Culver City,
California
x
Chemical Plant Făgăraș Scale Model
Date Made: c. 1976
Country: Romania
Materials: metal; glass; vinyl; paper; elastic
Measurements: 24 cm x 41.5 cm x 25.5 cm; 9 7/16 in x 16 5/16 in x 10 1/16 in; 50.5 cm x 41.5 cm x 44 cm; 19 7/8 in x 16 5/16 in x 17 5/16 in; 20.5 cm x 22 cm; 8 1/16 in x 8 11/16 in; 18 cm x 38 cm x 22 cm; 7 1/16 in x 14 15/16 in x 8 11/16 in; 13.5 cm x 8.5 cm; 5 5/16 in x 3 3/8 in
Scale model of a Chemical Plant built by Nitramonia Făgăraș, made by the Brașov County Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. The purpose of the factory likely would have been to manufacture fertilizer. According to the seller, this model was given as a gift to Nicolae Ceaușescu circa 1976. The model's base contains the year 1988 and an inventory certificate uses the date January 6, 1988. The box is red vinyl with the seal of Brașov County--the location of the factory--on the front. The top of the box has the inventory number 144 inscribed and the front states "Combinatul Chimic Fagaras" in gold lettering. The box opens on a diagonal and is held open by two elastic bands with the colors of the Romanian flag on them. The model contains a plaque which dedicates the factory to Nicolae Ceaușescu and is removable from the rest of the box. The model is composed of a golden metal, a white plastic, and a blue floor, with a mirror on the back panel of the box. Most structures are made out of metal, including some streets and the plaque. The white plastic is used on the facade of some of the buildings. Most notable are several silos, pipelines, and a tower topped with an inverted cone, perhaps a water tower. The outside of the base of the model is made of the same golden metal as the rest of the model and has the inscription "Combinatul Chimic Fagaras" and the year 1988. The inside of the box is cushioned with a smooth white fabric and the seal of Brașov County appears again in the center of the inside of the lid. Along with the scale model are two certificates. The larger one is a certificate issued by the State Protocol and Heritage Administration in 1999 that certifies that the model was one of Ceaușescu's possessions. The second, smaller certificate appears to be an inventory slip with the same number inscibed on the box. It also has the number 620 on the front in blue pen and the number 50.000 on the back in blue pen as well.
Accession Number: 2023.025.005