Emanoil Lacu: călător român prin lume

The exhibition catalogue “Emanoil Lacu: călător român prin lume: catalogul expoziției” presents, step-by-step, one of the fascinating journeys undertaken by Emanoil Lacu, a name unfortunately too little known to today’s public.

Traveler, pilgrim, and messenger of the Romanian world, Emanoil Lacu (Manu) was born in 1875 into a modest family of shepherds from Mărginimea Sibiului (Rășinari).

The list of his travels is quite extensive, reaching Central Asia, the Caucasus, Africa, the Middle East, as well as Central, Southern, and Southeastern Europe: Serbia (1905); Italy (1905–1906); Montenegro (1905); the Ottoman Empire (several trips); Austria (1905); Bosnia and Herzegovina (1905); Persia (Iran) between 1913–1915; Samos (1906); Crete (1906); Egypt and Yemen (1909); and Bulgaria (several trips).

He undertook his first pilgrimage in September 1899 to Mount Athos, and a second one between 1902–1903 to Jerusalem and the Holy Places in Palestine, obtaining a pilgrim’s certificate.

The catalogue contains 108 documentary images—testimony from the journey Emanoil Lacu made to Ethiopia between 1909–1911. The images are accompanied by explanatory notes regarding the names of the localities, sometimes featuring a brief history of the events that shaped them, without which their identification on a map would often seem impossible.

From the Historical Archive – Special Collections, images of the most impressive moments have been selected: photographs, postcards, notes, stamps of institutions and authorities, and diary excerpts. The documents depict the places and people met along the way, as the Romanian traveler passed through territories that were once part of ancient civilizations: the Arabian Peninsula, the Asian coast of the Red Sea, Mesopotamia, the legendary Kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, ancient Colchis on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Emanoil Lacu traveled most of the way on foot, only occasionally using other means of transport (to cross areas incompatible with walking), such as steamships or trains. During his journeys, he kept diaries in which he recorded his impressions of people, places, and customs. In them, he also collected well-wishes, photographs, and postcards from locals and authorities. He visited local personalities and institutions, becoming a true messenger of the Romanian world, wearing a tricolor cockade on his chest or a tricolor armband. For his extraordinary efforts, he was received at the court of the famous Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and decorated with the country’s highest distinctions: the “Cross of Africa” and the “Star of Solomon.”

In his message to the world, Emanoil Lacu comes across as open-minded, advocating for humanity and hoping that, at the end of his travels, the information he gathered would be published in a book. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this idea was never realized. However, the present volume can be considered the voice of Manu (Emanoil Lacu), fulfilling his great desire to recount and share the extraordinary adventures he experienced with his compatriots, including those of our time.

Project Coordinator: Elena Cojuhari – Special Collections. Historical Archive Room.