#Exhibit of the Month

The main parts of the camera include the body, bellows, lens, and viewfinder system. The body consists of two lacquered walnut wood frames, joined by a folding black textile bellows that allows the necessary extension for focusing. On the front panel is the Agfa anastigmat lens, mounted in a Compur-type shutter produced by F. Deckel in Munich. It features a foldable "brilliant" viewfinder for both portrait and landscape orientation. It uses glass photographic plates coated with a photographic emulsion, mounted in walnut wood holders, with a frame size of 9x12 cm.
The walnut wood model, considered the flagship "Agfa Isolar Luxus," was designed by the A.H. Rietzschel factory in Munich, acquired by AGFA in 1925, which continued producing this type of camera under its own name until the late 1920s.
The piece was restored by Mihail Culașco, Restoration Department of NMHM.
Brief History of the Camera
The history of the camera spans 200 years, evolving from the camera obscura to today's digital devices. Key milestones include: the first permanent photograph in 1826 by French physicist Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, using a wooden box and a plate coated with bitumen of Judea; the invention of the first photographic process - daguerreotype - in 1839 by Frenchman Louis Daguerre, marking the official birth of photography; the invention of calotype, based on the negative/positive principle, by British physicist and chemist Fox Talbot; the invention of wet collodion plates by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer and dry glass plates by Richard Leach Maddox and John Huds Bennet; the introduction of flexible roll film and the launch of the first Kodak camera by American inventor George Eastman; the release of the first 35 mm film camera by German company "Leica"; the launch of the first instant camera "Polaroid," invented by American Edwin Land. Finally, starting in 1975, this path led to the digital photography revolution. Each successive step made cameras smaller and faster, significantly improving image quality.
The first photographic studio in Chișinău was opened in 1854 by Eduard Glewski, and before World War I, there were already about 100 photography studios in Bessarabia.
The collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova includes over 30 cameras, made in Austria, Germany, France, USSR, Japan, and China, dating from the late 19th century to the 2000s. Among them are folding bellows cameras, BOX-type cameras, single-lens reflex (SLR) and twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras, as well as digital (DSLR) cameras.

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Events Archive

Opening of the Exhibition "The National Bank of Romania's Treasury Sent to Moscow and Not Recovered – A Debt Over a Century Old"

November 16, 2024

On November 16, 2024, the National Museum of History of Moldova in Chișinău hosted the opening of the exhibition "The National Bank of Romania's Treasury Sent to Moscow and Not Recovered - A Debt Over a Century Old," organized by the National Bank of Romania (BNR) and the Romanian Cultural Institute "Mihai Eminescu" in Chișinău, in partnership with our institution. The event provided a unique opportunity for specialists and history enthusiasts to discover exclusive information about a tragic chapter in Romania's history, based on reliable scientific sources.

The exhibition reveals the details of a tragic episode during World War I, when, in 1916 and 1917, Romania, under the threat of invasion, sent 41 wagons loaded with gold (around 90 tons) from the National Bank of Romania's Treasury to Russia, along with archival documents, artifacts, museum collections, and works of art from the Romanian Academy.

The goods, sent for safekeeping under the formal guarantee of the Russian authorities, were never returned, despite official commitments. This historical episode remains one of the most sensitive and controversial topics in Romanian-Russian bilateral relations, symbolizing an unsettled debt that has lasted for over a century.

During the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Eugen Sava, General Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Monica Babuc, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute "Mihai Eminescu" in Chișinău, Cristian Păunescu, Adviser to the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mihai Gribincea, diplomat and historian, Petru Rotaru, Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, and Eugen Tomac, Member of the European Parliament.

Eugen Sava mentioned that this is not the only case where national treasures of Romania and the Republic of Moldova have been stolen by Russia. This includes the famous Treasure of Conțești, which is now housed in the Hermitage Museum. Another treasure, discovered in the early 20th century in Bessarabia, is kept in the Museum of History in Moscow. It should also be noted that Russia stole the Troy Treasure from Berlin in 1945, discovered by H. Schliemann. This can be considered part of Russia's "tradition" of imperialism in the national heritage of several European countries.

Monica Babuc, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute "Mihai Eminescu" in Chișinău, emphasized the importance of this historical exhibition for the Bessarabian cultural community, which had long been isolated from essential historical truths regarding Romania's fate.

In his speech, Cristian Păunescu, Adviser to the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, noted that the National Bank of Romania had sent 91.5 tons of gold to Russia, equivalent to over 8 billion euros, a colossal amount for that period.

During the opening ceremony, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) presented jubilee medals to the National Museum of History of Moldova and the Romanian Cultural Institute "Mihai Eminescu" in Chișinău, contributing to the strengthening of cultural and historical ties between the two countries.

Petru Rotaru and Eugen Tomac highlighted that the situation of Romania's Treasury is a complex subject that requires a tailored European response and must be constantly promoted until the treasure is returned home.

The research team from the National Bank of Romania, Brîndușa Costache and Nadia Manea, provided a detailed account of the scientific approach behind the exhibition, highlighting unique aspects of the displayed documents.

During the opening, the works "The Destiny of Romania's Treasury: Arguments from Russian Archives" by Ilie Schipor and "The National Bank of Romania's Treasury Sent to Moscow and Not Recovered" by Cristian Păunescu were also presented.

The exhibition "The National Bank of Romania's Treasury Sent to Moscow and Not Recovered - A Debt Over a Century Old" will be open for visits until December 5, 2024, in Hall 1 (ground floor) of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chișinău, 31 August 1989 St., 121A.