The History of Romania in One Object / Petru Groza's Desk Phone

The next piece of our History of Romania in One Object series radiates a rather sinister halo as it conjures memories of generalized repression, mass incarceration and temporary loss of national sovereignty. Starting form the desk telephone used by one of the early leaders of communist Romania, Petru Groza, Stalin’s first Prime Minister of the recently imposed proletarian dictatorship, we revisit a painful time with the help of historian Pompilia Gon.

Watch and read on our FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and WEBSITE from Monday, June 15, 2 p.m. EDT (or anytime later).

POMPILIA GON is a curator at the National History Museum of Romania. She is a graduate of the History Faculty at the University of Bucharest. She was part of the production teams of many impactful exhibitions in Romania and abroad: "Treasures of Romania" (Beijing, Chengdu, 2016), "Felix Terra" (Bucharest, 2017), "A European Experience: The historical and cultural heritage of the Germans in Romania ” (2019), "The Romanian Embroideries of Post-Byzantine Tradition. The Banner of Stephen the Great" (Louvre Museum, Paris, 2019).

Our online series THE HISTORY OF ROMANIA IN ONE OBJECT, developed in partnership with The National History Museum of Romania, evokes decisive epochs in Romanian past starting from an artifact or vestige with powerful symbolic, representative value. In the following weeks the history of Romania will be revealed object by object, from prehistoric figurines and ancient jewelry to Medieval battle flags, modern symbols of power and makeshift machines for printing anti-communist manifestos.