4 October 2013 Last updated at 23:24 GMT

A lost city: Photos of Bucharest's past

By Tessa Dunlop Bucharest, Ro an!a

"ndre! #andele $as a youn% arch!tect $hen he be%an photo%raph!n% h!s ho e country, Ro an!a, !n the 1&'0s( )!s ca era captured a per!od o* hu%e chan%e under co un!st d!ctator +!colae ,eausescu( -or so e, h!s stunn!n% photos are no$ a pa!n*ul re !nder o* a t! e o* destruct!on, and a l!*e lost( ./t0s cool1 / really l!2e !t(. Born !n the year o* the 1&3& Re4olut!on, #aul !s one o* a ne$ %enerat!on o* Ro an!ans 5 ult!l!n%ual, $ell5educated and a b!t!ous *or h!s country( )e !s understandably proud o* the %!ant )ouse o* the #eople, once ,eausescu0s palace( "*ter all, !t0s no$ ho e to Ro an!a0s *led%l!n% de ocracy and only tru ped !n s!6e by the #enta%on bu!ld!n% !n the 78( 9e are ho4er!n% !n one o* !ts any a!rless, po!ntlessly lar%e halls, $a!t!n% *or a con*erence on susta!nable tour!s to *!n!sh !n the ne4er5end!n% roo ne:t door( / don0t share #aul0s sent! ents( The 4ast slabs o* !n the centre o* an outs!6ed $edd!n% ca2e( arble *eel su**ocat!n% 5 $e ay as $ell be stuc2

#hoto%rapher "ndre! #andele !s e phat!c: .The #alace; )a1 /t !s a $all !n the $ay o* the people( " da , e4en(.

From Our Own Correspondent

9e ha4e et !n a tea shop !n the old <e$!sh =uarter o* Bucharest( There are photo%raphs *ro collect!on on e4ery $all( They0re e:cept!onal ! a%es rarely cau%ht on ca era, but then "ndre! !s an e:cept!onal d!%n!*!ed and handso e at >?( h!s

an 5 tall,

/t !s than2s to h!s *earless 4!s!on that ,eausescu0s relentless attac2 on Bucharest can be seen sta%e by sta%e 5 as !* peel!n% a$ay the layers o* an on!on(

./ $as an arch!tect,. he e:pla!ns( ./ could *!nd plans @andA appro:! ate $hat they $ould destroy( +ot e:actly, no5one 2ne$ that( They $ere $!ld, totally out o* control(. 8e4en s=uare 2!lo etres o* the c!ty centre $ere destroyed to a2e $ay *or the #alace o* the #eople( "ndre! $anted to ta2e so e p!ctures be*ore old Bucharest d!sappeared alto%ether( /04e been co !n% to Ro an!a *or 20 years but / ha4e ne4er seen ! a%es l!2e these( " c!ty cau%ht !n !ts 4ery o$n "r a%eddon( "ndre! preser4ed a Bucharest that no lon%er e:!sts 5 the e:=u!s!te %lass5co4ered ar2et, the arch$ays, cobbled streets, the 4!ne5clad 4!llas, the c!ty once called the .l!ttle #ar!s o* the Bast.(

But !n any o* the p!ctures the !%hty onslau%ht has already be%un 5 !nnu erable cranes che$!n% the!r $ay throu%h people0s l!4es, the *acade o* the cra6y palace loo !n% up o4er the threatened c!tyscape( "nd then, !n so e others, there0s Cust sno$ or dust and the desert o* de ol!t!on( +ot a 4erbose an, !n *ront o* h!s p!ctures, "ndre! beco es al ost chatty( ."*ter t$o years o* photo%raph!n% the arch!tectural destruct!on / dec!ded that !t $as 4ery bad, but !t $as e4en $orse that they $ere ru!n!n% the l!4es o* 22 !ll!on people( 8o / be%an to ta2e p!ctures o* e4eryday l!*e( / th!n2 they are uch ore str!2!n%(. The ne:t ser!es o* photo%raphs sho$!n% e4eryday l!*e under ,eaucescu !s l!2e a haunt!n% s!lent o4!e( 9e see desolate streets $hen there $as no petrol, =ueues *or *ood that ne4er ca e, tra s straddled by desperate co uters, useless cars bur!ed under sno$ and a $edd!n% party p!c2!n% the!r $ay throu%h the streets( +o5one !s s !l!n%(

/ can0t dec!de $h!ch !s ore aston!sh!n% 5 the photo%raphs or the photo%rapher; )o$ d!d he %et a$ay $!th ta2!n% p!ctures $h!ch so openly .den!%rated the soc!al!st real!ty., a cr! e that carr!ed a s!:5year pr!son sentence !n co un!st Ro an!a; "ndre! e:pla!ns that he $as a part5t! e sports photo%rapher, so he had a state5sanct!oned e:cuse to carry a ca era( "nd he tells e / ust understand the stran%e psycholo%y o* the state pol!ce en: .Tessa, they are 4ery a%%ress!4e $!th those $ho are a*ra!d, but uch less a%%ress!4e $!th people $ho are not at all a*ra!d( / $as con*!dent( Don0t h!de !* you don0t $ant to %et cau%ht(. "ndre!0s bra6en beha4!our captured a 4!tal sl!ce o* Ro an!a0s pa!n*ul past(

Det !t too2 a *ull 13 years be*ore he could sho$ h!s photo%raphs to an aston!shed Ro an!an publ!c( The people !n po$er d!d not $ant to be re !nded o* $hat they had %ot so $ron%( )e had to $a!t(

"ndre! #andele "ndre! shru%s: ./ ha4e seen $o en o4er 40 e:plod!n% !n tears !n *ront o* y photo%raphs, because they sa$ the!r l!*e had been destroyed, but they real!sed !t 20 years too late( "nd a lot o* teena%ers lau%hed neurot!cally 5 because they reco%n!sed so eth!n% !n the p!ctures that the!r parents had told the , but they had ne4er seen *or the sel4es(. My youn% *r!end #aul represents the %enerat!on that escaped that hell( )e0s s!lenced by "ndre! 5 h!s e:per!ence, h!s audac!ty, h!s p!ctures( Later, as $e $al2 bac2 throu%h the centre o* Bucharest, ta2!n% !n !ts sch!6ophren!c appearance $!th *resh eyes, #aul =u!etly concedes: 0/t is a p!ty ,eausescu had to bu!ld the palace co ple: r!%ht !n the !ddle o* the old c!ty(. -ro Our O$n ,orrespondent: L!sten onl!ne or do$nload the podcast(

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