President of the Vrancea County Council Nicusor Halici, in remarks delivered on Tuesday at a symposium dedicated to the memory of Prince Grigore Alexandru Ghyka (1804 - 1857), the last ruler of Moldova, whose remains were repatriated from France, said that this "is not just the repatriation of a man, but of a moral foundation".
"Grigore Alexandru Ghyka is one of the founders of Romanian modernity, he abolished censorship, signed the first law on free public education in Moldova and allowed the return from exile of the 1848 revolutionaries, whom he integrated into the central administration of the state. And this proved to be one of the most intelligent decisions of the century. These young people who returned home from exile - a golden generation - drafted modern legislation and drove the Westernization of state institutions, they accomplished the Union, the Independence. I chose to talk about the Romanian diaspora of the 19th century because even today, in 2025, we have thousands of brilliant young people in the diaspora. And Romania needs them and has the obligation to call them back. Their experience can once again generate the leap of an era. By repatriating the earthly remains of Grigore Alexandru Ghyka, we are not just repatriating a man. We are repatriating a moral foundation. And we are reactivating it," declared Nicusor Halici.
The Vrancea County Council, through the Vrancea Museum, organized the symposium "Grigore Al. Ghyka and the beginning of the modernization of Romanian institutions", in partnership with the "Duiliu Zamfirescu" Vrancea County Library and the Vrancea County Gendarmerie Inspectorate.
Representatives of public authorities, heads of institutions, as well as descendants of the ruler's family took the floor during the event, paying tribute to the figure of Grigore Alexandru Ghyka and recalling his most important achievements.
Prince Ghyka's coffin was laid in state on Monday in the foyer of the Vrancea Museum, where it will remain until Wednesday, when it will be taken to Iasi, to be put on public display at the Palace of Culture until reburial in a specially arranged place nearby.
The funeral journey of Prince Grigore Alexandru Ghyka began on Friday, November 7, in the French town of Le Mee-sur-Seine, where the religious exhumation ceremony took place in the presence of Romanian and French authorities. From there, the earthly remains were brought to the country and arrived in Bucharest, where they were greeted with military honors.
On the way to Focsani, the procession stopped at the Ghyka family mansion in Cotesti, where the prince's descendants organized a private moment of silence.
The coffin was then brought to Focsani, in Unirii Square, for a solemn ceremony organized by local and county authorities, with the participation of representatives of the Romanian Gendarmerie, the Orthodox Church and the Ministries of the Interior and National Defense
Those who wish to pay their final respects to Prince Ghyka can do so until Wednesday, at 12:00, at the Vrancea Museum.
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