Case Deschise is a cultural project that was launched in 2023 by the Order of Architects of Romania, basically an “open houses” event in which public and private buildings, considered to be good examples of architecture, can be visited. Participants in the organized visits within the Case Deschise program are given guided tours of the listed buildings, accompanied by the authors of the projects and the owners. This is the website of Case Deschise and this is some nice information about us.
In the summer we met Diana Constantinescu, the coordinator of Case Deschise of the Sibiu region, and began talking about the unparalleled cultural richness of the Transylvanian countryside, with its often medieval villages, and the great challenge of preserving this cultural treasure. The intention to restore cultural heritage to its former glory is often accompanied by considerable financial means that not everyone has. Conversely, the understandable desire to replace all that “old junk” with modern technology often stems from fewer resources and an aversion to “the old.” The consequence of this dynamic is the gentrification of some villages and the loss of beauty and authenticity in others.
What we can do, with our knowledge, expertise, and love for Romania and the Transylvanian heritage, is to contribute as best we can to restoring the former glory of the Saxon trinity: house, yard, and orchard — by creating healthy gardens to enjoy and to eat from, with fruit, vegetables, and flowers. This helps restore biodiversity and brings back a rich soil and insect life, as it once was.
We were therefore pleasantly surprised to be asked to open our garden to the public on October 12 2025 and give a guided tour. Case Deschise focuses on good examples of architecture, but the coordinator we spoke with had a different view: the garden is inseparable from the overall quality. You can spend a lot of time, money, and energy on a beautiful house restoration, but you still miss the mark if you have a neglected 6,000 m² garden consisting mainly of grass and gravel. After all, a beautiful house deserves a wonderful garden. And on a very practical level: a beautiful and well-maintained garden significantly increases the value of your property. The challenge, however, is that those who have the financial means to restore a house to their full glory often do not have the time to actively care for a beautiful garden — which is absolutely necessary to manage the immense growth of all the greenery here. But that is precisely where we come in!
We therefore truly enjoyed welcoming a large group of people to our garden on October 12, many of whom are professional architects working on houses themselves and who fully recognize the value of a beautiful garden. And a group of enthusiastic garden lovers who wanted to know everything about gardening: where to get good seeds, how to make organic compost, how to control weeds and pests organically, how to grow seedlings, and so on.
It was a wonderful day for us, with lovely people.
And as a cherry on top, it turned out that a loving (and long!) article about us was published in the online newspaper Tribuna.
We hope that together with you, we can create many more beautiful gardens!