The Scythe Market from Negreni is one of the oldest markets from Transylvania. With a tradition of several centuries, the fair continues to be held twice a year (in June and October) for a week on the river banks of Crisul Repede, in Negreni, Cluj County, a village that is located halfway between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea.
This is where we met Bernàd Andor – a photographer from Mures who comes to the fair in Negreni every year to sell antiques and memories he has collected over the course of his life. “I bought my first camera in 1970. It was a Chaika with 72 frames. I worked as an amateur photographer for a while, and after 1990 I opened a photo lab”.
“Unfortunately, I did not resist on the market and I had to close it. That’s how I came to sell antiques at the fair. These are objects I have inherited from my family, as well as things from my personal collection of watches and cameras that I have received or bought over the years”.
“I used to go to several fairs in the area, including Oser in Cluj-Napoca. Now I only come to Negreni. Unfortunately, this fair also declines by the year. There are less and less people, and those who come, do it mostly to look than to buy”.
Nevertheless, Bernàd Andor did not give up on his passion for photography because he cannot imagine his life without it. He continues to photograph and gather material for a personal exhibition he wants to organize in Cluj-Napoca.
