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World's Largest Private Collection of Carved Stones, The Stone Museum sets world record

October 7, 2024

Sângeru, Prahova county, Romania--Founded by Romanian poet, writer and journalist Lucian Avramescu (1948-2021), The Stone Museum in Sângeru commune, Prahova county, Romania, houses over 2000 stones carved by peasant craftsmen from the villages of Romania; the three courtyards full of exhibits includes unique pieces in the world, works of stone artists, like some double crosses (family crosses), grain mills, fountain coils, trovants and a replica of Queen Maria's Balchik throne; the collection sets the world record for the World's Largest Private Collection of Carved Stones, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time," the Wikipedia says.

"Work carried out by paleolithic societies to create stone tools is more often referred to as knapping. Stone carving that is done to produce lettering is more often referred to as lettering. The process of removing stone from the earth is called mining or quarrying.

"Stone carving is one of the processes which may be used by an artist when creating a sculpture. The term also refers to the activity of masons in dressing stone blocks for use in architecture, building or civil engineering. It is also a phrase used by archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists to describe the activity involved in making some types of petroglyphs."

"The author of so many love poems, some of which became songs, such as "Good evening, my love", stubbornly proved that the Romanians have not only a transient civilization of wood, but also a lasting and eternal civilization of stone," the AM Press reports.

"He collected thousands of stones carved by peasants, from all over the country, in an impressive collection. The gesture of the poet seems to be as generous as it is singular. His donation deserves a stop at Sângeru."

"Several thousand stones (over 2000) carved by peasant craftsmen from the villages of Romania. Stone pieces, many of household utility, but also having aesthetic value, the craftsman putting soul into his rock carving," the Romania's Museums Guide says.

"It is the most comprehensive collection of stones carved by peasants, the creator of this collection, the poet Lucian Avramescu, which he made available to the public, wanting to prove that the country that gave Brâncusi and George Apostu has and a lesser known civilization of stone, not just a civilization of wood.

"The museum is organized in the former stone mansion with stone annexes, over a hundred years old, which belonged to the poet's paternal grandfather.

"For the many children who come with the schools to visit the museum, we set up a park of small animals and birds, including various breeds of pigeons, guinea fowls, turkeys, peacocks, pheasants, Cameroonian goats, calves, ponies, nutria, ducks of the Double-blooded breed , under approval."

"The stone museum in Sangeru houses over 2000 stones carved by peasant craftsmen from the villages of Romania. Stone pieces, many of household utility, but also having aesthetic value, the craftsman putting soul into his rock carving. The place is on the DJ102C route (Trans-Cislău), beyond the county border," the turismbuzau.ro says.

"Somewhere on Dealu Mare we find the most comprehensive collection of stones carved by peasants. Its creator, the poet Lucian Avramescu, made it available to the public wanting to prove that the country that gave Brâncuşi and George Apostu also has a less known civilization of stone.

"The museum in Sangeru is organized in a stone mansion, with stone annexes, over a hundred years old, which belonged to the poet's paternal grandfather."

"95 km from Bucharest, in a superb landscape with wooded hills, which a foreign journalist declared the "Tuscany of Romania", is the Stone Museum, established, maintained, permanently developed and offered free of charge by the writer and journalist Lucian Avramescu. A real dream in stone, with a spectacular history," the Ziarul Lumina says.

"A Brazilian journalist had once told him that we, the Romanians, have a formidable wood civilization. Not only wood, said the poet, haven't you heard of Brâncuși? Ah!, exclaimed that one, who does not know the great French sculptor Brancussi!

"That was enough to challenge Lucian Avramescu. Today, the Blood Stone Museum in Sângeru (the name comes from a battle with the Tatars in which, according to legend, the valley was filled with blood) counts more than 3,000 pieces, from grain mills and fountain coils, to crosses and a copy of the throne from Balcic of Queen Maria. All were purchased by the founder of the museum, one by one, walking around, carrying them in his car, rarely being brought to the gate."

"A special set of objects are the so-called trovants, stones with beautiful or interesting shapes, which have been found as such in nature. The poet tells us: "I prefer to call them 'stones carved by God'", and shows us a truly disturbing one: when a bank broke, an almost perfect stone cross was revealed, but untouched by any chisel," the Ziarul Lumina says.

"Very interesting are some double crosses, a shape that seems to no longer exist anywhere in the world, which, as the poet found out, are family crosses, symbolizing the fact that husband and wife support each other in the afterlife through the arm of the Savior crucified

"The Pietra Museum also has other special pieces, for example a fragment of a column that specialists have said is pre-Roman, meaning it is over 2,000 years old. He got it from a citizen who was using it as a rolling pin."

"In the yard of the poet Lucian Avramescu there are over 50 stone grinders, collected or purchased from various areas of the country. From these primordial grinders the collection began. Rotating tools of vital importance in the life of the Romanian peasant, the grinders embody a whole series of symbols: the solar star crossing the sky (some wheels have the rays drawn on the surface), the united family, the perfect couple, patience and vivacity," the AmFostAcolo.ro says.

"Stone tables of various sizes and shapes, chairs and benches are lined up around the courtyard, the copy of the throne of Queen Maria from Balchik, but also other decorative stone objects stand side by side. In the household of the poet Avramescu there are actually three courtyards full of exhibits.

"Fountain guides, those stone coils that facilitate access to the source of cold water, are located next to watering cans hollowed out of the stone. Stone pillars, ends of gateposts, pieces of columns, large decorative garden sculptures, but also trovants (called by the poet "sculptures of God") complete this "stone landscape".

"In Sângeru, Prahova county, there is one of the most original museums in the country. It is a private collection with unique exhibits collected from all over the country by the poet and journalist Lucian Avramescu. A legacy of stone for the Romanian people," the evz.ro reports.

"Collectors have been around since the beginning of time. Some collect stamps, others paintings, many are passionate about books, cars, coins, watches, old newspapers or you'll be surprised what other things. Here, however, a dreamer was found who could collect, on his own money, all kinds of carved objects. But not by famous sculptors, but by some peasants. And not from marble or granite, but simply from boulders, limestone or river stones.

"The poet, journalist and writer Lucian Avramescu collected in his old parental home in Sângeru, Prahova county, more than 3,000 pieces that he exhibits in an exhibition entity that he named - simply "The Stone Museum".

"Lucian Avramescu (b. August 14, 1948, Sângeru, Prahova, Romania – d. December 12, 2021, Sângeru, Prahova, Romania) was a Romanian poet and journalist. He was a member of the Romanian Writers' Union since 1979. Avramescu published volumes of poems, travel notes, anthologies, essays and journalistic pamphlets.

"On March 8, 1991, he founded the A.M. news agency in Bucharest. PRESS, the first press agency with private capital in post-communist Romania. The name of the agency comes from the initials of the founders: the poet Lucian Avramescu and the prose writer Eugen Mihăescu.

"Avramescu's works have been translated and published in literary magazines or in anthologies from Poland, Bulgaria, Russia, Israel, China, England, Iraq, USA, Germany, France, Holland, Turkey, Yugoslavia. It was also translated into Kurdish. He died on December 12, 2021, after a cardio-respiratory arrest." (Wikipedia)