The "Around the World on Foot" Project: The Story of 497 Pairs of Opinci (Traditional Footwear)

The Buzău County Museum is planning to create an exhibition space within its premises for a unique collection in the country and one that is rare internationally: the Collection of the first Romanian globe-trotter, Dumitru Dan. The implementation of this project will stimulate cultural and tourism activities both at the county and regional levels.

This project benefits from non-reimbursable funding provided by the EEA Financial Mechanism through the PA16/RO12 Program, focused on the Conservation and Revitalization of Cultural and Natural Heritage, under the small grants scheme.

In 2016, 100 years will mark the completion of the journey on foot around the world, an important event in both local and national history, and a rarity at the international level. To celebrate this centenary, a special exhibition dedicated to the Dumitru Dan Collection will be inaugurated in a dedicated hall of the Buzău County Museum, in the History section.

The project aims to elevate opportunities for promoting and developing culture, with a focus on scientific research and its valorization, as well as on the revitalization of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which can become a resource for the current human community (socially, economically, educationally, and in terms of tourism). The social engagement of the project primarily focuses on "integrating" the Dumitru Dan collection into the "active" cultural and intangible heritage of communities (both urban and rural) and on formal and informal education, especially for young people and Roma citizens.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

General Objective:

To preserve, protect, and enhance Romania’s cultural heritage and to increase the tourist appeal of Buzău City through the valorization of cultural heritage.

Specific Objectives:

• Multidisciplinary research of the historically and documentarily valuable items in the Dumitru Dan Collection, the first Romanian globe-trotter.
• Digitization of 677 heritage items held by three museums: Buzău County Museum, the Sports Museum in Bucharest, and the "I. Antonescu" Museum Complex in Bacău, which will form the "Dumitru Dan Collection."
• Revitalization of intangible and cultural heritage through the reconstruction of six folk songs and five Romanian folk dances, closely resembling their early 20th-century versions (Doina and Căluș, included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage), as well as by reviving the craft of making opinci (traditional footwear) and sewing traditional shirts, endangered techniques in the Buzău area.
• Creating a cultural and exhibition space to increase public access to the cultural assets in the Dumitru Dan Collection. These items will be displayed for the first time nationally through the organization of a permanent exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dumitru Dan’s journey around the world on foot, a world champion in walking 100,000 kilometers, registered in the Guinness World Records.

DIRECT BENEFICIARIES

The Buzău County Museum, as the applicant and beneficiary of financial assistance; the Sports Museum in Bucharest; the "I. Antonescu" Museum Complex in Bacău, as holders of historically and documentarily valuable items. Romanian and foreign tourists, online visitors both nationally and internationally, the scientific community, local authorities, 12 craftsmen and folk artists, carriers and transmitters of authentic traditional values participating in the project, 15-20 Roma students who will learn the craft of making opinci, etc.

PROJECT DURATION

17 months, not exceeding July 31, 2016.

TOTAL PROJECT VALUE

381,932.94 RON, equivalent to €86,257.95.

VALUE OF NON-REIMBURSABLE FUNDING GRANTED

341,932.94 RON, equivalent to €77,224.11.