Carol I - Equestrian statues

CountryRomania
Town:Calarasi
Year of creation:2007
Rider(s):Carol I

Carol I of Romania, Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1839 – 1914) was the ruler, who led the Romanian Principalities and then Romania after the forced abdication of a coup of Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
In the 48 years of his reign (the longest reign in the history of the Romanian states), Carol I obtained the independence of the country, thanks to which he greatly increased his prestige, redressed the economy, endowed Romania with a number of institutions specific to the modern state laid the foundations of a dynasty. He built the Peles Castle in the Carpathian Mountains, which is now one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. After the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878), Romania won Dobrogea (but lost southern Bessarabia), and Carol ordered the raising of the Danube bridge between Fetesti and Cernavoda, linking the new province to the rest of the country.
Sculptor(s):Codre, Florin

(1943) is a Romanian sculptor.

Description:

The equestrian statue of Carol I by Florin Codre in Calarasi was unveiled a few years before the one in Bucharest. Most probably is was a try out for the statue in Bucharest. As there are a few difference between the two statues, the statue in Bucharest cannot be categorised as a copy.

The year 2006 was dedicated to the memory of King Carol I. That year 140 years have passed since the proclamation of Prince Carol of Hohenzolern as ruler of Romania (10 May 1866) and 125 years since the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania (1881). In this context, within the actions devoted to the Carol I Year, the Ministry of Culture initiated several cultural projects, including the achievement of the equestrian statue of King Carol I.

The order of the realization of this important historical monument was entrusted by the Ministry of Culture, the sculptor Florin Codre, an artist with remarkable achievements in the field of public monuments in Romania and abroad.

The sculpture was finished in the summer of 2007, and was unveiled in Calarasi.

The monument was inaugurated on May 9, 2008. At the invitation of the local authorities, His Majesty King Michael I and His Royal Highness Prince Radu of Romania took part in the unveiling of the equestrian statue.

In his profoundly excited discourse, His Majesty King Michael I said, “I am glad to unveil the statue of King Carol I in a place so important for the War of Independence. It is for the first time after the Second World War when a statue of King Carol I is raised in Romania “. Since its inauguration in 2008, the equestrian statue of King Carol I represents an emblematic historical nonument for the city on the banks of the old river.