We went to the Museum of Wooden Ingots in Câmpulung Moldovenesc

"You can't film. Come and talk!". The firm tone of voice on the phone kind of cut my momentum. I was passing through Câmpulung Moldovenesc that day and I had started with big thoughts. I wanted to visit both museums in Câmpulung Moldovenesc that have wood as their subject (which I knew about), the Museum of Wood Art and the Museum of Wooden Ingots. The Wood Art Museum was under renovation. I had only the Museum of Wooden Ingots left and I had pinned all my hopes on it. Unfortunately the beginning was bad. Or so it seemed.

At 13.00, when we arranged the meeting, Mr Ioan Mateescu was waiting for me. I must admit that at first I couldn't tell if I was disturbing him. The museum is in a house half inhabited by Ioan Mateescu and his wife, a descendant of the history professor Ion Țugui, who collected these wooden spoons throughout his life.

After we got to know each other better, Mr. Mateescu was a true host, introducing me to his impressive collection of about 5,000 wooden spoons, some of their stories and those of the collector, Ion Țugui. As much as possible for an hour, as much as we spent together through, I repeat, the impressive collection. The house-museum has the whole floor and half of the ground floor filled with exhibits, wooden spoons of all shapes and sizes, from home and abroad. Mr Mateescu says that they still come from all sorts of countries, from former visitors who send a spoon specific to their country when they get home.

Apart from the various models and their design, I was most impressed by the history stored there. Each spoon has its own story. Created by enthusiasts, some of them hundreds of years ago, they have passed through different hands over time, some better known, some less so. The stories told by Mr Mateescu are really very beautiful. If they are not true, he is very good at promoting the museum and the exhibits, but if they are also half true, then that museum houses a lot of history.

It is too little to begin to tell you that that collection includes spoons made of different types of wood, with geometric, astral, floral, animal motifs, with different coats of arms or that they are decorative. That you can see spoons, verzowls, jintuaries, mugs or cups. If you want more details about the types of spoons in the museum, you can find them at here, in a page that you can also enter if you scan the barcode present on the museum house 😉 But, they must be seen! Viewing the collection is free, but it's good to let us know before your visit.

I am sorry that Mr Mateescu did not wish to be filmed, recorded or photographed. He hardly let me take any pictures. I remain of the opinion that it is a collection that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, especially young people, but presented in a more friendly way. We need to show them this part of history too. I made a point of persuading Mr Mateescu to present the collection to us in a film for the Wooden Magazine. I hope to succeed. When I left he wasn't as firm as he was at the beginning 😊