Promoting Romanian Socialist Sport Heritage: A Case Study

The objective of this paper is to advance the academic dis-course on the Romanian socialist sporting heritage and to examine poten-tial avenues for enhancing its visibility in the public domain. This heritage encompasses a range of sporting facilities, including multi-purpose and gymnastic halls, as well as outdoor spaces such as stadiums and parks.

Despite their construction during the socialist era, some of these buildings defy the prevailing norms of the period, representing experimental projects that combine concrete structures and architectural elements in new ways.

In the course of my doctoral research on the architecture and politics of sports in Romania during the socialist era, I have identified a significant challenge: the distorted perception of these buildings by the public. These structures are typically regarded as obsolete buildings and emblematic for the communist era, despite their continued utilization by local sports teams and communities.

An illustrative case is the Sports Hall in Bacău, designed in 1971 and built the following year. The building, which is an excellent example of late modern architecture, a popular style in Europe during that period, has remained largely unchanged over time. It continues to serve as the city’s only sports hall. Until the new and larger sports hall is completed, this will remain the sole option for local teams. The question thus arises as to what will become of this building when it is no longer the only option. Will it be demolished first, as has occurred in other similar cases across the country?

This paper initiates a discussion about the socialist sports halls, which remain a contentious architectural presence in public spaces, and how we as a society can understand and utilize them.