Metal Roofed Gypsy Homes And The Internet

By Bob Fittro, editorial/content director

The great thing about the internet is that you can find information about virtually anything that comes to mind in a matter of seconds. The bad thing about the internet is that you can find information about virtually anything that comes to mind in a matter of seconds.

As a person who sits in front of his computer all day every day, lightning-fast access to information is a blessing…but it can also be a curse. The internet is great when I need to verify information or find additional details about this or that, but I’ve always been the inquisitive type and am admittedly rather easily distracted. If a question comes to mind—no matter how trivial or unrelated to what I’m doing—I’ll usually do at least a cursory search to see if I can find a quick answer, even at the expense of more pressing duties. That’s how a five-minute task becomes ten, a two-hour task turns to three and an all-day job stretches into the wee morning hours. And that’s not the worst part. Over the years I’ve filled up my brain with so much non-essential information that I now have trouble remembering the basics…like my own telephone number and where I put my car keys!

The gypsy palaces above are located outside the small village of Turda in the Cluj region of Romania, while the house below is near the town of Dumbravesti in Romania's Prahova region. To see outstanding close-up photos of the project above, click here.

One of my recent detours along the information superhighway was to look for information about metal-roofed gypsy homes in and around Bucharest, Romania. Ever wonder who coined the term “information superhighway”? I did and so I looked it up. Turns out it was a guy named Nam June Paik in 1974. But I digress.

My interest in these homes was borne out of a conversation I had with Paul Riddell at METALCON in October 2008. For those who don’t know, Paul is the president of Riddell & Company, makers of SNOBAR snow retention products. His company also distributes several metal roof and wall products.

Paul was describing to me a trip he’d taken to Romania—which I found interesting just because it’s such an unexpected travel destination—when he happened to mention these remarkable gypsy homes he’d seen there. I’ve since learned that gypsy is—at least to some—a pejorative term for a group of people more correctly identified as Roma or Romani/Romany.

The Roma people of eastern Europe are well known for their skills as metalworkers and in the enormous homes of the wealthiest among them, those abilities are on full display. Called gypsy palaces or gypsy castles, among other things, these whimsically designed, overtly gaudy homes are topped with metal roofing—mostly stamped shingles but some standing seam too—and then adorned with the most amazing array of handcrafted metal accessories imaginable.

I suppose it’s possible that each and every piece has some special reason for being—conveying a message meant only for other Romani travelers—but I kind of doubt it. I’m guessing the rooftop ornamentation phenomenon is akin to Christmas light displays here in the U.S. One set of lights begets the next and eventually begins an unofficial competition to create the most talked-about display in town…at least that’s how it works where I’m from. The biggest difference between Christmas lights and these metal doodad displays is that the latter never come down. The presentations just keep growing and growing and growing.

I don’t have much in the way of information about the homes. Paul tells me the yellow and white side-by-side houses are located outside the small village of Turda in the Cluj region of Romania, while the other is near the town of Dumbravesti in Romania’s Prahova region. My internet search on the topic didn’t turn up too much more, although I found several blog-type posts from people who happened upon these homes and started snapping pictures, just like Paul, and links to reviews of a book on the subject by Renata Calzi called Gypsy Architecture – Houses of the Roma in Eastern Europe. This hardcover book is currently out of print but Amazon.co.uk lists one copy available.

For those interested in seeing many more pictures of Gypsy homes, please check out the following links. They are workplace safe.

http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/28448/roma-palaces-architecture-buzescu-romania.html#article-comments

http://www.funnymos.com/romanian-gypsy-village.html

http://www.wackyarchives.com/bizarre/new-architectural-direction-gypsy-castles.html

And for the book…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gypsy-Architecture-Houses-Eastern-Europe/dp/3936681120

Bob Fittro is editorial/content director for DesignandBuildwithMetal.com. He has been covering the metal construction industry, with a focus on the architectural/design community, since 1985. To contact Bob, call (567) 207-2255 or email bobf@designandbuildwithmetal.com.

To view topics by other columnists, click here.