On the left bank of the Bârzava River, a fifteen-minute walk from downtown Reșița, hidden at the end of a dirt road on the edge of the forest, lies a place that most locals have never seen.

A 1.3-hectare plot is home to a treasure: eight glasshouses built between the 1930s and 1970s, where palm trees, cacti, flowers, and exotic vegetables once grew, exclusively for the management of the Reșița Machine Building Factory (UCMR) and their official guests. A former oasis for the elite, hidden from the rest of the city and unknown even to its own residents.

Today, these glasshouses lie abandoned. Vegetation has overtaken the metal and glass structures. the rooms are strewn with clay pots, dried-up palm trees, and cacti, and young trees have broken through the roofs.

A place that can't wait any longer

In 2025, UCMR filed for bankruptcy, marking the official end of an industrial history spanning more than two and a half centuries. The still-operational assets, generally related to the production of hydroelectric equipment, had already been acquired by Hidroelectrica, but a remarkable complex of factory buildings, administrative buildings, and glasshouses, the remnants of the oldest industrial site, was fragmented and sold off piece by piece. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, we decided to take action: in December 2025, together with the Banat Mountains Community Foundation, we won the auction for the greenhouses and signed the purchase agreement, with payment to be made in installments through the end of 2026.

In fact, the Municipality of Reșița has already acquired two former villas designated as historic monuments, a bunker, the UCMR Museum, which houses a wealth of artifacts, and the Computing Center; all of these are located right next to the glasshouses

The shared vision is to regenerate the entire site as a new mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of the old industrial city. This is an unprecedented initiative in Romania: a civic group is reclaiming 0.003% of Reșița’s abandoned industrial heritage. We know it is a tiny fraction, but we believe in the symbolic power of this reclamation by the community, for the community..

Reșița is not an isolated case among the post-industrial cities of Romania and Central Europe, but rather a telling example of industrial decline and its consequences: communities built around a single industry, which sustained entire generations, now face a colossal void: a lack of jobs, purpose, shared spaces, and confidence in the future. The question hanging over Reșița is the same one being asked in Hunedoara, Prahova, the Jiu Valley, or Bucharest, as well as in dozens of other places:

Who takes responsibility for what has been left behind?

The answers usually vary from private developers, scrap metal companies, or the government, but it is rarely the community that owns the properties for which it is responsible.

The revitalization of industrial greenhouses is our attempt to prove that things can be different, namely, that civil society can become the owner and manager of built heritage, and that a physical space, well-maintained and accessible to all, can rebuild trust, foster relationships between people, and provide a place for socializing where different generations meet and do things together. We believe these things are extremely important in the context of an increasingly fragmented and polarized society, with an acute lack of third places. Gardens, greenhouses, and parks are examples of essential social and civic infrastructure.

The success of transforming the greenhouses into a community space could have repercussions beyond Reșița, demonstrating that NGOs and community foundations can become land managers and custodians of heritage, thereby moving beyond their current role as grant distributors and expanding their scope of activities. Furthermore, it would also serve as proof that the industrial heritage built through the labor of past generations can be reclaimed by those who inherited it, thereby ensuring both the preservation and respect for the past and a vision for the future.

We envision the industrial glasshouses, in 20 to 25 years, as a lively space, frequented and cherished by Reșița residents of all ages, and a landmark for visitors. We see them teeming with life, hosting a variety of spaces and activities for different demographic and social groups: well-tended gardens both indoors and outdoors, community plots, open spaces for hands-on workshops for children and seniors, a café, a small library, playgrounds, and camping spots for hikers on the Via Transilvanica, whose trail passes just 150 meters away. We could host creative residencies for artists and researchers and create a space for learning, exchanging ideas, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
 

Within the broader context of the UCMR site, the glasshouses will offer something distinct from the historic villas or the future industrial museum: simply through their location and what they have to offer. The glasshouses invite visitors to relax and provide a direct connection to nature. After exploring the city’s industrial heritage, you can stop for a coffee and discover the plants at your leisure, perhaps with your children or loved ones.

And, above all, we envision the greenhouses as a place where care for the common good is practiced day after day, almost like a ritual: a visible and continuous exercise in collective responsibility.

Events happening in 2026

Ce se întâmplă în 2026

We are looking for partners (companies and individuals) who share our motivation and vision: that public spaces are valuable common goods that are important for the future of communities, that industrial heritage can belong to communities, and that models of civic ownership, beyond the pursuit of profit, are both possible and relevant.

Make Better has been active in Reșița since 2016, with a documented portfolio of urban regeneration and industrial heritage projects: the heritage inventory of the UCMR site, the Reșița Virtual Museum platform, the Reșița 250 LAB network, and projects dedicated to the Bârzava hydrotechnical system, the limestone funicular, and the last blast furnace. Since 2023, MKBT has been coordinating the national “Heritage Stewardship Support Programme”, funded by the Romanian-American Foundation, which supports NGOs in six ecotourism destinations across Romania. In 2026, MKBT will celebrate 10 years of involvement in Reșița—and enters this decade as a co-owner of the greenhouses.

The Banat Mountains Community Foundation is a catalyst for civic engagement and local development in Caraș-Severin. We connect people, organizations, and resources to support initiatives that improve community life and harness the region’s potential. From grants and educational programs to projects focused on heritage, the environment, and community spaces, we believe that sustainable change is built together. Through our fundraising platforms, “Running to the Forest” and “Community in Motion”, we mobilize over 1,000 participants and donors annually and secure significant resources for local projects, fostering a culture of philanthropy and civic engagement in the Banat Mountains.

Together, we form a partnership with complementary expertise, a strong institutional relationship with the Municipality of Reșița, our neighbor and trusted partner in the site’s regeneration, and a national and international network of collaborators.

Join the initiative and follow us on the channels below

www.muzeulvirtualresita.ro
www.mkbt.ro
www.fundatiacomunitarabanatulmontan.ro