Martisoare (traditional spring lucky charms) issued during the interwar period by the Romanian Association for the Propaganda of Aviation (ARPA), the Aero-Chemical Defence League and the League for Defence against Air Attacks, are on display from 25 February to 15 March at the Folk Art Museum in Constanta, the cultural institution announced on Wednesday.
According to the museum, the opening of the temporary exhibition, entitled 'The Martisoare of Romanian Aviation during the Royal Period (1900-1940)', will take place on 26 February at 16:00. The exhibition features items from the private collection of Georgian Anghel, agerpres reports.
The 'Martisoare of Romanian Aviation' campaign was one of the most popular fundraising initiatives organised by ARPA during the interwar years.
'In the days leading up to 1 March, volunteers of the association sold martisoare bearing specific insignia in order to raise funds for the development of Romanian aviation,' the museum said in a press release.
Purchasing a martisor represented a direct contribution to supporting pilots and acquiring aircraft. The sums raised from the sale of the small amulets, alongside donations and membership fees, enabled ARPA to purchase its first five aircraft in 1928, with their number increasing significantly thereafter.
The martisoare issued by the Aero-Chemical Defence League and the League for Defence against Air Attacks aimed both to educate the population in the event of aerial and chemical attacks on Romania and to strengthen the country's defensive capacity.
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