Striking images of remote Romanian villages show the medieval conditions in which inhabitants work, celebrate and live, without the interference of modern technology in a manner their ancestors would recognise.
The insightful photographs show natives of the remote Romanian countryside driving horse and carts, tending to animals and enjoying a local traditional festival.
The pictures were taken by photographer Alex Robciuc in various villages around the Maramures County of Romania such as Bârsana, Strâmtura, and Breb.
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- Photographer Alex Robciuc journeyed through various villages in Maramures County in the Transylvanian Alps
- The remote area of Romania is home to more than 100 tiny villages where the pace of life is quite medieval
- Locals have spurned modern technology and industry, preferring to make their living using more simpler means
- The area is one of the last places in Europe where people live in a manner than their ancestors would recognise
Robciuc said: ‘The portraits shows people in different places, doing what they usually do; working, celebrating, thinking and hoping – like we all do.
‘What is particular with them is the fact that unlike most people they are not constantly around technology so they aren’t used to having their photo taken.
‘The expressions they hold in the photos are all completely natural as they do not want to appear different than they are. The face captured in the portraits shows how complex a person can be in his simplicity.’
The village of Breb is much loved by British monarchy and Prince Charles is known to have spent many holidays in the remote village.
Alex said: ‘Breb is well known because Prince Charles gifted his first grandson with a land full of mountain flowers in Transylvania.’
The 100-or-so villages are scattered along the southern range of the Carpathian Mountains and otherwise known as the Transylvanian Alps.
They date from the 12th century, and are among the last vestiges of European medieval culture.
Robciuc said: ‘When people look at my photos, I would like them to appreciate the individuals in the images for the fact that they are preserving the life almost exactly how it was many hundreds of years ago.
‘It is not simple to live the way they do and we know that in our days it is simple to choose to be a modern person in every aspect of the life.
‘I also want people to look at those faces and to understand that life can be lived in many ways and different conditions, and to believe that the happiness is found in us and not into the things that are around us.’
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3479025/Inside-medieval-Romanian-villages-idyllic-lifestyle-struggle-without-assistance-modern-technology.html#ixzz42PJOOjCb
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