THE ANCHOR BELT OF POLITICAL PRISONER IONEL BURTICEL
text and images by Apollon Cristodulo

The discovery of the sackcloth patch from the Casino, with the 16 names of political prisoners, may cause other reported cases to be investigated with more responsibility and due piety. There have been written statements made public about the documents from the Casino since at least 2007. Similar documents, hidden in the foundation of the Dragon Fountain in Constanța, have been talked about for over a decade.

One of the latest accounts, in 2020, belongs to former political prisoner Ionel Burticel – one of those who was seconded from Canal to the works in Constanța and who directly participated in the building of cans with patriotic poems written by his fellow prisoners in the arena’s stands.

Ionel Burticel, who died in 2024 at the age of 94, owns the sackcloth woven with an anchor, actually a belt that he wore throughout his detention, that is, for 3 years and 4 months.

Here is the description of the incredible artifact in his own words from 2023:

I kept it (the belt) as an icon. If you look, you won't understand anything. If I explain it to you, it's history from day one. I practically stole this blanket from the Securitate cellars in Sibiu. When they wanted to take me to Bucharest, I was dressed like a scoundrel. I took the blanket with me and carried it to the Canal, and to the lead mines. And I wrote, with a wire needle, forget it: "SOS", "1952", and I put an anchor as a symbol of hope. I sewed this at the Peninsula and wore it until I got home. And I kept it.

The artifact The Anchor Belt of the political prisoner Ionel Burticel was donated to the Casino Constanța Exhibition Center by Apollon Cristodulo in March 2025