Iasi, a Unique Destination

With a history of over 6 centuries, Iasi is a city of firsts in Romanian culture and education

Daniel Onea, 04.05.2023, 14:00

With a history of over 6 centuries, Iasi is a city of firsts in Romanian culture and education, but also one of the most important university and IT centers in Romania. We have a chance to discover a city in which history and the present blend smoothly in a unique tourism product.

Mihai Bulai is the president of the Destination Iasi Association, and a lecturer at the School of Geography and Geology with the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in the city. After spending six years in the west of Europe, Mihai Bulai realized that he was working in various areas which were unknown in the city he’d loved since childhood. At present, he says that Iasi is a beautiful city, with a rich culture, and is great for a city break, especially if you have three days available. Iasi Airport is the third largest in Romania, and has links to most of the major cities of Europe. Our trip started right at the university building.

“I would start with a tour of the Hall of Lost Steps. It is the longest corridor in a Romanian institution, over 120 m long, where the painter Sabin Balasa in the 1960s made the most beautiful gallery of mural paintings. There are scenes from the history of Romanians, and from Romanian mythology, in a very creative way. Instead of talking about the past through stories, I would bring the tourists to these illustrations. They are enormous, four meters tall. Then I would take them to the old library, which is in the same building, which international guests have voted one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. If you go online, you can search Top Majestic Libraries in the World, you will see that, of that list of 60, ours is among the top 30. Then I would search for what the BBC, this time, called the most beautiful building in Iasi, and in the top seven best looking theaters in the world. The BBC list is called Seven Breathtaking Theaters in the World. The theater in Iasi is in second place. It has a very interesting facade, which combines the late 19th century styles of Neo-Classical and Belle Epoque, but the theater inside is in Baroque style. It is a gold leaf stucco Baroque, with wall painting, and a vintage curtain. It is a special experience, not just the visit itself, but also attending a play or an opera. The stage plays are in Romanian, so I would recommend them mostly for Romanians, from here or abroad. For the guest who doesn’t understand Romanian, I would definitely recommend an opera show. The Iasi National Opera of Romania still puts up shows in the grand hall of the theater, with extraordinary shows. Imagine about 700 people in the seats, and about 200 people on stage. These are some incredible opera and operetta shows.

Mihai Bulai, the president of the Destination Iasi Association, calls us next to a new objective, called the House of Museums, with less of a history in terms of exhibitions, but still highly interesting:

“It is about communism, about childhood under communism, which is a fraught subject still, in post-December Romania. It is about poetry and literature in a creative way, a contemporary way. We got used to speaking mostly about Eminescu, Junimea literary club, and the 19th century. In fact, Iasi has a plethora of new poets and writers, who are very much appreciated, and we find them in this museum. This House of Museums also offers reconciliation with our past. Iasi was the stage for a very unfortunate episode. During WWII, Iasi got associated with the European Holocaust, and we are talking about the Iasi Pogrom. There was a week in which Jewish people in the city were slaughtered. After all these years, Iasi tries to reconcile with its past, and creates a special exhibition about these events. After this, very importantly, I recommend a stroll, a pedestrian trip. We have many such initiatives in Iasi. There are many guides who start off in Union Square, the city’s physical center. They propose trails, even theme trails, in order to present architecture, speaking about the present function of buildings, and about present life in the city, mostly about the cuisine. Last but not least, I would talk about the religious richness of the city. Iasi is a capital for religious pilgrimage. The Metropolitan Cathedral houses the relics of St. Paraskeva, a saint who lived 1,000 years ago in or around Constantinople. We also have urban monasteries, with walls. For instance, Golia, Barboi, or even churches such as St. Spiridon, which look like walled fortresses. On the hills, the monasteries of Galata and Cetatuia also look like fortresses. In fact, they were even princely palaces in centuries past.

Visiting these monasteries and churches, you will also find noblemen’s crypts, with special mural painting, but also a rich heritage that attests to the city’s rich cultural past. The present is no different, according to Mihai Bulai:

“Literature is at the core of life in Iasi, and we have a festival called Filit, the International Festival of Literature and Translation. This year it is held between October 18 and 22, and brings together international foreign language authors and many contemporary Romanian writers. Also, Iasi has another important festival, the Youth Theater Festival, in early October. The region of Moldavia has always been great at conserving traditions, especially in traditional garb and dance. The Catalina International Festival of Folklore for Children and Youth, in early July, bringing together kids from around the world: the Andes, Chile, Korea, and also Ukraine. Every year, we also have music festivals such as Hangariada and Rocanotherworld. The Getodava festival reminds us of the ancient Getae and Dacians on the territory of Moldavia. You can see reenactments of ancient battles between Romans and local Dacians. Not least, we have a Romanian Creative Week. Iasi is the birthplace of some great fashion designers, and we have a fashion week in late May. Exceptionally, this year, on August 24, we being the world championships of e-sports, electronic games, video games, and we will have guests from all over the world, who will compete on computers for two weeks.

The City of Creators, the brand of the city of Iasi, won first place at the Transform Awards, the biggest branding competition in Europe. Of the 3,000 projects that were submitted, the Iasi Destination Association proposal won the gold for the best branding for a city in Europe.