VOLUNTEERS CAMP IN SINAIA

[ Images during the maintenance in good shape works ]

During 24 - 30 th of July, 2006, the National Office for Heroes’ Memory – in partnership with the Sinaia City Hall and the Romanian Scout Organization – organized in Sinaia a Volunteers Camp for the maintenance in good shape of the cemeteries in the area.

In these activity participated 20 students of Military High School College “Stephan the Great” from Campulung Moldvenesc, as well as some members of the Sinaia Scout Organization.

The maintaining works were effectuated in The First World War Heroes Cemetery and in The Honour Plot in The Civil Cemetery Setu, The Soviet Military Cemetery and The Second World War Heroes Cemetery.

The maintenance works:

• mowing and raking of the grass on a 3.800 m 2 surface;
• removal of micro-parasitical vegetation from 520 headstones and seven commemorative memorials;
• cleaning of 200 m 2 alley;
• drying of the inscriptions from the commemorative headstones;
• drying of alleys’ gates from the all three cemeteries and of the two cannons in Casino;
• drawing up the plans of the heroes cemeteries, memorials and headstones;
• taking more than 700 documentarily photos;
• gathering and transporting of 6 garbage lorries.

The Sinaia City Hall brought the materials, the instruments and the equipments for loading and transport, as well as two minibuses for transporting the students.

The local scout organization offered the students various ways of spending their free time – walking, sportive games, climbing exercises etc. As a reward for the support, the Office handed diplomas to all participants at the activity.

The success of the camp represents the premise of the involvement of the local public authorities and of the civil society in maintenance and preservation of the war cemeteries and memorials.

Further on, starting on 18 th of august, 2006, The National Office for Heroes’ Memory is organising a similar camp in the city of Bacau.

The Music (mp3)   |   The lyrics

According to the Law no. 99 of 26 th of May, 1998, was proclaimed The National Anthem Day - „Deşteaptă-te, române!“, the symbol of Unity of the Romanian Revolution of 1848.

This day was marked by all the public authorities and others state institutions habilitated to organise educational, cultural programmes and manifestations and public ceremonial of intonating the national anthem and of the hoisting the national flag of Romania.

In the year 1848, in Ramnicu Valcea, could be heard for the first time the chords of the poem „An éclat“ , that had to become an emblematic song for the Romanian nation. Although, in the history the Romanians’ anthem hadn’t been forgotten, people believe that this creation message represents them – which was improved by a Transylvanian Andrei Muresanu (1816-1863) and a Wallachian Anton Pann (1796-1854).

On 25 th of March is the 61 th anniversary since 9 th Infantry Division of 4 th Romanian Army set free Banska-Bistrica town. Romania took part between December 1944 and May 1945 to the struggles for the liberation of former Czechoslovakia with the 1 st and 4 th Army. Romanian troups engaged in these battles counted about 250,000 military men, the losses suffered about 66.000 dead, wounded and missing persons.

Starting with 18 th of December 1944 until 12 th of May 1945 a total of 1,722 localities from which 31 town were eliberated: Zvolen (14 th of March), Kremnica (2 nd of April), Piestani (5 th of April), Nove Mesto (7 th of April), Stara Tura (8 th of April), Straznice (13 th of April), Hroznova Lhota (17 th of April), Brno (26 th of April), Uherske Hradiste (26 th of April) Panov (30 th of April), Pustimer (4 th of May), Kromeriz (4 th-5 th of April), Havličkuv Brod (9 th of May).

After the wr, many of those who fall on the battle field were brought in two large romanian cemeteries, one in Zvolen (Slovakia) where are burried 10,384 military men and one in Brno (Czech Republic) where are burried 1,569 military men.

Czech and Slovak people are grateful for the romanian sacrifice made for the liberation of their countries, attitude expresed by the permanent care for the veneration of the romanian heroes memory.

PROJECT'S AGREEMENT WITH REPUBLIC OF SLOVAKIA

In Republic of Slovakia there are burried 16.361 romanian known militarymen, fallen in the Second World War. Otherwise, the biggest roumanian military cemetery from abroad is placed in Zvolen, situated at 200 km from Bratislava.

DISPLACED HEROES’ TOMBS

In the context of DN1 modernisation, on 9 th of March, the group of romanian heroes’ tombs near “l. I. Cuza” Police Academy were displaced at 10,42 km. In this place were the remains of some unknown romanian soldiers dead in august 1944 in the struggles for the North Bucharest liberation.

The representatives of the N.O.H.M, the Municipal Council of the Area 1, Police Academy, the Administration of Cemeteries and Crematories were present.

The parcel, which is composed by a common commemorative sign and four tombstones will be displaced to the intersection of Nightingale Alley with DN1 and its inauguration will take place at 9 th of May.

A joint team of the National Office for Heroes Memory (N.O.H.M.) and of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs went to the Republic of Poland's Capital, Warsaw, to discuss on the draft of the Agreement on legal status of Romanian war graves and memorials in Poland and Polish ones in Romania.

From the Polish part, members of the leadership of the Victims Comemoration Council, as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives took part in the discussions made in 8 and 9 December, 2005.

In this context, information has been changed on the condition of war graves and memorials of common interest. Polish representatives have been presented N.O.H.M.'s legal framework and projects, and shared their experiences in the field.

Romania signed so far bilateral agreements on the legal status of war graves and memorials with Germany and, recently, with Russia.

N.O.H.M. TRIP TO GERMANY

...the N.O.H.M. team analized, together with the VDKrepresentatives, how the Romanian-German Agreement on war graves and memorials has been applied, as well as how programmes developed by the German party in Romania during 2005 have been accomplished. They also discussed and agreed upon the bi-lateral co-operation program for the year 2006 and in perspective...

details

The Agreement between the Governments of Romania and the Russian Federation on war graves and memorials has been signed on Tuesday, 8 November 2005, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, during the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Serghei LAVROV's visit to Bucharest.

This document represents the legal base of the activities of the National Office for Heroes Memory as far as co-operation and mutuality are concerned in identification, record, conservation and restoration of war graves and memorials which honour the sacrifice of soldiers belonging to the two States.

The legal status of war graves and memorials has been internatuionally regulated by International Humanitarian Law norms, put into force by the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols from 1977 (see http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/genevaconventions ).

Expert teams of N.O.H.M. have gone on with verifying the condition of war graves and memorials from various places in Romania. Beside war graves, memorials and lots carefully maintained, nonconformity with the legal provisions has been noted in several places.They have been reported to the respective local authorities.

As one can see from the photos below, the condition of war graves is either very good or inadequate.

The weekly "The Old Dilemma" has published, in its issue of 22 July, 2005, the article "Heroes memory : Lethargy does not give birth to heroes", by Stela Giurgeanu, based on a documentation made at N.O.H.M.