Inspired by the wartime stories of his great-grandfather, who fought at Odessa and the Don Bend during World War II, an 18-year-old Romanian has transformed a passion for collecting historical artefacts into his first museum exhibition, showcasing family heirlooms alongside objects illustrating Romania's communist-era history.

Fresh out of secondary school, Mihnea Mihalache from the northeastern county of Vaslui has spent recent years building a collection of more than 100 historical items, ranging from military uniforms, medals and photographs to newspapers, flags and coins.

At the heart of the collection are objects that belonged to his great-grandfather, a Romanian soldier who survived fighting on the Eastern Front during World War II. They include wartime decorations, family photographs and a sword used in combat, while a collection of banknotes and coins inherited from his grandfather reflects a second family passion, numismatics.

'I have the banknote and coin collection that belonged to my grandfather. A family friend who knew my great-grandfather had kept his wartime sword at home and did not know what to do with it. When she found out that I collect historical objects, she gave me the sword because she was convinced I would take good care of it. I have my great-grandfather's wartime medals, photographs and sword, and all of them have a special meaning for me.

'My great-grandfather fought in the war and kept all his medals. During the communist period, I know he hid them. He used to tell me how he had earned those medals, but I remember that he always spoke in a whisper, afraid that someone might overhear him.

'An aunt from Barlad told me she knew people who owned old objects but did not know who to give them to. When they learned about my passion, they were happy to entrust them to me. Another important piece in my collection is a militia officer's uniform, which is very rare. I paid quite a lot of money for it; it certainly wasn't cheap,' Mihalache told AGERPRES.

Many of the artefacts are currently stored in boxes because of limited space, although the young collector says he hopes one day to create a dedicated room where they can be displayed as a small private museum.

'I keep many of the objects in boxes on my grandmother's balcony because there is more space there, but I would very much like to have a place of my own that I could arrange the way I want, a room that would look like a small museum. I would love to display the uniforms on mannequins and have proper exhibition stands,' he said.

Although he had considered a military career, Mihalache now plans to study history at university and hopes eventually to work in a museum.

His first exhibition, entitled 'From the Barracks to the Road During Communism,' is on display until July 10 at the 'Stephen the Great' County Museum in Vaslui.

Museum director Ramona Mocanu said the institution welcomed the opportunity to present the work of its youngest exhibitor.

'Mihnea is our youngest exhibitor and he really has valuable objects in his collection that deserve to be seen and discovered because they bear the imprint of a past marked by glory or simply awaken memories that we have a duty to preserve. The exhibition can be visited in the museum's Multimedia Hall until July 10 and I hope it will be seen by as many people as possible and, why not, by as many young people as possible, for whom Mihnea could become an example,' she told AGERPRES.

The exhibition also features part of the collection of English teacher Narcis Aprodu, who has spent decades collecting vintage vehicle registration plates, historic maps, model cars and classic automobiles. Aprodu said he recognised Mihalache's enthusiasm when the two met as teacher and student and encouraged him to continue developing his collection.

'Mihnea has a wonderful and rare passion and, knowing what it means to be a collector in the true sense of the word, I was delighted to see such an interest in someone so young. He is only at the beginning of his journey as a collector, but he has every chance of building something remarkable,' Aprodu said.

Both collectors have already received invitations to display their collections at museums in other parts of Romania, hoping to inspire greater public interest in preserving everyday objects that reflect the country's history and cultural heritage. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Loredana Ciobanu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)