Iasi – cultural breeding ground

The beginnings of higher education in Iasi date from the reign of Vasile Lupu (1634-1653). In 1640, Lupu founded an academy at the Three Hierarchs Monastery.

In the 18th century, a Royal Academy was established in one of the buildings attached to the Metropolitan Cathedral. The institution was closed down by the Ottomans after the Greek Revolution of 1821, but Gheorghe Asachi reopened it under the name of The Vasilian Gymnasium seven years later. In 1835, it was renamed The Mihailean Academy and had three sections: Philosophy, Law and Theology, as well as two special courses, Polytechnic Sciences and Economy.

In 1860, Alexander Ioan Cuza founded the University of Iasi. Today, this university is comprised of 26 colleges and eight research institutes of the Romanian Academy.

Old University Palace (Vechea Universitate)
Address: Blvd. Independentei 35
Commissioned by Ioan Cantacuzino between 1760 and 1765, the Old University Palace was badly damaged during a fire in 1795. Later renovated and converted into a royal residence, it remained in royal use until 1806. The stone arch in front of the palace dates from this period. On it, you can see the Moldavian coat of arms and a Cyrillic inscription spelling out the words the door of hope. In 1860, the building became home to the newly established University of Iasi and to the first public art collection in the country. Today, it houses the Medicine and Pharmacy College.

University on Copou Hill (Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza)
Address: Blvd. Carol I nr. 11
The main university building was built between 1893 and 1897 on the site of the Great Theatre which had burned down. The Hall of the University, known as The Hall of the Lost Footsteps, served as a parliamentary debating chamber between 1917 and 1918. In 1967, the painter Sabin Balasa created a series of strongly romanticized frescoes for the arcades.

Central University Library (Biblioteca Centrala Universitara Mihai Eminescu)
Address: Str. Pacurari 4
Located at the base of Copou Hill, this triangular building with Doric columns and cupola was built between 1930 and 1935 to serve as the headquarters of King Ferdinand’s Cultural Foundation. The building was decorated with Carrara marble and Venetian mosaics. By 1945, the Foundation library had become one of the biggest in the country with more than 300,000 volumes. Today, the library is the largest in Moldavia, with a great number of manuscripts and old books from the 15th to the 19th centuries.