Maintaining the vernacular in Rimetea and Roşia Montană: politics and meaning

© 2015 - ISVS. This paper describes succinctly the analysis of two villages, part of a larger research conducted in the region of Transylvania in Romania. It focuses on the relationship between signage and vernacular architecture, arguing that the text and images displayed on the facades of buildings throughout the village are intimately connected to the vernacular and often emphasizes its social, cultural and political past and present. In Rimetea, the signage connects the village, part of Romania after WWI, with Hungary, to which was politically connected since medieval times. In Roşia Montană, the signage supports a proposed mining project by making use of the stories of vernacular architecture. Moreover, this paper brings forth the importance of conducting architectural fieldwork complemented by research on the history and culture of those particular place. Such a methodology was employed for this research, making possible an in-depth analysis of the rural environment in the twenty-first century.