#Exhibit of the Month

Manufactured in 1902 by AG vorm Siedel & Nauman in Dresden, Germany.

Dimensions: Length - 38 cm, Width - 35 cm, Height - 20 cm. Weight - 16 kg. It entered the museum collection in 1984, transferred from the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History.

The typewriter features a standard carriage mounted on ball bearings and rollers, along with a keyboard equipped with 42 keys. These contain two complete sets of Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, punctuation marks, numbers, and mathematical symbols, enabling the typing of 126 characters. Beneath the metal casing, the type bars are arranged in a fan-like pattern, holding embossed characters and ink ribbon rollers. When the keys are pressed, the type bars strike the inked ribbon, imprinting characters onto the paper tensioned in the machine's roller system.

The side panels are elegantly decorated with refined cast-iron elements in the Art Nouveau style, displaying the brand name - "Ideal." The Polyglott model, featuring a bilingual keyboard patented in the United Kingdom by Max Klaczko from Riga, Latvia, was produced between 1902 and 1913, marking the first typewriter capable of writing in two languages. The "Ideal Polyglott" typewriter was actively sold in the Russian Empire and gained significant popularity in Poland, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
The typewriter - a mechanical device used for printing text directly onto paper - ranks among the most important inventions of the modern era, as it revolutionized communication. From the late 19th century to the early 21st century, it became an indispensable tool, widely used by writers, in offices, for business correspondence, and in private homes. The peak of typewriter sales occurred in the 1950s when the average annual sales in the United States reached 12 million units. In November 2012, the British Brother factory produced what it claimed to be the last typewriter, which was donated to the Science Museum in London.
The advent of computers, word processing software, printers, and the decreasing cost of these technologies led to the typewriter's disappearance from the mainstream market, turning it into a museum exhibit.
June 23 marks Typewriter Day, commemorating the date when American journalist and inventor Christopher Latham Sholes patented his typewriter. This day celebrates the simple yet revolutionary device that has become history, as well as the remarkable literary achievements it has enabled since 1868.

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Events Archive

National Anthem Day of Romania in the Republic of Moldova

July 28, 2023

The YUFest association organized for the first time, in Chisinau, the event "National Anthem Day of Romania in the Republic of Moldova". The event took place on Friday, July 28, 2023, in the premises of the National Museum of History of Moldova and gathered guests from both countries to celebrate the common Romanian identity.

The event started with a press conference in the Great Union Hall, where notable speakers were present, including Andrei Fermeșanu, manager and soloist of the Romanian National Opera in Iasi, Prof. Univ. Dr. Adrian Cioroianu, General Manager of the National Library of Romania, Livia Sîrbu, Deputy Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova and Lia Anton, president of the YUFest Association, organizer of the event. They discussed the importance of the national anthem in preserving and promoting the Romanian identity in the Republic of Moldova and emphasized the role of the event in strengthening the ties between the two countries.

After the press conference, the participants had the opportunity to enjoy a unique concert performed by "Corul Marii Uniri", a male choral ensemble from Iași, led by maestro Andrei Fermeșanu. The concert repertoire included historical songs that have served as Romania's national anthem for decades, such as "Triumphal March and Reception of the Flag and His Majesty the Reigning Prince" (1862), "Long Live the King" (1884), "Shackles Broken" (1948), "We glorify you, Romania" (1953), "Three colors" (1977) and "Wake up Romanians!" (1991-present). The audience enjoyed the emotional interpretation of these musical pieces that have a special symbolic and patriotic charge.

The event ended with a reception, where guests had the opportunity to taste local wines and continue the dialogue in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. The participants appreciated the efforts of the YUFest Association in organizing this memorable event and expressed the hope that such cultural events will continue to contribute to strengthening the relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

The event is organized by the YUFest Association and financially supported by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, within the project "The national anthem, the symbol of Romanian unity!", with the aim of preserving, developing and affirming the ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identities of the Romanians in the Republic Moldova, as well as strengthening ties between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.

#Exhibit of the Month

"Ideal" Mechanical Typewriter, Model A Polyglott

National Anthem Day of Romania in the Republic of Moldova

July 28, 2023

#Exhibit of the Month