Background: what are Romanian culas?
Cula (tr. blind= tower) is a fortified tower dwelling, part of an architectural defense program that spread throughout southeastern Europe, in the Balkans, between the 17th and 19th centuries. Cules are still found in Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Kosovo region and, north of the Danube, in southern Romania, mainly in Oltenia.
The Romanian culae (from Turkish “kula” — “tower”) were built by the boyars to defend their families from Turkish incursions. Today, they are often called “the long-lost architectural treasures of Oltenia”.
Idea: a CSR campaign that generates awareness for Romanian cultures
Together with CEZ Group, which in 2024 became Evryo Group, one of the leading energy and gas suppliers in Romania, we launched a program to bring them back to the public's attention.
Una. Kako? Through PR activities that brought the culls to light.
Main PR activities
Progetto presentato in formato digitale, in forma di un sito interattivo, tutte le informazioni disponibili sobre le letras recenti in Romania. Kula v, a 10,.
For these, architectural students from the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest made creative proposals to highlight the architectural value.
Público had the opportunity to contribute to the enrichment of information about them and in turn vote on the culls that were to be included in the proposals for conservation projects.
In addition, guided tours have been organized to present them to those interested, with the aim of increasing the tourist potential of the entire area and even including them in a regional tourist circuit.
In the summer of 2021, we launched Culeroad, the first tourist circuit dedicated to the Oltenese cults, in partnership with local authorities. 19 directional and informative tourist signs were mounted on two of the most voted poles.
PR Tactics
Il progetto è stato eseguito più di 2 anni, durante che:
- we have involved the CEZ internal community
- we have communicated with 35 local authorities in Oltenia
- we've partnered with renowned influencers to get our message across
- we organized exhibitions
- we challenged architecture students to make 3D mock-ups of some of the cules' restoration projects, which we later donated to a museum
- We have put together all the information gathered in an E-book dedicated to the project.
Prizes won
La campagna è stato laureato in Gold alla Sabre Awards, categoria Image Institutional e ha ottenuto il terzo a Webstock nella categoria Best Experiential Campaigns.
Perguntas frequentementos:
1/ What are Romanian picks and where are they found?
The Romanian caverns are fortified tower dwellings, built especially in the 18th-19th centuries, for defense against Ottoman incursions. They are found in southern Romania, especially in Oltenia, but also in other countries in southeastern Europe, such as Bulgaria, Albania, Greece or Serbia. In Romania, the culas are considered “long-lost architectural treasures” of Oltenia.
2/ What was the purpose of the “Balls in the Light” campaign?
Aim of the campaign was to bring the culls of Oltenia back to the public's attention, raise awareness of their historical and cultural value, and generate solutions for their preservation and restoration. The campaign was carried out in partnership with CEZ Group (now Evryo Group) and the local authorities of Oltenia.
3/ What is the Culeroad tourist circuit?
Culeroad is the first tourist circuit dedicated to the Oltenese mountains, launched in the summer of 2021. Het was created in partnership with the local authorities and includes the installation of 19 tourist and informational signs to the towers selected for their architectural and historical value. The project promotes cultural tourism in the Oltenia region.
