Exhibition “PITEȘTI PHENOMENON. THE TRUE FACE OF COMMUNISM IN ROMANIA”

TRAVELLING EXHIBITION

 “PITEȘTI PHENOMENON. THE TRUE FACE OF COMMUNISM IN ROMANIA”

Between November 28, 2023 and February 25, 2024 Brukenthal National Museum and Pitești Prison Memorial present the exhibition "Pitești Phenomenon. The true face of communism in Romania". The travelling exhibition is bilingual (Romanian/English) and contains, in addition to information about Pitești Phenomenon and the chronology of repression in Pitești Prison, original objects from the communist prison system - cell furniture, zeghe (prisoners' uniforms) - but also criminal records, postcards sent by political prisoners to their families and unpublished photographs. In addition, the curators have prepared a special section dedicated to Sibiu citizens who experienced the violent action in Pitești Prison, as well as a dedicated area where visitors can share their thoughts and impressions. 

The opening will take place on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 12 noon, at the History Museum – Altemberger House, 2, Mitropoliei Street, Sibiu. The special guest is Mr. Sergiu Rizescu, a former political prisoner who was incarcerated for a year in Pitești Prison during the communist dictatorship and then transferred to other prisons. Curators Maria Axinte (founder of Pitești Prison Memorial) and Andreea Corca (curator at the Brukenthal National Museum) will present the exhibition.

The event is not recommended for children under 10 due to the extreme violence of the subject presented. 

The exhibition "Pitești Phenomenon. The true face of communism in Romania" presents the chronology of the violent action carried out by the communist regime in Pitești Penitentiary between 1949-1951. Known today as the "Pitești Phenomenon", "Pitești Experiment" or "re-education through torture", this form of systematic torture of anti-communist students was mainly aimed at obtaining information from the victims, which was used to arrest other anti-communists, but the violence also led to the destruction of the victims' personalities, to make them incapable of opposing the regime in the future. This sinister action took place in Pitești Penitentiary between November 1949 and May 1951, where more than 600 students were tortured, but was extended to other prisons from spring 1950, and several hundred more political prisoners were tortured.