From Socialist Industrial Iconic Representation to Present Patrimonial Perception (The Case Study of Hunedoara Steelworks Transylvania)

This paper will look into the interconnections between the common imaginary of the built socialist symbols and the perception of the built environment in Romanian post – 1989 context. The attention will be directed towards the case of socialist built propagandist symbols as those introduced by the industrial architecture and their impact on nowadays patrimonial endorsement of the 20th century industrial legacy. This was chosen to be analysed through the specific case study of Hunedoara, an ex-metallurgic town from Transylvania. During the communism, Hunedoara Steelworks became an example of ‘monumental industrial architecture’, despite its multi-layered industrial development dating the 19th century, while during the post-1989 period, under the visible effects of deindustrialisation appeared labelled as symbol of ‘Romanian decay’. This case study not only proves how vulnerable the industrial legacy is in Romanian context, but brings into debate issues such as the post - 1989 territorial transformations and the derelict industries disappearance, especially when labelled as ‘misfortunes’ of a political built legacy.