Costache Negri’s mansion in Galati county, where the union of Moldova with Wallachia was decided, is being restored with money from the Ministry of Culture. The building hosted prominent personalities such as: Nicolae Bălcescu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Vasile Alecsandri, Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
The Manjina mansion, renovated PHOTO: CJ Galați
The building is being rehabilitated with money from the Ministry of Culture, and soon “the place where the little Union was realized will come back to life”
“Costache Negri’s mansion (Mânjina Mansion) is regaining, step by step, its former beauty, almost 200 years ago, as part of an extensive restoration investment. Work is being done on the waterproofing of the new roof and the restoration of the wooden elements. The mansion is located in the town of Costache Negri, which until 1908 was called Mânjina”. announced Costel Fotea, president of CJ Galați.
Distinguished guests at Costache Negri’s mansion
Costache Negri’s mansion in Galati County was built at the beginning of the 19th century and became a museum in 1968. The building hosted important personalities such as: Nicolae Bălcescu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Vasile Alecsandri, Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
The mansion is located in Costache Negri commune (formerly Mânjina) in Galati county, approximately 40 kilometers from Galati city. The secret meetings of the generation that made the Union of the Principalities possible took place in the building of the former deputy, barrister and diplomat in addition to the European courts. Nicolae Bălcescu, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Vasile Alecsandri, Alexandru Ioan Cuza were frequent guests of the mansion.
The residence in Mânjina had a land of 16,422 square meters, the old construction with an area of 294 square meters, as well as annexes and fences. The surface of the house, compared to the existing peasant houses at the beginning of the 19th century, shows that it was truly a noble residence. The mansion was built in the style of a Moldovan peasant house.
Transformed into CAP headquarters after collectivization
Costache Negri died at the age of 64 on September 28, 1876. In July 1914, King Ferdinand signed the decree by which the manor was named “Costache Negri”. Saving the house from Mânjina preoccupied the Presidency of the Council of Ministers since then. The amount of 500,000 lei was allocated to the Prefecture of Covurlui County, for the purchase of Costache Negri’s house in Mânjina.
Costache Negri’s mansion, restored PHOTO: Galati County Council
Things stagnated as war approached. The communist regime, established on March 6, 1945, no longer allowed the recognition of Negri’s efforts, the house from Mânjina became, after collectivization, like many other mansions, the headquarters of the CAP in the commune. Only on June 2, 1968, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Revolution of 1848, the building was set up as a museum, opening the Costache Negri Memorial House.
In 1943, the building was declared a historical monument and the decision was made to turn it into a museum. Only in 1968, Costache Negri’s family mansion became a museum. In the seven rooms of the mansion, you can find furniture and pieces of decorative art, from famous European styles, which were fashionable in the noble salons of the period. Also exhibited are cultural goods, with memorial value, related to personalities such as: Mihail Kogălniceanu, Nicolae Bălcescu, Vasile Alecsandri, Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
