The Romanian General Exhibition was organized 110 years ago to celebrate 1,800 years since the conquest of Dacia by Roman emperor Trajan in 106, the 40th anniversary of the rule of Carol I (1866) and the 25th anniversary of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania in 1881.
Anniversary medal from the 1906 exhibition
As King Carol I stated in his opening speech on 6 June 1906, the exhibition was intended to become “our first National Exhibition, a true celebration of Romanian work”. Its purpose was to present to the Romanian and European visitors the history of Romania and the country’s development stage after 40 years of the rule of Carol I, and especially after gaining national independence in 1877.
Photo from the collection “Bucharest in pictures. The Romanian General Exhibition of 1906” of the Bucharest Metropolitan Library
Modelled after the great universal exhibitions in Western Europe that had marked the history of civilization in the second half of the 19th century, the Romanian General Exhibition of 1906 was organized in the Filaret area (today’s Park Carol) on the proposal of minister Take Ionescu. As general commissary of the exhibition was appointed dr. Constantin I. Istrati (1850-1918), university professor, president of the Romanian Academy and author of numerous scientific publications (physics and chemistry), and also a passionate collector of old documents.
Medal dedicated to the exhibition’s general commissary, dr. C. I Istrati
In June 1905, under the supervision of a group of architects, started off the works intended to transform the deserted and swampy Filaret field in a space fit for great exhibitions. The works lasted a whole year and covered an area of 410,000 m2. The setting was completely changed and new buildings were built, as well as roads, lawns, a lake, rivers, alleys and paths. In front of the exhibition area, a large square was systematized and a monumental arch-shaped gate was raised with kiosks for selling tickets. After entering the exhibition area, visitors were attracted by the Palace of the Arts built on the hill at the end of Independence Alley. On both sides of the alley, over 165 exhibition pavilions were built, intended to showcase Romania’s economic, political, military and cultural evolution. Among them the Royal Pavilion stood out, as well as the Pavilion of the Chamber of Commerce, of the Post, of the city halls, of the administration of civilian hospitals, of agriculture, of transportation and of banking activities. Other pavilions displayed exhibits belonging to various institutions and private persons that had collaborated for the completion of this remarkable event.
Medal of the exhibition collaborators, engravers Cizek and Resch
Apart from the visitors’ accounts and those in the press, the various types of anniversary medals issued on that occasion stand proof of the 1906 Exhibition and are realized by well-known engravers of the time, such as Carniol Jr., Radivon, Saraga, Cizek and Stelmans.
Anniversary medal of the Romanian General Exhibition,
engraver Carniol Jr.
According to the Royal Decree no. 5384 of 28.12.1905, anniversary medals were awarded “to all state and local officials, civilian and religious, found in office, as well as to military officials of any rank, on active duty, the reserves and the militias, to former ministers and members of parliament, to retirees of any category”.
Anniversary medals: 1,800 years since the conquest of Dacia and 40 years of the rule of Carol I; engravers: Radivon (left) and Saraga (right)
The Romanian General Exhibition of 1906, the medal “The King Watches, Romania flourishes”; engraver Stelmans
An important space in the exhibition was dedicated to the Palace of the Arts where there were on display works by Romanian painters and sculptors alongside a selection of paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu. The exhibition at the Palace of the Arts included different symbolic objects such as: the tickets from the election of Ruler Al. Ioan Cuza; the ink pot and pen used by M. Kogălniceanu to sign the foundation act of the University of Iaşi; the signature of Miron Costin; the sword of Avram Iancu; models of the Tropaeum Traiani monument of Adamclisi, as well as of the Suceava and Sarmizegetusa fortresses.
Anniversary medal of the Romanian General Exhibition; engraver Carniol Jr.
The exhibition was a real success. Many visitors came in groups organized by local authorities. This was the case of a group of peasants from Roman County whose visit of the exhibition on 18 September 1906 was preserved for posterity by the minting of a medal.
The medal “The trip of the peasants from Roman County to the Exhibition”; engraver Carniol Jr.
In 1906, to celebrate 40 years of rule of King Carol I, a series of gold coins was issued at the mint in Brussels having the denominations of 12.5; 20; 25; 50 and 100 lei, as well as silver coins of 1 leu and 5 lei.
50 lei gold anniversary coin; engraver Alphonse Michaux
In 1906, the Romanian Post marked the event by issuing a series of stamps dedicated to the General Exhibition. Eleven types of stamps were put into circulation with the denominations of 5 bani, 10 bani, 15 bani, 25 bani, 30 bani, 40 bani, 50 bani, 75 bani, 1.50 lei, 2.50 lei and 3 lei.
To popularize the exhibition among the population the organizers issued vignettes with no postal validity. These were printed in four colors: brown, red, blue and green.
Printed examples for the promotion of the Exhibition of 1906, stamp (left) and vignette (right)
On November 4th, the exhibitors’ award ceremony was organized at the Roman Arena. Approximately 10,600 out of the 40,000 exhibition participants were rewarded. The exhibition’s official closing was held on 23 November 1906, after over 2 million persons had visited the displays. In his closing speech, the general commissary of the exhibition, Constantin I. Istrati, requested the exhibitors to donate the objects that reflected the country’s history. Inspired by that noble plea, the exhibition participants donated numerous old documents, art works, numismatics and archeological items, which enriched the collections of Romanian museums.
Gold coin issued by Constantin the Great in 326-327, from the collection of General Gr. Ipătescu, exhibited in 1906 and later donated to the National Museum of Antiquities
The Romanian General Exhibition of 1906 was the first significant national exhibition designed for Romanians everywhere. It had important echoes throughout the press and images of the event were published in “L’Illustration” magazine. Several of the buildings raised for the exhibition can still be seen today in the Carol Park: the Roman Arena, the Church “Silver Knife”, the Ţepeş Tower with the Water Castle, fountains and small pavilions.