Ion Ghica’s Mansion in Ghergani

The demesne at Ghergani, located close to Bucharest, in Răcani, was an important landmark in the Romanian culture and in the history of Romanian literature, imprinted by the personality of the great politician - Ion Ghica. In time, the place was visited by renowned Romanian and European politicians, writers and artists. Over the time, Vasile Alecsandri, George Enescu, Costache Negri, Alexandru Odobescu, Nicolae Grigorescu, Sir John Lawrence (British statesman, vice-king of India) and many others came here. The music room saw well-known musicians of the time, who came to accompany Alexandrina, Ion Ghica’s wife, a famous pianist herself. From Sabina Cantacunzino's memoirs we learn that the famous painting by Nicolae Grigorescu, the Gypsy Woman from Ghergani, was exhibited here. Some legends say that the Union of the Romanian Principalities was planned at Ghergani. 

“Everyone wants to see the Ghergani. Two or three visitors who came to see us told about wonders and wonders, and people talk in the city about the good taste, simplicity and beauty of our small country settlement.” Ion Ghica mentioned to his wife, Alexandrina, in a letter from 1867.

In the demesne park we are greeted by another building full of history: the chapel with the crypt in which Ion Ghica and his wife Alexandrina are buried. The remarkable personalities of those who once gave life to these places put their mark on every stone and the building, saved from ruin by the family descendants, is also patiently waiting to regain its full brilliance as in the past.

Ghergani became the residence of the Ghica couple when the diplomat retired, in 1890. The Ghergani Mansion, rebuilt in two stages, between 1869 and 1888, according to the vision and sketches of Ion Ghica, with architects Dimitrie Berindei and George Mandrea, was, as other boyar’s residences of the time, a “maison de plaisance”. Reconstruction involved expanding and raising the mansion, raising the chapel and landscaping the park. Staying at relatives’ or friends’ houses, some of them owners or builders of residences in the countryside, was a source of inspiration for Ghica: his visits in Moldavia at the mansions in Miclăușeni and Ruginoasa, or at Costache Negri’s castle at Onești. The couple, Alexandrina and Ion Ghica, managed to imprint a special note, granting it an intellectual and artistic profile. The library, the two pianos, the paintings, the showcases with Greek and Roman artefacts gave character to the interiors.

After the death of Ion Ghica at Ghergani, in 1897, Ion Ghica was buried in the sumptuous chapel of the mansion. Alexandrina continued to live at the mansion until the First World War. Forced to leave the demesne at the age of 80, she suffered until the end of her life because she could no longer return to Ghergani. The German army occupation had devastating effects on the mansion and the 1940 earthquake destroyed the flooring and the roof. Through nationalisation, the demesne was transformed into a communal agricultural household, then it became a district hospital in 1950 and ten years later a children's hospital. Improper use generated changes to the interior, partitions and specific facilities. In 2009, the demesne went to the rightful heirs who started an extensive restoration. A significant part of the works was carried out with the money of the family, who wanted to make the mansion, the chapel and the funerary monuments stand out. 

The chapel at Ghergani, connected to the mansion by an alley, is in contrast with its Western-inspired architecture. It preserves the architectural style of the Orthodox churches, thus emphasizing the Ghica family identity. In front of the chapel, there is the tomb of Ion Ghica's daughter-in-law, Irina, born Cantacuzino, the work of the Milanese sculptor Serafino Bianchi. The five children of the princess are carved on the slab, as five angels that accompany her to eternity, laying a garland on their mother's grave. Unfortunately, the monument was vandalised in 2000. To the left of the chapel, there rests Ion Ghica's brother, Pantazi, together with his wife of French origin, Camille-Pauline Guyet de Fernex. 

The park, another element that fascinates at the Ghergani demesne, was landscaped just before the completion of the mansion, on an area of 27 hectares, highlighting the Vlăsiei forest, located close by. Certainly, visits to Vienna, in the imperial parks of Schonbrunn and Laxenburg were inspirational for Ion Ghica, as can be seen from the correspondence of the time.