up under the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza and officially opened as a Literary Society under the reign lieutenancy, Prince Carol had not yet arrived. This institution has therefore existed for almost 160 years. The authorities intend to bring it into line with the other academies. Not exactly with the academies of beauty or the Hagi Academy, but with the other academies, which are also branch academies - technical, agricultural, medical sciences - and there is another academy called the academy of scientists that people ask me 'at your Romanian Academy, are you people of art?.' We are also men of art, but the fundamental research institutes of this country are neither at the universities, nor at the Ministry of Research, they are at the Romanian Academy, and if someone says that fundamental research is no longer worthwhile, then we must all go somewhere else, as Goga said. So, if the Romanian Academy is put in line with the other academies and it is decided to reduce the staff of the academies by so much, then there is no point, because, I repeat, the Romanian Academy is an institution in this country. So is the Library and it tends to be in line with the other libraries, county or rich or beautiful all, but I want to tell you that the treasure of this nation is not in Cluj, Iasi or Craiova. There are fragments there," said Ioan-Aurel Pop.
He said that "the treasure of this nation, its cultural treasure is in the Library of the Romanian Academy and we have been struggling for years to convince the authorities that the 14 million library items represent the national treasure and they must be known," stressed the President of the Romanian Academy.
Nicolae Noica, honorary member of the Romanian Academy and Director General of the Library, appreciated that the exhibition "The Library of the Romanian Academy - a world of knowledge" is "an extraordinary exhibition" which presents "the treasure that is found in this Library of the Academy."
The exhibition can be visited from 30 August to 1 September, from 9:00 to 14:00. Admission is free.
