Aurel MELNICIUC, Manager of the Botoșani County Museum, at FERM 2025: “The museum network, a model of best practices for cultural and touristic development”

REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025

19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025

Thematic Panel:

Culture and Regional Identity – Tradition, Innovation and Social Cohesion

Speaker:

Aurel MELNICIUC – Manager of the Botoșani County Museum

Presentation Topic:

“The Botoșani County Museum – a model of best practices in rehabilitating the museum network”

Within the Regional Economic Forum Moldova 2025, Panel 10 – “Culture and Regional Identity – Tradition, Innovation and Social Cohesion” highlighted the role of cultural heritage as a driver of economic, social, and touristic development.

The event brought together decision-makers, investors, public administrations, experts, and business leaders from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and other strategic regions, creating a platform for the exchange of best practices and strategic partnerships.

In this context, the intervention of Aurel Melniciuc, Manager of the Botoșani County Museum, provided a concrete example of heritage management and valorization at the county level.

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The Botoșani Museum Network – Structure, Rehabilitation and Funding

Melniciuc presented the structure of the Botoșani County Museum:

“I am the manager of the Botoșani County Museum, a county-level touristic network, consisting of 9 museums and memorial houses.”

He emphasized the progress of rehabilitations:

“Of the 9 museums and memorial houses, more than 60% have been rehabilitated or are under rehabilitation. This year we managed to give a new look to these buildings; some of them, such as this one, the central headquarters, the Botoșani History Museum, the former Botoșani Prefecture building, designed by Petre Antonescu, a monument building which we have almost completed rehabilitating. The final year is 2026, with funding from CNI, the National Investment Company.”

Melniciuc emphasized the uniqueness of the restoration projects:

“Together with the Constanța Casino, we are the only historical monument buildings that have been and are being rehabilitated with funds from the National Investment Company. So, we also managed to access these funds.”

Strategic Investments and Reference Collections

The Museum of Natural Sciences Doroboi, former Doroboi Prefecture, is an example of a large-scale project:

“An even larger building, with impressive collections, especially the lepidoptera collection, the second largest in the country, which has also entered rehabilitation through funding from the Ministry of Culture. I believe it is the largest financial allocation, around 63 million lei, multi-annual, over 4 years, which we hope to complete after these 3–4 years.”

Cross-border projects strengthen regional identity and international cooperation:

“The George Enescu Memorial House in Liveni… was rehabilitated through cross-border funds, in a project together with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova; it now looks completely different after this rehabilitation, and in partnership with Orheiul Vechi, with our colleagues from the Republic of Moldova. Again, almost €1,300,000 for the two partners.”

Diversity of Museum Sites and Educational Role

Other sites, with educational and cultural value, include:

• Ștefan Luchian Museum in Ștefănești: “It is not Ștefan Luchian’s birthplace, but it is a museum dedicated to him where we managed to create a beautiful exhibition.”

• Botoșani Ethnographic Museum (Casa Ventura) and Nicolae Iorga House, supported by the Botoșani County Council.

• George Enescu Memorial Museum Dorohoi: “Last year we applied and signed the contract under the monument stamp program; it is entering rehabilitation for now on the technical documentation side, surveys, technical project, and we hope to also achieve complete rehabilitation.”

• Ștefan Luchian Art Galleries, which do not require rehabilitation.

• Săveni Archaeology Museum, one of the oldest in Moldova (late 18th century), prepared to enter a rehabilitation program.

Through these projects, historical heritage becomes a tool for education and the promotion of local identity.

Estimated Economic and Touristic Impact

Integrating museums into cultural tourism can generate significant economic benefits:

• Increasing visitor flows by approximately 15–20% annually in Botoșani County.

• Additional revenues estimated at €2–3 million annually, from tourism, tickets, merchandising, and cultural activities.

• Strengthening the local economy through collaboration with restaurants, hotels, and local transport.

Melniciuc emphasizes: “This is how we can try to integrate the museum network as a component of cultural tourism, thereby bringing additional contributions to this cultural exchange.”

Cross-border and European Connections

Cross-border projects, such as the rehabilitation of the George Enescu Memorial House in Liveni, demonstrate the capacity to attract European funds and create sustainable partnerships. Cooperation with the Republic of Moldova and pilot projects such as Terra Ștefanianna contribute to promoting historical heritage and strengthening regional identity.

Conclusion: Model of Best Practices and Strategic Vision

Aurel Melniciuc’s intervention at FERM 2025 demonstrated that a well-managed and strategically funded museum network can be a model of best practices for the entire Moldova Region. The restoration of monument buildings, the development of thematic exhibitions, and involvement in cross-border projects allow cultural heritage to become an economic and touristic engine, strengthening identity and social cohesion.

Panel 10 thus provided a clear example of integrating tradition into modernity, showing how culture can be a strategic factor in regional development, with lasting economic, social, and educational impact.