Mihai Eminescu(1850- 1889)

Mihai Eminescu (real name Mihail Eminovici) was a Romantic poet, novelist and journalist, regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. He was born on January 15th 1850 in Ipoteşti. He frequently used metaphysical, mythological and historical subjects in his poems. In general his work was influenced by philosophers like Kant, Hegel or Arthur Schopenhauer.

The first written evidence of Eminescu as a writer is in 1866 in a literary magazine “Familia” issued in Oradea. In January of that year his Romanian teacher, Aron Pumnul, died and he wrote a poem dedicated to him .

Eminescu is considered by most of the historians and linguists the “godfather” of the modern Romanian language because of the way he used the words in his poems.

The most representative poem for his work is “Luceafarul” – “ The Evening Star”.

Even if it looks like a love poem, it represents the poet’s view about a genius’s life. Some of the critics believe that “The Evening Star” presents the way in which people usually try to evolve through love.

“ The Evening Star”- Luceafarul

George Enescu(1881- 1955)

George Enescu was one of the most important musicians of our country.

He was a violonist, pianist, composer, orchestra conductor and also a teacher.

He was born in the summer of 1881. He started to learn how to play the violin when he was 4 and one year later he had his first concert.

Between 1888-1894 he studied at The Conservatory of Vienna

After the graduation, he won the Silver Medal and continued his studies at The Conservatory of Paris (1895-1899)

At the beginning of the 20th century, he created a part of his well known compositions, “The Romanian Rhapsodies” with the symphonic suite “Romanian Poems” and “Nr. 1 Suite for orchestra”.

“Oedip” was Enescu’s most dramatic creation. It was dedicated to Maria Tescanu Rosetti, the woman he married with.

During The First and The Second World Wars, he remained in Bucharest.

In 1915, the first edition of “George Enescu Festival” was held in Bucharest. Ever since it has been a very important composers’ contest world wide. The winners of the early editions of the festival were given money by Enescu himself from his own pocket. Even today, this festival is very known, that’s why a lot of artists participate on it every year.

He left Romania when the communist regime took over in 1945. He died on May 4th 1955, in Paris.

Constantin Brâncuşi

(1876 – 1957)

He was a Romanian sculptor with overwhelming contributions to the renewal of vision and language arts in contemporary sculpture.The National Museum of Paris owns most of his sculptures.

• Brâncuşi grew up in the village of Hobiţa, Romania, (Gorj county), near the city of Târgu Jiu, close to Romania's Carpathian Mountains, an area known for its rich tradition of folk crafts, particularly woodcarving. Geometric patterns of the region are seen in his later works.

The Memorial House of BrThe Memorial House of Brâncuşiâncuşi

Constantin Brâncuşi is the founder of modern sculpture.

He tries to surprise the essence of the world using styled shapes which become symbols.

He is looking for primary shapes, the horizon of life’s genesis and the crucial moments of life: birth, love, work, death.

The sculptural ensemble in Târgu-Jiu (The Column of Infinite, The Table of Silence and The Gate of the Kiss) is actually a funerary monument dedicated to the heroes who fought in World War I. Constantin Brâncuşi mixes the simplicity of the Romanian folk art with the Parisian avant-garde.

Sculptures

The bird inThe bird in spacespace Miss PoganyMiss Pogany Carol DavilaCarol Davila

The ChildThe Child

PrometheusPrometheus NewbornNewborn The sleeping The sleeping musemuse

The kissThe kiss

Maia Morgenstern(May 1, 1962--)

She is a very successful  Romanian

film and stage actress and has appeared in numerous films and plays.

She is probably best known for the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ.

She has won several major awards as an actress: *Best Actress for: Balanţa (1992), European Film Awards *Best Actress for: Balanţa (1992), Geneva Film Festival *Best Film Actress for: The Passion of the Christ (2004), Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards (EMMA Awards), UK

Petrache PoenaruPetrache Poenaru (1799 – 1875) (1799 – 1875)

• Petrache Poenaru was a Petrache Poenaru was a famous engineer, famous engineer, inventor and inventor and mathematician.mathematician.

• He studied in Vienna and He studied in Vienna and Paris.Paris.

• Poenaru is recognized for Poenaru is recognized for his invention, the his invention, the fountain-pen. fountain-pen.

• Poenaru invented the world's first fountain pen Poenaru invented the world's first fountain pen (1827) when he was a student in Paris.(1827) when he was a student in Paris.

• He has been the first Romanian who travelled by He has been the first Romanian who travelled by train.train.

• Petrache Poenaru was one of the Romanian Petrache Poenaru was one of the Romanian national educational system’s organizers.national educational system’s organizers.

• He supported the founding of higher He supported the founding of higher mathematics, mechanisc, agriculture and mathematics, mechanisc, agriculture and forestry studies in Romania (1833)forestry studies in Romania (1833)

• In 1836 Poenaru organized the first systematical In 1836 Poenaru organized the first systematical weather survey service in Bucharest.weather survey service in Bucharest.

The Romanian AcademyThe Romanian Academy

• Poenaru held a Poenaru held a speech at the speech at the reception in the reception in the Romanian Academy Romanian Academy and he talked about and he talked about his youth life.his youth life.

Aurel Vlaicu

(1882-1913)

Was an engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot

Aurel Vlaicu built his first airplane called “Vlaicu I” in 1910.

In 1911 he built his second airplane called “Vlaicu II”.

At the time of his death, a two-seated monoplane Vlaicu III, ordered by the Marconi Company for experiments with aerial wireless radio, was only partially built.

Aurel Vlaicu died in 1913 near Campina while attempting to cross in flight the Carpathian Mountains. He is buried at the Bellu cemetery, in Bucharest.

Emil RacoviţăEmil Racoviţă ((1868 – 19471868 – 1947))

Emil Emil RacoviţăRacoviţă was a Romaniawas a Romaniann biologist, zoologist, speologist and biologist, zoologist, speologist and explorer of Antarctica.explorer of Antarctica.

• Emil Racoviţă was born in Iaşi (N-E Romania).

• As a promising young scientist, Racoviţă was selected to be part of an international team that started out on a research expedition to Antarctica, aboard the ship Belgica.

• Racoviţă was the first researcher to collect botanical and zoological samples from areas beyond the Antarctic Circle.

• The scientists collected information on oceanic currents and terrestrial magnetism. With as many as 10 volumes of scientific conclusions being published at the end of the expedition, it was considered a success.

• The results of his research were published in 1900, under the title "The life of animals and plants in Antarctica".

• A year after his return, Racoviţă was appointed director of the Banyuls-sur-Mer resort and editor of the review Archives de zoologie expérimentale et générale.

• Emil Racoviţă continued his research, contributing to speleology and exploring over 1,400 caves in France, Spain, Algeria, Italy, and Slovenia.

• He is considered to be, together with René Jeannel, one of the founders of biospeology. He was particularly interested in “isopoda”, of which he discovered many.

• He founded the world's first Speological Institute on April 26th 1920, in Cluj-Napoca.

• In 2006, the first Romanian Antarctic exploration station was named Law-Racoviţă.

• Ana Aslan was a biologist and physician of Armenian origin. She is considered to be a founding figure of gerontology and geriatrics in Romania. In 1952, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ana Aslan, the Geriatric Institute in Bucharest was founded. This Institute was the first of its kind in Romania.

• The Gerovital H3 concept was introduced for the first time in 1957, in Verona, Italy. Many scientists from all over the world have studied and confirmed the effects of the Gerovital H3 treatment suggested by Prof. Dr. Ana Aslan.

Once discovered by celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dali, U.S President John F. Kennedy and others, Gerovital itself became famous and is now used in over twenty countries around the world for its claimed anti-aging properties.

• Besides the Gerovital H3 Medicine, Ana Aslan also developed Anti Aging cosmetics lines. The original recipes for the preparation of the cosmetics are still respected today by “Farmec” ( a Romanian Company).