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The Bordei Project
Bordei is a type of housing known in Romania and neighbouring countries under the name borrowed from Romanian. It is the oldest known permanent home in Romania, found in archaeological sites from prehistory to modern times. They remained as dwellings until after the First World War in Romania, often overlooking the plains of the Danube.
Examples of these old huts are preserved in the Bucharest Village Museum, the Museum of Goleşti viticulture and fruit growing and in situ at the Boian Plains Museum. This type of dwelling is documented in Romania since ancient times and is one of the oldest and most characteristic types of human shelters in this part of Europe. They were described by ancient writers,such as Ovid, Strabo, and Vitruvius, and were mentioned on Trajan's Column.
Museum of Goleşti, Arges, Romania: bordei from Castranova-Puţuri.
Photo: Alexander Babos Albabos
Permission: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Plan of erection of Bordei houses.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 15th October 2012
Bordei houses are underground houses, often with few windows.
Photo: http://www.premonitii.ro/showthread.php?tid=28354
After a lot of research, looking at many different types of Bordei, Adrian settled on this design.
Photo and artwork: Adrian Gheorghe, 16th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 1
NGO Alexis Project wants to make in the Vogna Valley a small reconstruction of a village around the ruins of the 19th Century church there. Up to this point, we have repaired the ruins of the church, made an info-point and a small lake, in the middle of the valley.
Now the work begins, with strong cooperation from the Mayor of this municipality, Eng. Adam Atanasie, in accordance with the agreement of the manager of the Ethnography section of Oltenia Museum, Dr Cornel Balosu who gave valuable advice about the best model for the Oltenia area, as they would have been built at the beginning of the 19th Century, which is the age of the Church nearby.
The Bordei will be made with wooden materials, using the methods of the 19th Century, and is the first of a group of five which will be available for tourists who will spend the night in Vogna Valley, after visiting the church and the lake or lakes, as well as the landscape nearby. It is envisaged that they will eat at a traditional restaurant close by.
Adrian hopes to finish the project soon, with the help of the Mayor and the entire Alexis team. Alexandru will be visiting with friends from the university to help. We also hope to have the help of some of the local business men.
Following the model of Gorna Malina, step by step, in one year from now, using only local help, there will be an important target for tourist holidays.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 18th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 2
Because the ground was very dry and hard, it was impossible to dig it, so the Mayor brought us some heavy machinery to help out.
The hole for the Bordei Project is now ready, as detailed in the plan.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 19th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 3
An entire team is working with great effort to improve the Oltenian Bordei, the first of five projected dwellings to rebuild the old village around the ruins of the 19th Century church of Vogna.
Ionut, Alexandru, and Alexandru's friend Mihail, also a student were a huge help.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 20th October 2012
Tomorrow is another day.
Without madmen, history can never be made!ß
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 20th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 4
Work progressed steadily on the Bordei project, with the help of Alexandru and his friend Mihail.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 21st October 2012
Now that the main structure is complete, the rest will be much easier.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 21st October 2012
Bordei Project Day 5
There was rain, cold and wind, not conducive to good feelings, but Adrian, Ionutz and Mishica (from the village) had a huge drive to finish the first Bordei in the valley of Vogna.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 28th October 2012
The three men worked hard to make beds and walls, and to cover with clay the area at the foot of the walls of the house.
Tomorrow is another day!
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 28th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 6
It is a strange but real phenomenon, that for the last two years, every time Adrian and his friends go to Vogna valley to work, often cleaning the ancient church ruins or making the wooden structure to protect the church, the roof, or making the wooden info-point, or the first lake, or even the Bordei, the day begins with rain and wind, blowing strongly along the wild valley, it is cold or even snowing, but then the weather becomes beautiful, and they can work in good conditions.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 29th October 2012
When they are ready to go home, the weather turns bad again. Here we can see the progress, both inside and outside, although there are still a few inside improvements to be made, was well as a straw roof to cover it, called in Romanian Papura, a type of rush.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 29th October 2012
Eventually there will be ten Bordeis for tourists, five on the same line as the one being finished now, the others on higher ground, near the border of the forest. As well, there will be a cave and a thousand other things in the valley, made by Adrian and his helpers, and by the Mayor of Goiesti, Eng. Adam Atanasie, a special person.
The first Bordei will cost about 1000 Euro, up to this time the investment of the NGO Alexis Project in the valley amounts to about 5000 Euro. It is hard to find the money for these improvements, and it is hard work, but it is a beautiful thing to do.
Even if Adrian and Mayor Atanasie will not be there, in the future the beautiful valley of Vogna will have visitors flocking there to see this wondrous valley.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 29th October 2012
Bordei Project Day 7
On this day Adrian continued to make improvements to the inside walls of the Bordei using real and old things from Oltenian villages.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 1st November 2012
Bordei Project Day 8
Today a wooden door made by Ionutz was attached to the Bordei to improve it.
It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm, and inside the Bordeit was a good feeling of ancient times.
Step by step, the first Bordei is becoming real.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 7th November 2012
Bordei Project Day 9 - The Roof!
Adrian and his helpers were still working to make the roof of the Bordei, because a lot of visitors were coming, but it was not quite finished when they arrived.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,13th November 2012
It is becoming a good 19th century Bordei replica, adapted for tourists, the first of five such Bordeis projected to be made.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,13th November 2012
Bordei Project Day 10
It is not easy to complete the roof of the Bordei in Vogna valley. It is unusual work for a doctor, who has already made, in cooperation with other members of the team, a wooden watch tower, a replica of ancient Roman times, a wooden structure as a roof to protect part of the ruins of the ghost church of Vonga, a wooden info-point for tourists in the Vogna valley, a wooden palisade at the Cioroiu Nou site, a wooden replica of an ancient Roman bridge, replicas of stone axes, ancient Roman sandals, ancient pottery, a lake, and many other things - only because someone must do it!
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,14th November 2012
Bordei Project Day 11 - collecting roof materials
The roof needs large quantities of reeds, collected from the nearby Vogna valley to complete it.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,19th November 2012
The weather was cold, cloudy and foggy, and there was a lot of mud of course when collecting the reeds, which grow in bogs and swamps.
But the dreams kept Adrian and his friend going.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,19th November 2012
Bordei Project Day 12 - Improving the Roof
Adrian and Ionutz worked to improve the Bordei with an Umbrar, a canopy to protect the Bordei from sun and rain, on both sides of it.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe,10th June 2013
Bordei Project Day 13 - Improving the Roof - Part II
Despite difficulties, Adrian has been working to improve the roof of the Bordei, because a country without a past has no future.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 24th June 2013
So, in this very hot summer, Adrian is up on the roof, risking life and limb, for his country.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 24th June 2013
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Alexis Project Filiasi/Romania
RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
Email: [email protected]