Things to see and do Iaşi

This monumental building is the city's landmark. The Palace of Culture(palatul Culturii) reopened its doors in 2016, following a complete renovation. It was built between 1906 and 1925, in a flamboyant neo-Gothic, Romantic and Baroque style, by architect Ion Berindei. The rooms and galleries (of which there are over two hundred!) are vast and elegant. Their decoration went through two phases: austere neoclassical under Carol ^I, Baroque and Art Nouveau under Ferdinand. The Hall of the Voivodes, one of the most beautiful, features a portrait gallery of Moldavian rulers. The two central halls, on the ground and first floors, are impressive for their length, which matches that of the main façade. Note the circular mosaic and its Gothic bestiary. Built in the center of the medieval town, within the walls of the former ^15th-century princely residence, the palace served as both town hall and court for thirty years. In 1955, it became the Palace of Culture, a vast complex housing several museums. You can also explore its superb clock tower: tours take place every hour, from 10.45 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. In front of the building stands a large equestrian statue of the famous Moldavian voivode Ștefan cel Mare.

Art Museum

This museum has three galleries: one devoted to modern Romanian art (Grigorescu, Pallady...), another to contemporary Romanian art and the last to European art. You'll see a painting by Rubens and various representations of Moldavian landscapes.

Museum of Moldavian History

The oldest exhibit dates back to the Lower Paleolithic. The museum also boasts an impressive collection of Cucuteni ceramics, a rich Neolithic civilization. You'll also see ancient and medieval coins, ^17th-century parchments and precious objects that belonged to Moldavian or national personalities (swords, throne, etc.).

Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia

This museum presents the activities and customs of the Moldavian people through the ages. You'll see fabrics, pottery, furniture, carpets, etc. The collection of agricultural implements (wine, fishing, farming or hunting) is particularly rich and varied, as is that of folk costumes.

Museum of Science and Technology

Its main attraction is its vast collection of musical automata. Other exhibits include photographic and cinematographic equipment, computers, meteorological and telephone instruments.

Romania's very first botanical garden, created in 1856 by naturalist Anastasie Fătu, is also one of the country's largest: it covers an area of 80 ha, on Copou Hill. It is divided into twelve sections, dedicated to roses, Romanian flora, world flora and useful plants (medicinal, melliferous, aromatic, etc.). It also includes twelve greenhouses, housing tropical, subtropical and equatorial plants. The Iași Botanical Garden is part of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University.

This is the heart of the city. This square, surrounded by concrete blocks, commemorates the union of Moldavia with Wallachia. In the center stands the statue of the man who initiated this union, Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1820-1873). From this square runs the pleasant pedestrian Lăpușneanu street, lined with cafés. To the south, boulevard Ștefan cel Mare and its surroundings are home to a large number of monuments and lead to the immense Palace of Culture. To the east and north, the narrow street Cuza Vodă, traversed by the tramway, and boulevard Independenței lead to an area rich in monasteries.

The "beautiful" monastery was built in 1586, restored between 1726 and 1733 by Prince Gheorghe Ghica II and rebuilt again between 1836 and 1839. It was one of the richest monasteries in Moldova until secularization in 1863, after which it served as a parish church, but also as barracks, prison and nursing school. Reinstated in 2002, it is now occupied by nuns. Its church has Ukrainian-style bulbs and a classical façade, with a high Doric portico supported by four columns.

This richly decorated monastery, which combines traditional Moldavian architecture and Renaissance style, was built by Vasile Lupu between 1650 and 1653. Its church contains remarkable Byzantine-inspired frescoes. The fortifications date from 1668. Destroyed by fire and earthquake in 1735 and 1738, the monastery was rebuilt in 1754. Gradually falling into ruin, it was not restored until 1947. Its imposing 30-metre-high tower offers a fine panoramic view. At the entrance, a small museum is dedicated to the writer Ion Creangă, who was a deacon here.

In the pretty district of Ţicău, this museum occupies the former home of the famous storyteller (1837-1889). It was in this modest bjodeucă (hovel) that he lived his last years, from 1872 onwards. It was here that he wrote his famous Souvenirs d'enfance(Amintiri din copilărie), an autobiographical account. In fact, he modelled the house on the one he grew up in. In the house, converted into a museum in 1918, you'll see documents relating to his life and work, as well as his friendship with Mihai Eminescu, with whom he briefly shared the premises.

Completed in 1671, it is the country's oldest synagogue still in use. Now surrounded by apartment buildings, it was once located in the heart of the old Jewish quarter of Târgu Cucului, where several other synagogues were located. In the 1930s, there were over a hundred synagogues in the whole city, and Jews made up a third of the population. Today, there are just a few hundred. A small obelisk commemorating the victims of the Iași pogroms of June 1941 stands in front of the recently renovated building.

For its size and influence, it is nicknamed "the mother of Moldavian churches". This imposing monument, the largest Orthodox building in the country (not counting the new cathedral in Bucharest), was built in two stages, between 1839 and 1886, in a Baroque and Neoclassical style. It features 4 towers and a columned façade. The interior paintings are by Tattarescu (1887). It houses the relics of Saint Paraschève, which attract many pilgrims.

This elegant neoclassical building was built between 1894 and 1896 by Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer. The hall features a monumental staircase. The 740-seat auditorium, with boxes and balconies, is decorated with sumptuous Baroque and Rococo elements. The institution has seen many illustrious representatives of national culture, including playwright Vasile Alecsandri (1821-1890), a founding figure of Romanian theater. His statue faces the building.

This church, unique in the country, never fails to amaze, with its finely chiselled exterior walls, like stone embroidery, once gold-plated and largely preserved in its original form. The motifs are inspired by Romanian tradition, but also borrow from Turkish, Arab, Georgian, Armenian and Persian cultures. The Church of the Three Hierarchs(biserica Trei Ierarhi) was built between 1637 and 1649 by Vasile Lupu, prince of Moldavia and lover of the arts and the Christian faith. Damaged by Tatars and earthquakes, it was renovated at the end of the ^19th century by the French architect Lecomte du Nouÿ, who restored many religious buildings in the country. Inside, you'll find the tombs of princes Vasile Lupu, Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723) and Alexandru Ion Cuza (1820-1873). The Carrara marble iconostasis, decorated with mosaics and enamels, dates from the late ^19th century. In the ^17th century, the monastery housed a printing press and an educational institution. It was also here that the relics of Saint Parasceva were first collected, donated by the Patriarchate of Constantinople to Vasile Lupu in gratitude for his financial support. They were later transferred to the Metropolitan Cathedral. Closed in the 1970s, the monastery was revived in 1994. The adjoining Gothic hall houses a museum dedicated to the arts and ecclesiastical history.

Not far from the Palace of Culture, a little lost on the edge of a wide boulevard lined with massive modern buildings, this brick and stone building, with its arcades, does not go unnoticed. Built in 1677, it housed the printing works of the nearby Orthodox metropolis. They were the city's second-largest printing works. Since 1970, Casa Dosoftei (named after the metropolitan under whom the printing works were founded) has housed the ancient literature section of the Romanian Literature Museum. Important manuscripts are on display.

It sits atop a wooded hill to the south of the town. The view from here is breathtaking. Built during the reign of Prince Gheorghe Duca, between 1669 and 1672, the monastery is a precious architectural landmark that has remained virtually unchanged since its construction. The church, with its slender silhouette, contains remarkable interior frescoes in the post-Byzantine style, dating from the ^17th century. It is surrounded by a large surrounding wall and includes numerous outbuildings, including a palace reserved for princes, who could take refuge here.

This splendid house near the university houses a museum of literature. It belonged to Vasile Pogor (1833-1906), founder of the Junimea literary society in 1863. Some of Romania's greatest writers and poets met here, including Caragiale, Rosetti, Creangă and Eminescu. The creation of Junimea, the presence of these writers and the publication throughout the ^19th century of numerous literary journals show just how central Iași was to Romanian cultural life in the late ^19th and early ^20th centuries.

It was founded in 1860 by the sovereign whose name it bears. It is the country's leading institution of higher education. Today, it is home to over 24,000 students. Inaugurated in 1897, the monumental University Palace on Copou Hill was built by Swiss architect Louis Blanc in a French eclectic style. The building contains several gems: the long salle des pas perdus with its surrealist murals, the former aula with its Baroque ornamentation and, finally, a superb library combining Baroque and Neo-Gothic styles.

It occupies a superb 1806 palace in the Empire style. It was here, between 1859 and 1862, that Alexandru Ioan Cuza, then ruler of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, lived. Between 1916 and 1918, this palace was also home to King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, who came to seek refuge in Iași during the war. The museum displays objects that belonged to Cuza and others involved in the union. It also presents documents on Romania's ethnic, linguistic and territorial unity. The main attraction is the building, with its richly decorated interiors.

The Armenian church (biserica armenească Sfânta Născătoare) is said to be the oldest in the city. It dates from 1395 according to an inscription found during major renovations carried out in 1803. It is considered that this inscription represents the date of birth of the town and proof of the presence of an important Armenian community, which had sufficient means to build a church. Right next to it is the church of St. Sava (strada Costache Negri 44). Dating from 1583, it has an unusual silhouette with its domes and massive appearance.

Perched atop the hill of the same name, surrounded by an almost round enclosure, it was erected at the end of the ^16th century by Prince Petru Şchiopul (Peter the Limping). Its name derives from the eponymous Istanbul district, Galata meaning "gate" in Turkish: it was here that Moldavian princes lodged on their way to the seat of the Ottoman sultanate to receive their decree of appointment. The church combines Wallachian, Moldavian and Byzantine architectural styles. Its frescoes were destroyed by fire in 1762. The monastery now houses a convent.

Coming from Piața Unirii via rue Lăpușneanu, you'll first arrive at piața Mihai Eminescu. In the center of this square surrounded by libraries stands the statue of the poet. Not far away, a group of statues represents the various princes of Moldavia, from Dragoș (1353) to Dimitrie Cantemir (1693). Boulevard Carol I takes you to the universities, in the heart of the Copou district. It's a pleasant place to wander. As are those of neighboring Țicău, a pretty residential district with trees, slopes, views and beautiful old houses.

This beautiful park is the oldest in the city, laid out in the first half of the 19th century and then frequented by the elite. It is known for its linden trees, especially the one near which the poet Mihai Eminescu liked to settle in search of inspiration. Almost five hundred years old, it is supported by metal crutches. Nearby is a museum dedicated to the artist. You will see in the park several busts of personalities who have marked the cultural life of Iași: Eminescu of course, but also his lover Veronica Micle and his friend Ion Creangă.