The Institute of Food Technology in Romania, has a complex history full of research and corruption. Built in the 1920s in a Romanian Revival architectural style, the building was originally home to the Institute of Tobacco Cultivation and Fermentation, serving as a research lab for the crucial state monopoly.
At its peak, it was one of the best-equipped laboratories, even compared to more developed nations like Italy or Germany. With the advent of communist leadership in Romania, its scope expanded to include food technology sectors such as dairy, beer, sugar, and meat. In the 1980s, funding was drastically cut to help pay off foreign debt, often leaving the institute without budget for new equipment or salaries. By the Romanian revolution in 1989, researchers were reportedly still using equipment from the 1970s.
The institute's current state is a bizarre result of state corruption and state oversight. It was seized during an investigation into its privatization, where the institute and 14 hectares of riverside land were purchased by a businessman and former Securitate employee (with the help of state officials) for 100,000€. This is significantly below its estimated value of 60 million euros.
Today, it remains abandoned, allowing brave visitors to browse the forgotten German books, examine testing equipment, and admire the remarkable ceiling.
