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Heritage in the spotlight Timisoara - the itinerary of the December 1989 Revolution - celebrating 35 years since the Revolution
December 12 @ 8:00 – December 20 @ 17:00
In December 2024 we commemorate 35 years since the events that changed the course of Romanian history. We remember the impressive stories of the young people of Generation X, who shaped the destiny of an entire nation and became martyrs of freedom in December 1989, present in the Heritage in the Spotlight Timisoara - the itinerary of the December 1989 Revolution.
The 1989 revolution was a turning point in Romania's history, marking the end of the communist regime and the beginning of the transition to a democratic Romania. Timisoara, the city where the spark of the revolution ignited, played a key role in securing this freedom, even at the cost of the lives of those who took to the streets and shouted "Freedom!". The impressive stories of the young people of Generation X, memories and testimonies of the '89 Revolution are included in the Heritage in the Spotlight Timisoara - the itinerary of the December 1989 Revolution, which includes 13 landmark, the show "Heritage in the Spotlight - A Leap into Freedom" and the memory of the exhibition "Parallel Worlds" organized in 2023 together with the Banat National Museum.
The exhibition "Heritage under Spotlights - Parallel Worlds: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/expozitii-2023/
"Heritage in the spotlight - A leap into Freedom"
The show "Heritage in the spotlight - A leap into Freedom" was not only an evocation of the past, but also a plea for the values that underpinned the Revolution: freedom, human dignity and social justice. The artistic interpretation was based on music composed by Dan Simion, choreography and direction by Diana and Raul Avram, and dramaturgy by Mariana Boșneac. The dancers from the Magnum Team Sport Dance Club delighted the audience with impressive and emotionally moving scenes, superimposed on the verses of poet Robert Șerban and the archive images of Constantin Duma, evoking a symphony of words, music and images that offered the audience a deeply moving journey through the stories of the horrors of December 1989.
The itinerary of the December 1989 Revolution in Timisoara - discover where it all began
It all started at Reformed Church on Timotei Cipariu Street, in Maria Square, Elisabetin neighborhood, where on December 15, 1989 parishioners gathered to oppose the eviction of Pastor László Tőkés, and a day later, on December 16, the Timisoara Revolution started from this place.
The route continues with St. Mary's Monument in St. Mary's Square - where fragments of Family Diary of Piei Brînzeu, from the communist period: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/pf/monumentul-sf-maria-din-piata-sf-maria/#1572257644401-e8b155ad-fbc1, and then, across the Bega, towards the city center, towards the Cetate district, where you can discover traces of the resistance of the revolutionaries and some of the buildings that have kept the memory of the bullets fired at people.
- Romanian National Opera in Timisoara - where the Timisoara Proclamation was first read out:
- The Casino and the Garrison in Liberty Square:
- St. George's Square:
Following the tram lines, passing through St. George's Square, we walk behind the revolutionaries, towards Blv. Revolution of 1989, until Decebal Bridgetowards the Fabric district, where at least 10 000 demonstrators shouted to people on balconies "Romanians, come with us!", "You are Romanian too": https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/pf/podul-decebal/
On the other side of the city, students were also gathering, forming a resistance of their own, rallying their peers, wanting change.
- Timisoara Student Complex:
- The Youth House- The "Timisoara Trial" took place in the auditorium of the Youth House:
- Pius Brînzeu County Emergency Hospital, Timișoara:
- Calea Martirilor Street and the Revolution of 1989
- Sunshine neighborhood, bedroom neighborhood & schools:
- Contemporary Art - Sculpture - on which are inscribed the names of the 43 deceased persons, whose bodies were stolen on the night of December 18/19, 1989 from the County Hospital and cremated in the crematorium in Bucharest:
During the days of December 17 - 20, 1989, Both during and after those harsh days, Constantin Duma captures in images and videos the events of that cold and uncertain winter. His actions commemorate the heroes of those days in a very special way, from the perspective of those who were on the streets and for whom the uncertainty of tomorrow reigned in the chaotic atmosphere of the city.
December 17, 1989
December 20, 1989
December 21, 1989
December 23, 1989
December 23, 1989
Opera Balcony, Pius Brînzeu County Emergency Hospital and Way of the Martyrs
The digital components of the Spotlight Heritage Timisoara project are accessible online at https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/ and through mobile applications that can be downloaded from the Android and Apple stores or by searching for "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara.
- App link for Android users: https://is.gd/SjiIgv
- App link for iOS users: https://is.gd/y6JxeV
Event information is also available on:
- Website: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpotlightHeritageTimisoara/
- Twitter: @spotlight_TM21
- Instagram: @spotlight_tm
The images used in this article are archive images taken by the Timisoara photo-reporter Constantin Duma, also nicknamed "the photographer of the revolution", who took the risk of going out into the streets to film and immortalize thousands of shots of the history of our city during the '89 Revolution.
Spotlight Heritage Timișoara / Patrimoniul sub reflectoare is a digital cultural initiative of the Politehnica University of Timișoara realized in partnership with the National Museum of Banat, part of the Cultural Programme Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture. Cultural project co-financed by the Center for Projects of the Municipality of Timișoara, Timiș County Council, Ministry of Culture, Romania, EEA and Norway Grants.