As we toured Romania northern region of Maramures this summer, looking for the wooden churches WHS, we found ourselves in Sighetu Marmatiei (“Sighet”), a border town where we visited the Memorial of the Communism victims and Resistance. The place is a former prison, built by Austrians at the end of the 19th century and re used by Communist authorities to jail their opponents, mainly between 1945 and 1955 at the time of “sovietisation” of the country, and until 1977. Prisoners here were mainly intellectuals and politicians (a former prime minister of Romania from interwar period died there).

Cells have been turned into exhibition rooms, each of them covering one aspect of prisoners life but also Romania history after WWII, how Communists came to power and the impact on the whole country. There are two courtyards still guarded by miradors. A modern, underground round chapel was dug in the first one ; the second one hosts a group of modern statues (“the procession of the Sacrificed”) which has now became the symbol of the Memorial.

You can really spend hours there and learn a lot through all the gathered documents and testimonies. Information is in Romanian but you can get a booklet in other language at the reception when you buy your tickets. We got one in French, which was very comprehensive, clear and written in excellent French. Above all, there is a right balance between History and Remembrance. Things are clearly told without exaggeration or “revenge” spirit. While Romania is …