VIAȚA ȘI ACTIVITATEA LUI TEODOR BĂLAN

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Professor and historian Teodor Bălan (Gura Humorului, 1885-1972) dedicated his entire life and scientific activity to Bukovina, the region where he was born and lived his entire life, the last 52 years with his wife, professor Silvia Bălan (1895-1981). A graduate of the University of Cernăuți (1908), with undergraduate and postgraduate studies in history, geography and archival science at the University of Vienna (1906-1907; 1921-1922), Teodor Bălan was actively involved in supporting the unionist movement in Bukovina before the First World War, making important contributions to the organization of academic and Romanian cultural societies in Bukovina under Austrian administration. He was a history and geography teacher at the high schools in Cîmpulung Modovenesc (1908-1910), Cernăuți (1910-1912), Suceava (1912-1918), and after the unification of Bukovina with Romania, the head of the history department at the renowned Aron Pumnul high school in Cernăuți (1919-1940, 1941-1944).In parallel, he carried out a rich journalistic and archival activity, his fundamental work being Documente Bucovinene, a 9-volume work representative of the historiography of the region. He was the director of the state archives in Cernăuți (1929-1940), docent and associate professor at the University of Cernăuți (1932-1940), director of the university library in Cernăuți (1941-1944; in the period 1944-1946 he worked in Sibiu). Retired after World War II in Gura Humorului, he continued his scientific activity and the editing of historical documents until the end of his life. His last wish was that on the tombstone he would write under his name: Historian of Bucovina. Teodor Bălan and Silvia Bălan were representative personalities of Greater Romania, remarkable intellectuals, exceptional teachers for generations of pupils and students from Bucovina. This book was written by Silvia Bălan at the age of 82. Dedicated to the memory of her husband, the work represents not only the Life and Work of Teodor Bălan, but also a fresco of Romanian cultural life in Bucovina at the beginning of the 20th century.