Gheorghe Boldur-Lăţescu (b. 1929), engineer, writer, professor, expert in systems analysis, political prisoner during the communist regime (1949-1951), he was subjected to the
“reeducation” through torture. He is the descendant of the Boldur-Lăţescu (Costaki) and Stroici boyar families, a direct descendant of Lupu Costaki, ruler of Moldavia (kaimakam) in 1711 and of hetman Iordache Costaki Boldur-Lăţescu. He is the author of the series Genocidul comunist în România [The Communist Genocide in Romania], in 4 volumes.
Gheorghe Boldur-Lăţescu speaks here about his grandfather, the landowner and conservative statesman Gheorghe M. Stroici and about his grandfather’s encounter with the Soviet soldiers who invaded his Moldavian estate in 1944, during World War II. It is a dramatic story about courage, dignity, patriotism and survival.
Mircea Carp (b. 1923), officer during World War II, journalist, political prisoner during the communist regime, he managed to escape from communist Romania in 1948 an he worked at Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. He is the descendant of the Carp family from Iaşi and of the Catargiu family (the conservative prime-minister Lascăr Catargiu belonged to this family) and nephew of the writer Garabet Ibrăileanu.
Among many spectacular moments in his biography, Mircea Carp shares with us an emotional Easter celebration on the Eastern Front, during World War II.
Filmed at the Romanian Jockey Club.
Dumitru Lecca (b. 1936), sportsman, coach of Romania’s national basketball teams (1992-2002), political prisoner during the communist regime (1952). He is the descendant of the Lecca boyars from Moldavia (general Dimitrie Lecca, War minister in 1866 and 1879-1880 belonged to this family) and of Belloianu family, and the grandson of three-star general Gheorghe Atanasescu (aide-de-camp of Queen Marie of Romania).
In the following clip, you will discover Dumitru Lecca’s experience in the communist political prisons.
Lelia Murgescu (b. Florescu) is the descendant of the Basarab Wallachian dynasty, of the Băleanu boyar family, of Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu and of Prince Grigore I Ghika, great-granddaughter of the Romanian conservative prime-minister Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino surnamed „The Nabob” because of his wealth (1832-1913) and daughter of George D. Florescu, historian and genealogist (the descendant of one of the most important Wallachian boyar family, the Florescu).
Lelia Murgescu tells us here the story of her childhood holidays at the country estate of her uncle, Prince Dimitrie Ghika (Blessed Vladimir Ghika’s brother), from Bozieni – Neamţ county.
Dinu Zamfirescu (b. 1929), researcher of the communist archives, journalist and writer, founder of the National Institute for the Memory of the Romanian Exile, important member of the National Liberal Party, political prisoner during the communist regime and an important figure of the Romanian political exile, before 1989. He is a descendant of the Zamfirescu and Chiriţescu landowner families, grandson of general David Praporgescu (war hero in World War I) and of colonel Pavel Zamfirescu (aide-de-camp of King Carol I of Romania) and stepson of Dan Brătianu (son of Constantin I.C. Dinu Brătianu, president of the National Liberal Party, who died as a political prisoner at Sighet).
Let’s follow Dinu Zamfirescu in the dark ages of the communist dictatorship, when courage and loyalty were vital.