During only 18 days, the initiative group that launched a campaign to collect funds for restoring the Odalisque’s Well in Lipnic village of Ocnita district managed to collect US$4,000, which is enough to start the reconstruction works. Irina Ghelbur, a member of the initiative group, has told IPN that the money was collected owing to the mobilization of citizens and they thus proved that such activities can be successful.
Irina Ghelbur said that 126 anonymous donors provided money. By August 5, there was collected US$4,101. For the donors to be sure that the donated money will be used transparently, the initiative group launched a blog dedicated to the project - http://fantanacadanei.wordpress.com/ - where information about the pace of works will be placed.
“On July 18, when we announced our intention, we offered the people two ways of becoming involved in this project. One way is through the international platform Indiegogo.com, where donations can be made online. We aimed to collect US$4,000 through it. Overall, we need €5,000 for the reconstruction works. Another way is the bank accounts that we opened in lei, euros and dollars. On Indiegogo, we launched a 23-day marathon by which we intended to collect US$4,000. We gathered this money in 18 days,” she stated.
Irina Ghelbur also said that the smallest donation was US$1, while the largest one – US$500. “We are glad for every dollar donated as this way we managed to collect US$4,000. The reconstruction works start this week. On August 1, there was signed the contract with a local entrepreneur that is preparing to begin the works,” she added.
Initially, the members of the initiative group planned that the works to reconstruct the monument will be completed by August 20, when it is 545 years of the Lipnic Battle that started at the Odalisque’s Well. But the inauguration date will depend on the pace of works.
Irina Ghelbur said the intention to restore the monument derived from curiosity as they wanted to see if such a thing is possible. The initiative group was supported by the Agency for Monument Inspection and Restoration, which instructed them how to correctly execute the reconstruction works. The authenticity of the historical monument will be preserved as it will be reconstructed using stone and wood typical of the period when the well started to be used. There will be set up tourist signs for those who will want to visit the well as it is rather hard to find it. The Ministry of Culture also made a donation.
According to local century-old traditions, the famous battle of 1469 or 1470, in which Moldovan Ruler Stephan the Great beat the Volga Tatars of the Golden Horde led by Khan Mamak, started at the Odalisque’s Well in Lipnic.
