The Mihai Eminescu Trust
May 8th - 11th, 2006
Royal Patron's visit to Viscri

HRH The Prince of Wales paid a private visit to the Saxon Villages from  9th –11th May 2006, accompanied by our Romanian and London directors Caroline Fernolend and Luminta Holban. He spent two nights in Viscri and saw much of the Trust’s restoration work, noting the extraordinary change in the village since his last visit four years ago.

Walking with the Trust’s biologist Tibi Hartel in the hills near Viscri, the Prince stopped first to watch progress on the construction of a wood-fired kiln on the edge of the village.  From earliest times, kilns similar in design used to exist in each community, providing handmade  bricks and tiles for the  Saxon householders. The revival of this ancient rural technology – overseen by British restoration expert Colin Richards – is funded by the Trust’s small business scheme and will be managed by a Viscri family. Once the reliability of the product is established, the kiln will supply a range of Transylvanian builders and architects. The Prince also walked in the hills around Malancrav village, visiting the Trust’s organic apple orchard, its juice-bottling factory and the adjacent Apafi manor house which the Trust is restoring.

On the last morning, the Prince visited the Homorod Stud Farm, where he was received by the owner, Dr. Sebastian Koga, veterinarian Dr. Mihai Buse, and the local riders.  In the course of a rainy morning HRH visited the historic buildings of the farm and the 52 horses, 30 of which had been rescued from starvation in the early winter months of 2005. Inside the XVIII century stables, he expressed interest in the Lipizzaner horse and was particularly taken with a 15 year old grey stallion, Siglavy-Capriola 21, which he described as “the type of majestic horse which the Princes of Europe were portrayed riding in the oil paintings of past centuries.” He was also intrigued by the beautiful colours of the grey Maestoso and black Neapolitano stallions, their noble features, and the high carriage of their head. He praised Sebastian Koga’s efforts and the excellent conditions in which the horses are kept.
 
HRH inquired about the several bay horses stabled at Homorod and owned by the Trust. Sebastian Koga recounted his entry into the Romanian horse world in 2003 at the initiative of Luke Douglas-Home, who encouraged him to start a stud farm  by providing 6 horses, a Land Rover and some tack.

The Prince praised the stables historic architecture and encouraged Sebastian Koga to use only traditional materials in the renovation of the buildings, like the trust-sponsored handmade tiles.

Throughout the visit the Prince’s deep understanding of the holistic regenerative power of the Trust’s Whole Village Project communicated itself to all who met him and proved a great inspiration to our outstanding Romanian team.

http://www.mihaieminescutrust.org/content/nd_standard.asp?n=114