KRUMAU LIVE – AV Live Performance

Today, Český Krumlov is a place of stories. A Bohemian fortress, with cobblestone streets and colorful windows, surrounded by a moat with water. You can imagine princes and princesses, living out their departures and returns, outside of time. At the end of World War II, however, Krumau (the German name for the city of Český Krumlov) was the site of tragic scenes, which marked some Banat residents for life.

“We experienced war and refugee life. We fled in 1944 for fear of the Russians. Because we were Germans. Or some kind of Germans. Volksdeutsche called us. Schneller, schneller! Alle zusammen! Weg! Weg! Der Russe kommt! Ivan kommt!” Hundreds of carts, a stormy river of suffering, with thousands of souls who took the path of wandering. Some did not resist. They got sick and got lost. Others, with broken hearts, fell asleep so they wouldn’t feel anymore. And they never woke up.”

“I lived through war and refugee life. I fled in 1944 for fear of the Russians. Because we were Germans. Or some kind of Germans. Volksdeutsche called us. (…) Schneller, schneller! Alle zusammen! Weg! Weg! Der Russe kommt! Ivan kommt!”

This is how “Krumau” begins, the story told by Andrei Ursu, after an interview with a Banat Swabian from Lenauheim, conducted in 2019 by Nicoleta Mușat for the project Cămine în Mișcare. Now, he is ninety and, probably, would like to forget. However, life has given him the curse of remembering. The moments he experienced in 1945 tell the story of a departure and a return. And it inspired the artists at Psihodrom to rewrite it and present it now, in a world torn apart by distances in kilometers and in souls. Visual artist Cristian Văduva, musicians Octavian Horvath, Sergiu Cătană and Alexandru Pascu, and performer-choreographer Alexandra Gîrbea recreate, with 21st century means, the atmosphere of this journey from which many have never returned.

Video Production & Live Visuals: Cristian Văduva
Video Production: Eugen Neacșu
Musicians: Uțu Pascu (Synths), Sergiu Cătană (Percussion)
Voice: Octavian Horvath
Dancer: Alexandra Gîrbea
Producer: Asociația Cămine în Mișcare / Moving Fireplaces