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Village Name: Căzănești (city, Ialomița County)
Region, Country: Muntenia Region, Romania
Deportation Date: June – August 1942
Excerpt from Testimony:
“[…] Many [deportees] from this group [of blacksmiths] died. They were forced to step over corpses. They died from cold, hunger, and thirst. The parents of the interviewee (Radu, 70 years old), the grandfather (Gan or Dan?), and the uncle (Rsita or Hristea?) died in the barn. The father died because the straw roof of the barn collapsed. The three brothers had gone to look for firewood, and when they returned, the roof had fallen. The mother of the interviewee died from hunger and was buried by the family on a hill where the Roma set up a kind of cemetery. Each deceased was buried in a separate grave. The family would place a stick [above the grave]. A whole field of sticks was formed. Sometimes, the deportees buried their dead where they had fallen […].”
Romanian Archives (if available): N/A
Historical Note on the Roma:
The city of Căzănești (formerly a commune before 2004) is located in the central area of Ialomița County, approximately 32 km from the municipality of Slobozia. At the end of the 19th century, the commune had 1,098 inhabitants (MDGR 1899, II: 208). The population doubled by 1930, when the commune had 2,037 inhabitants, of which 14 were sedentary Roma (RGP 1930, II: 240–241). In addition to these sedentary Roma, nomadic caravans of blacksmiths would stay in the commune during certain periods of the year. According to the interviewee’s testimony, they collected metals (mainly aluminum) to make household utensils and cauldrons, which they sold to locals or
exchanged for agricultural products. They were led by a bulibașa, whose task was, among other things, to present the local gendarmes with a settlement book to obtain temporary residency permits in the locality. This settlement book included the full itinerary of the nomadic Roma (arrival date, stay period, and departure date from a locality) and certified that they had received the approval of local authorities (stamp and signature) to stay in the locality.
The city of Căzănești (formerly a commune before 2004) is located in the central area of Ialomița County, approximately 32 km from the municipality of Slobozia. At the end of the 19th century, the commune had 1,098 inhabitants (MDGR 1899, II: 208). The population doubled by 1930, when the commune had 2,037 inhabitants, of which 14 were sedentary Roma (RGP 1930, II: 240–241). In addition to these sedentary Roma, nomadic caravans of blacksmiths would stay in the commune during certain periods of the year. According to the interviewee’s testimony, they collected metals (mainly aluminum) to make household utensils and cauldrons, which they sold to locals or
exchanged for agricultural products. They were led by a bulibașa, whose task was, among other things, to present the local gendarmes with a settlement book to obtain temporary residency permits in the locality. This settlement book included the full itinerary of the nomadic Roma (arrival date, stay period, and departure date from a locality) and certified that they had received the approval of local authorities (stamp and signature) to stay in the locality.
Historical Note on Deportation:
After the May 1942 census, nomadic Roma were proposed for deportation and placed under the escort of gendarmes in the communes and villages where they resided. The interviewee’s family was part of a group of 20 carts that were stopped by gendarmes in Gheorghe Doja commune (formerly Principesa Elena) in Ialomița County. After completing an inventory of their belongings (carts, horses, etc.), the gendarmes escorted the group from post to post until they reached Galați and then to the Transnistrian border, where the deportees were forced to exchange their Romanian money and gold coins for marks.
Once they arrived in Transnistria, the nomadic Roma were sorted, and their horses and carts were confiscated in Moldovka. They were left with only tents. After three months, they were moved to a field (referred to as a “camp” by the deportees) near the villages of Domaniovka, Liubașevka, and Krasnenka (Golta County). The deportees were housed in barns and stables and subjected to forced labor under the supervision of gendarmes in a kolkhoz. The harsh climate, minimal rations, and violence from the guards caused many deaths. Many deportees died from cold, hunger, and thirst, and some were executed on the spot (gendarmes shot at Roma who left the camp in search of food).
The insufficient and inadequate food rations (sunflower husks) led to illness and death for some deportees. The interviewee lost their mother and father in the camp.
The interviewee and their brothers repatriated in the spring of 1944, together with the Romanian–German troops retreating from Transnistria in front of the advancing Red Army. In March, the Roma set off on foot to the city of Cahul (southern Bessarabia), where they managed to board a train to Galați.
Once they arrived in Transnistria, the nomadic Roma were sorted, and their horses and carts were confiscated in Moldovka. They were left with only tents. After three months, they were moved to a field (referred to as a “camp” by the deportees) near the villages of Domaniovka, Liubașevka, and Krasnenka (Golta County). The deportees were housed in barns and stables and subjected to forced labor under the supervision of gendarmes in a kolkhoz. The harsh climate, minimal rations, and violence from the guards caused many deaths. Many deportees died from cold, hunger, and thirst, and some were executed on the spot (gendarmes shot at Roma who left the camp in search of food).
The insufficient and inadequate food rations (sunflower husks) led to illness and death for some deportees. The interviewee lost their mother and father in the camp.
The interviewee and their brothers repatriated in the spring of 1944, together with the Romanian–German troops retreating from Transnistria in front of the advancing Red Army. In March, the Roma set off on foot to the city of Cahul (southern Bessarabia), where they managed to board a train to Galați.
A Brief Note on a Specific Group of Roma:
Some of the blacksmiths from Căzănești still practice their traditional craft (making household
utensils and cauldrons from metal).
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