In December 1989, Timisoara declared itself the first free city of Romania, after a week of resistance to communist repression. It was the point of no return of the popular movement that soon spread around the country, overthrowing the 25 years dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, together with a communist system that lasted 45 years.
Romanian freedom was payed with a very high price. Only during the Revolution over a thousand innocents died, adding to those over two hundred thousand murdered in communist prisons of the totalitarian system. Two decades later, like most of the one hundred million victims of communist experiments worldwide, these are still unknown heroes. Their story is yet a taboo subject in the West, where communism is still viewed just as a failed idealist system, whose genocide is excusable by the ‘noble’ egalitarian purpose.
Meanwhile, in the former communist countries of the East a Restoration takes place. A phenomenon similar to that which followed the French Revolution. The positions of power in business, politics and media are strongly in the hands of former communists and especially of those from the feared secret service of that era. A twist of history turned communists into wealthy capitalists and state clients. Under the stress of everyday life, the general public is kept away from the great lessons of history which might trigger a ‘dangerous’ leap of conscience. This is just a short explanation for the fact that the most important event in recent Romanian history is only remembered in almost clandestine forms. Such is the case of the Revolution Memorial in Timisoara, where visitors can watch documentaries about the event, see objects that belonged to those involved and models of the monuments built in the city to commemorate those December days.