The buildings that will host the Ivan Patzaichin Museum in the village of Mila 23, Ivan Patzaichin’s village in the Danube Delta, have been completed, Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association announced.
Patzaichin, who passed away in 2021, was a canoe racing coach and sprint canoeist. He took part in all major competitions between 1968 and 1984, including five consecutive Olympics, and won seven Olympic and 22 world championship medals, including four Olympic gold medals – as the most decorated Romanian canoeist of all Tim .
The museum, which is set to work as a community innovation center, is set to open in May 2024, reports Romania Insider.
The activities that will take place here will focus on „recovering and reinterpreting the social norms typical of the Danube Delta area, in the context of the Ivan Patzaichin Center for Traditional Culture”, the association said.
The center plans to showcase ways the remarkable Delta area can develop sustainably and encourage the young residents to stay in the area – given the demographic issues of recent decades.
„The traditions and customs can be preserved and integrated into modern life, offering the residents of the area the chance to use them to gain alternative revenue sources throughout the year. The museum will not be only for visiting, but it will be a gateway to nature, a lab and a connection to the creative world, aiding in preserving, exploring and using local traditions as a contemporary resource for development,” the association in charge of the project explained.
The ensemble of the museum consists of two buildings, made of wood and local materials – reed and clay. It integrates parts of the house where Ivan Patzaichin’s parents lived after a 1970 flooding.
The 18-meter-tall Observatory – Museum, built entirely from stratified wood, will host at its ground level the most important medals that Ivan Patzaichin won throughout his career.
The upper levels will host a multimedia installation detailing the life of Patzaichin, from the childhood spent in the Danube Delta village to his time as an Olympian, a coach and mentor, and social entrepreneur.
The nearby building will host cultural activities run by various local organizations as well as meetings of the Delta stakeholders (NGOs, tourism operators, local authorities), summer camps, and artistic residencies.
The ensemble will also host a local gastronomy point, a workshop for wood boat repair and maintenance, and a charging station for electric boat engines and bikes.
The museum will be administered by Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association.
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