BrezoiRO
Brezoi sits within the Southern Carpathian mountains, between the regions of Transylvania and Northern Oltenia. The mountains around the village are steep and forested, and managed as common land. Under communism, the existing timber industry was massively extended, with a large factory built in the village, along with residential blocks, next to the older and much smaller family homes, each with their compact gardens, sheds and vines. Meadows and fields extend into the village.
Local struggles are familiar to many other European rural areas: not-so-obvious economic prospects, young people leaving for the cities or abroad, and a stark disconnection between the rich natural resources and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods. In 2018 a new Open Air Blues Festival started to put Brezoi on a national and international map, creating a new visitor economy.
In 2022 the TERRRA Network - initiated by Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée (AAA) as an expanded network of the previous initiatives such as the Eco Nomadic School – organized the collective purchase of a small house with adjusting meadows and woodland.
| Region | Vâlcea County |
|---|---|
| Local partners |
|
| Population | 6,022 |
| Common fruit, vegetables, animals | Lightfly, wild rasberries, wild blueberries, dew mushroom |
| Tradition | Blues festival, Frog and snail eating |
| Scent | Fresh mountain and forest air |
| Distances from Brezoi | Distances |
12 January 2012 is the start of the Eco Nomadic School in Brezoi.
We spend 5 days together. It’s snowing. We visit the mountains, cook together outdoors and indoors, get to know each others’ local projects, and rethink and reconsider the traditional Odaja huts in the mountains.
The Eco Nomadic School at the time includes Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée (AAA), Myvillages, FCDL and APTNV from Brezoi, Brave New Alps from Rovereto, and Höfen. The Eco Nomadic School grew out of two pan-European collaborative research projects: PEPRAV (European Platform for Alternative Practice and Research in the City) in 2006/2007, and Rhyzom, from 2008-2010.
Events
For the next ten years, members and residents from this network of locally-based projects from across Europe are visiting each other to learn, teach, share and discover the knowledge held in their communities. The network involves projects, practices, participants and residents from six countries, nine regions, four cities, two towns and six villages.
This Eco Nomadic School summer camp puts into practice some of the outcomes of the first discussions in January, and helps with the construction of a more communal Odaja.
The new structure is initiated by Mircea but built collectively, within the tradition of communal self-management and informal economies. All building material is sourced on location and handled manually. The new Odaja is called ‘Starry Sky’. The common house snake lives in its foundations.
| Region | Vâlcea County |
|---|---|
| Local partners |
|
| Population | 6,022 |
| Common fruit, vegetables, animals | Lightfly, wild rasberries, wild blueberries, dew mushroom |
| Tradition | Blues festival, Frog and snail eating |
| Scent | Fresh mountain and forest air |
| Distances from Brezoi | Distances |