ROMANIAN POLICE MUSEUM

The town Târgovişte was for a period of three centuries – with some interruptions- the princely residence and capital of  “Ţara Românească” (hereinafter: Wallachia), obtaining a well deserved renown for anyone who feels and thinks Romanian.

The development of the town from an old village settlement (dating from the beginning of the 14th century) was due to its favorable geographical position, to a favorable strategic position and to the fact that it was crossed by the main trade road from Wallachia which connected Transylvania to the Danube and farther to the Balkan Peninsula.

The Princely Residences remained Curtea de Argeş and Câmpulung. Their favorable natural position, near the mountains (where the inhabitants could easily retire in case of danger), not very close to the border of the Ottoman Empire, but still in the middle of the country- which would make it easy to administer- contributed to moving the capital to Târgovişte.

The first documentary attestation as princely residence is that from the travel journal of Johann Schiltberger who wrote on 1396 that he visited “Wallachia and both its capitals, named Argeş (Agrich) and Târgovişte (Turkoich)”.

The Princely Court from Târgovişte- conceived by Ruler Mircea cel Bătrân as a complex of buildings for his family, his courtiers and his servants- is erected on the right bank of Ialomiţa River, on the highest terrace, near the trade roads, around the year 1400. There was also a church inside these precincts, all being surrounded on three sides by a stone wall.

By the mid 15th century, Vlad Ţepeş had raised a defense tower – Chindia Tower/ Sunset Tower over 27 meters high, which served both for guard and watch, and announced the sunset (when the traffic stopped). It also had a special military role in case of fire.

Because the Princely Residence was moved to Târgovişte, the town witnessed a rapid development. The boyars built up houses and churches near the Princely Court, as it was necessary for them to stay as close as possible to the ruler. On this occasion, workers were brought from Transylvania to raise real monuments specific to the Romanian art and architecture.

Petru Cercel, a briliant representative of the Romanian humanism, transformed the princely house into a real palace and built a new princely church connected through a covered bridge to the ruler’s house, so that he could attend the religious sermons whithout being forced to get out. The same Petru Cercel brought water inside the Princely Court through pine wood pipes, arranging behind the palace beautiful gardens ‘’ alla italiana’’, in which there were also three fountains.

Mihai Viteazu contributed to the prestige of Târgovişte, freeing the town seized by Sinan Paşa in the fight from 18 October 1995 and later in 1600 through accomplishing the Great Union.

The last period of prosperity of Târgovişte was the period when Constantin Brâncoveanu reigned. This ruler restored the Princely Court between 1692 and 1696, as it had been demolished in 1659 by Gheorghe Ghica by the order of the Ottoman Empire. He restored also the old princely bathroom, built a small tower in the middle of the gardens, and in 1969 finished the works at the princely church. The wall picture of the church was made by master painters such as Constantin, Ioan, Ioachim and Stan in 1698. The iconostasis, made of golden lime wood had a plain, high relief, with a geometric, animal and human ornamentation. In the pronaos there was the picture of the ruler, painted on the west wall, of a special artistic value, being the largest principals’ gallery from Ţara Românească (9 principals in total: Matei Şerban, Neagoe Basarab, Constantin Brâncoveanu, Petre Cercel, Mihai Viteazu, Mihai Viteazu, Radu Şerban, Constantin Şerban, Şerban Cantacuzino and Mihnea III ).

After the tragic death of Ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu, the capital was moved and ultimately established in Bucharest.

The National Museum of Romanian Police was arranged in a building with a great artistic and historical value, restored in a neo-classic style between 1867 and 1893.

The house had been initially built a lot earlier, in 1701, by Ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu, on the place of a former building belonging to Grama Stolnicul.

It was later named the “the house of the ruler’s sons”, being placed “down the Church Sfânta Vineri….. ” as is mentioned in a document from 1630. From the chronicle of the High Official/ Logofăt Radu Greceanu, we find that in 1712, during the great fire which destroyed the town Târgovişte, “the fire reached the princely court as it burned Sfânta Vineri, it reached also the houses of the ruler’s sons and burned the cover from a pair of houses”. The houses were immediately rebuilt under the direct supervision of the ruler. From the same documents we find that near the houses of ruler’s sons there existed a church “Sfânta Vineri of the ruler’s sons” placed on the Main Lane, probably in the same area in which today we find the History Museum and which was demolished in 1847. From princely ownership, “the house of the ruler’s sons” ended, in the late half of the 17th century in the ownership of Scarlat Hiotu, then of his son, Nicolae Hiotu, who left it to his wife after his death. Nae Hiotu lived in Bucharest but had two houses – in Târgovişte and in Bucharest. The house from Târgovişte was used exclusively for school matters and was probably inhabited by schoolmaster Rafail (between 1821and1832). It is in this school that the great poet Grigore Alexandrescu is said to have studied. From the painting by Mircea Bodeanski we find how the house owned by Nae Hiotu looked. The painter made this sketch which presented the reconstruction of “the house of the ruler’s sons” combining two photographs made by Szathmary, one taken from Chindia Tower, the other representing Poarta Dealului, where this building also appears. We see a house with a high ground floor, with a small tower, the entrance being through this tower on a lateral side. The house was covered by shingle in four nuances.

After the school, here functioned the County Council (when Organic Regulations entered into force), after which it passed into the property of an Austrian surveyor engineer I. Kulle- settled in Târgovişte, the author of a topography of the town. On the occasion of building the Prefect’s Office, at the end of the 19th century, the house was modified in the actual form. The building plan contains a square pattern, with two stories. At the ground floor there are rooms on the Southern and Western sides. At the first floor there is a long hall and three rooms on each side, where the main exhibition of the museum was arranged. The cellar, with a structure specific to Brâncoveanu Age, has remained intact from the time of the ruler. It is square in shape, being divided into four compartments. Light enters through four small windows on the Northern and Western sides. Both this cellar and the others nearby, resembling in point of structure but belonging to Mihail Cantacuzino were used to keep the archives of some administrative buildings from the end of the 19th century. Lately, in this building there functioned Dâmboviţa County Directorate of Labor and Social Protection. When this moved to new headquarters, the old house of the ruler’s sons dilapidated, even if it is a historical monument and needs urgent restoration works.

The institution of Police is important for any modern state, having deep roots into the history because it appeared together with the first state organization. The Police developed continuously and became in the Renaissance the main institution in providing internal order in almost all Romanian countries.

In both Romanian countries- Wallachia and Moldova- the first recorded police institution was Agia which had the obligation to ensure order, peace and cleaning of the towns Iaşi and Bucharest. Leading the Agia were great personalities like Neagoe Basarab, Mihai Viteazu, Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu. Under the orders of Agia were large military forces participating in the country defense tasks.

The Agia flag from 1822 handed over by Ruler Grigorie Dimitrie Ghica to Great Agha Mihăiţă Filipescu is currently to be seen in The National Military Museum from Bucharest. Through the Organic Regulations were established first order bodies later named Police. Inspired after the French Police, the Romanian Police had an important role in achieving the Union from 1859, in assisting Ruler Cuza to implement social reforms and especially during the Independence War.

Arthur Troop was a police sergeant working for the British Police in a little town from Lincolnshire. After World War II ended, he thought to establish an association based on relations of friendship and support between police officers from around the world. In 1949 he started writing to police officers from other countries (Greece, Germany and Ghana) through British Police publications and told them how many advantages they could have through setting up an international police organization. Encouraged by their answers, he published an article in “Police Review” magazine on 12 August 1949, signing “Aytee”. Police officers from Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and some African countries welcomed the idea of establishing an international police association with national sections with the same emblem and the same statute. This is how I.P.A. (International Police Association) - the British section was set up on 1st January 1950, its first member being also its founder – Arthur Troop. The first motto of the association was “Service through friendship” which expresses best its purposes and intentions. Because it could be understood only by English speakers, an Esperanto- international language expert, Bob Hamilton was resorted to. Starting with that moment, “SERVO PAR AMIKECO” became the official motto of the association. On this occasion it was established that a subscription shall be paid by all members, a magazine shall be issued and an eloquent emblem shall be chosen. Not receiving any interesting offer for his request of an emblem, he tried to make one by himself. From the police helmet he borrowed the star- a universal symbol. Inside the star he put the earth – representing cooperation and friendship between police officers all around the world. Underneath we wrote the motto of the association “SERVO PER AMIKECO” and on the borders he added laurels- the symbol of peace. If the drawing made by him was quite simple, a specialist gave it a finish and thus it became the official emblem of IPA. A year later there was issued the Status of the Association, which has not changed much up to now.

Shortly after its establishment, police officers from other states adhered to IPA: in 1953 the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and in 1954 Norway.

In 1955- between 16 and 17 September- there took place in Paris, at the North Railway Station Building, the first IPA International Congress, where the Permanent Executive Bureau was set up, consisting of 5 members. The first Secretary General was Arthur Troop, who maintained this position until 1967, when he stood down and remained only founding member.

Once the number of national sections increased, there appeared the need for new specific marks, such as the International Hymn and the distinctive sign of ”IPA House” placed on the facade of the houses specially designed for the recreation of IPA members.

Open to all police officers worldwide, irrespective of race, color of skin, rank, religion and language, the International Police Association has become the most important international organization of this kind in the world, having national sections in over 80 countries.

On the occasion of the 27th Conference of the IPA International Executive Committee, which took place in October 1996, in Brisbane- Australia, the Romanian Section was fully acknowledged as member.

The idea of establishing a Romanian Police Museum in Targoviste- a town of historical importance- appeared in 1998, when a delegation from IPA Dambovita, together with colleagues from Brasov and Timis, with the Assistant Secretary General and the National Treasurer went to Hungary, on a formal visit.

In the sightseeing tour there was included a visit to the Hungarian Police Museum, which served as link between community and the police force. This is how the idea of setting up a similar museum in our country appeared.

The initiative was welcomed from the very beginning by the president of the National Section, by members of the National Executive Committee, as well as by the leadership of the County Police Inspectorate from Dambovita, the latter assisting in the first preparations.

As a result of these actions, Dambovita County Council decided to grant the IPA Romanian Section a building in Targoviste, on Calea Domneasca, No.187, for a period of 50 years. The building, an important historical monument, needed repairs, consolidation in the inside and the outside, rearrangement of inside space, replacement of doors and windows, as well as rearranging the premises.

Thus, on 7 July 2000, in a general atmosphere of celebration, the Romanian Police National Museum was opened to the public, being the only museum of this kind in the country.

Uniforms of Romanian Police throughout the centuries

In the 18th century, the maintenance of internal order and public safety was achieved by the High Offices of the Agha (police prefect) and the Spathaurs (sword bearer), two offices with specific attributions- the former within the capital city, the latter in the outskirts of Bucharest and its surroundings. Among the military servants subordinated to the Agha were the ”arnăuţi” or mercenaries- recruited especially from among the Albanians, Macedo- Romanians, Greek Macedo- Romanians, but also among the Romanians; they had special uniforms beautifully adorned in Oriental style.

The Organic Regulations of the two Romanian Principalities, issued in 1830, stipulated among others, the setting up of the first guard and order units, with modern organization. Even if the Police service still continued to be named ”Agia” for a short period of time, it was later reorganized and soon, in all capital towns of the counties, both in Wallachia and Moldova, the new structure became known as Police. The police units were subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In Wallachia, public order and guard were maintained by the so-called”dorobanţi” or foot soldiers ( in sectors and neighbourhoods) and ”străjeri” or watchmen. The foot soldiers were organized on shifts (ten days a month at the headquarters of the county or at Agha’s Office) and were obliged to care for the manufacture or purchase of their own uniform. ”A mark of the ruling power and the emblem of the county” had to appear on the uniform, as stipulated in the Organic Regulations.

The project for the first modern uniforms of the foot soldiers in Wallachia was achieved in 1832, under the direct supervision of the Russian General Pavel Kiseleff, commander of the two occupation troops in the two Principalities. Thus, two main types of uniforms were established, one for ”Administrative Police” and the other for ”Judicial Police”. The uniforms consisted of a headdress, on which there was the representation of the Wallachian eagle, a mondir-franc or tunic of navy blue cloth, collar and cuffs in the color specific to the respective unit, trousers of grey cloth with distinctly-colored edging. The uniforms were different in point of the color of the collar and cuffs of the tunic, as well as in point of the metal accessories- red collar and cuffs, with silver buttons for the Administrative Police and light blue collar and cuffs, with golden buttons for the Judicial Police.

In the year 1850, Ruler Barbu Stirbei reorganized the institution of foot soldiers, and on this occasion modified their uniforms. The new uniforms were extremely simple, being easy to manufacture. They consisted of a black cloth tunic, with green collar, cuffs and epaulettes, golden metal buttons, white rough homespun trousers, black boots, green cloth girdle and a Caucasian headdress with green cloth cap and black fur border.

In Moldova, between 1830 and 1859, guard and public order were maintained by the so-called servants. The uniform of a servant consisted of a headdress with a red sash on the right, a golden metal emblem, a navy blue cloth tailcoat- tunic with red collar and braids, and navy blue trousers with red stripes.

On 12 March 1850 the “Law for the body of servants becoming gendarmes” was voted. The uniforms of the gendarmes consisted of: a headdress of red felt, adorned with two navy blue tassels on the left, white metal emblems, a red and navy blue cockade rosette, a navy blue cloth tunic with red epaulettes and braids, and trousers made of grey- blue cloth with red braid. Starting with 1855, the gendarmes from Moldova were equipped with leather helmets.

After the Union of Principalities, on 24 January 1859, the old structures were maintained for a period. Decree No. 24 from 13 April 1860 stipulates a change in the uniform of the gendarmes in Moldova, this becoming similar to the one of the foot soldiers in Wallachia, but it was only in 1864 that the territorial troops in Moldova were organized on the model of the ones in Wallachia. Thus, the foot and mounted gendarmes became border guards and county mounted soldiers, respectively, with the same responsibilities of guard and maintenance of order.

On 18 March 1866, the ”Civic Guard” was created, assigned the role to ensure ”the security of persons and property owners”, and ”the maintenance of the order and public discipline”. The activity in towns of such constables run parallel to the one exercised by the Police proper. Their uniform consisted of: a navy blue cloth frock coat with turned up collar and red woolen tie, navy blue trousers, black belt, and a black felt hat with large brims and a three-colored cockade rosette, also with red feathering on the right.

In the year 1869, the Regulations for Police Officers’ Uniform were adopted, which simplified the uniform to be worn by the police officers and to be granted by the state for free; one had to wear the uniform when on duty (except for the ones performing undercover operations). No other major alterations to the police uniforms occurred until after World War I.

The High Decree No.1586 from 7 June 1928 stipulates modifications in the uniform of the police officers, this becoming more traditional, up to the change of regime, in 1948. The uniform consisted of: a grey double-breasted man’s coat, vest and trousers, a white shirt and black tie, a Navy cap with the state emblem framed by an embroidered wreath of oak leaves. The full-dress uniform for the prefects and police inspectors was: black frock, top hat, patent-leather shoes, black tie, white gloves (for funerals, black gloves) and three-colored silk tasseled sash over the vest. On such occasions, the other police officers were dressed in the ordinary uniform, with stiff collar and cuffs, and white gloves.

The Law for the Reorganization of Police from 1929 establishes a clear delineation between ”Urban Police”, on the one hand- which was performed in towns by the bodies of the General State Police and by the Public Guardians- and ”Rural Police”, on the other hand- performed in the rural areas by the General Inspectorate of Gendarmerie, with the headquarters in the capital city.

The uniform of the public guardians was brown, consisting of a single-breasted tunic-like jacket with collar, with two upper pockets and two sideways, each with a flap, trousers, and a headdress which showed the country emblem framed by a wreath of oak leaves.

In 1937, a series of changes occurred to certain details of the previously adopted police uniforms, in the sense that they began to be manufactured from black woven fabric. The uniforms of the rural Gendarmerie consisted of: a ”blue gendarme” cloth tunic, grey trousers and a uniform cap with the embroidery ”J/R” on it.

At the end of 1947, major changes were brought to the police uniforms. In the meantime ”Police” turned into ”Militia” and departed from the Romanian traditions as they had been known for centuries, also bearing the Soviet imprint. The uniforms were grey, consisting of a double-breated man’s jacket with collar and lapel, also having two small upper poackets and two larger ones on each side, each with a flap, straight trousers for town attire and trousers narrowing to the ankle for office attire, a blue shirt and grey tie, a visored cap with the emblem of Communist Romania, and shoes or boots in the Soviet style.

In 1990, together with the change of regime, the Romanian Police uniforms were given another color, and some major differences occurred: a blue man’s coat, navy blue trousers, a white shirt and black tie, black shoes and a visored cap with the same color as the trousers.

Once Police was demilitarized, in the autumn of 2002, new uniforms were created, while maintaining the specific Romanian features which had previously made this important institution distinct before the coming to power of the Communist regime. Thus, they were made black, consisting of a double-breasted man’s jacket for town attire (known since 1906), grey for office attire (1928-1938), and the state emblem on the visored cap (sine 1928).

The photographs were taken in the Romanian Police Museum from Targoviste, on No 187 Calea Domneasca, the only museum of this kind in the country, open to the general public Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.