Codlea town is known not only as the "City of flowers", but also thanks to its spirituality developed during the centuries around the great medieval fortress. Three local figures stand out in the local cultural background: the teacher Ion Pascu (1883 - 1944), the dean Iosif Comanescu (1847 - 1922) and the aviation pioneer Albert Ziegler (1888 - 1946). All of them contributed to the reform of the Romanian education and the cultural development of the area. As Alexandru Popa, mayor of Codlea, stated, the three of them are ? a spiritual heritage, which we are pride of?.
Teacher, Priest, Aviator
Ion Pascu was a teacher and director of the School of Codlea. King Carol II of Romania awarded him the medal ?Work reward for scholastic achievements?, 2nd class. He fought for the establishment of the intellectual youth ?George Cosbuc? Society. Iosif Comanescu has been another cultural personality of his time. He made a great speech about the past and the present of Codlea in occasion of the local reunion of ASTRA - The Transylvanian Association for Romanian People?s Literature and Culture, founded in 1861, whose first president was the Metropolitan Bishop Andrei Saguna. Albert Ziegler was an aviation pioneer who designed aircrafts, as the famous Traian Vuia and Aurel Vlaicu did. As an apprentice, Ziegler built an engine for which he received the Gold Award. On his flight over his birthplace Codlea, he exceeded the height record of 3,000 meters.
Personalities Alley
The artists of Codlea dedicate works of art to the three great local figures. One of them is the sculptor and painter Petrica Buhnici, the director of Codlea House of Culture. The busts of Pascu, Ziegler and Comanescu, sculpted by Buhnici are exhibited on the Personalities Alley of Codlea. Buhnici use to speak about the three of them as ?the titans of the local culture?.
