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In Pictures: Romania’s rich Roma

Affluent Roma construct mansions and drive luxurious cars in the small town of Buzescu.

Steliana sits on her daughter(***)s bed and explains that the house remains empty for most of the year. Her kids only visit during holidays and weddings.
By Sebastien Leban
Published On 20 Mar 2014
Buzescu, Romania – In this town in southern Romania, 35 percent of the inhabitants are Roma. However, unlike the popular perception of the impoverished Roma, this community is quite affluent. Their large houses feature ornate and extravagant designs that can take years to build. 
 
Only one road runs through the 5,000-person town, but both sides of the road are cluttered with mansions. The residents own the latest luxurious sports cars made by top brands – such as Porsche and Mercedes. Many of these Roma run large businesses, but they do not specify which ones. And when the mafia comes up in discussion, Costica Stancu, an affluent Roma, said “Mafia? What Mafia? The money comes from work – no begging or other trades.”

In Buzescu, omerta – an old code of honour that emphasises silence – reigns.

According to Steliana, another wealthy Roma, most of these Roma live in one room of their mansions because they cannot afford to heat the whole place. “We have to show that we have money, that’s it,” Steliana told Al Jazeera. 
 
Around 1860, the first Roma families, freed from serfdom, settled in this part of Romania to work the earth and mine various metals, such as copper. Today, the landscape has not changed much except for the opulent mansions of wealthy Roma, contrasting them with the storey maisonettes of Romanian peasants in the countryside.
One of Buzescu(***)s palaces is protected by an ornate silver fence.
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Buzescu is surrounded by fields and farms, which contrasts with the shiny palaces of the village.
A woman walks in front of her house in Buzescu.
A farmer passes in front of two unfinished palaces. Buzescu(***)s inhabitants invest much of their money in building extravagant abodes. Sometimes they have to get loans from their families. It can take several years to finish a house.
A huge three-floor mansion with Greek style columns sits along Buzescu(***)s main street. Those who reside in mansions near the main road are the most wealthy.
Cornelia and her husband Marius show off their living room. "We decided to build this house 17 years ago," Cornelia says proudly. "It took four years just to construct the walls."
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Steliana Nicolae, 55, smiles as she shows a picture of her daughter on her wedding day. Her mansion lies at the southern end of the village.
Costica Stancu strolls across the hall of Steliana(***)s opulent house.
Costica Stancu and two men from the village chat on Buzescu(***)s main street.
"On the official market, the land and the houses aren(***)t worth a penny," says Florina Jurchita, a real estate broker in Bucharest. "This is a parallel market. They sell their homes between them, for any price. Personally, even if I was offered such a house, I will not live there."
Mansions clutter Buzescu(***)s main road.
At the entrance of the village lies Dan Finutu(***)s palace. His new Porsche is parked in front of his house.
A man posing with his golden rings, necklace and teeth. In Buzescu, residents are pressured into openly displaying their wealth.
Farmers pass in front of a huge palace off Buzescu(***)s main road.