Iași

This article is about a major city in Romania. For other uses, see Iasi (disambiguation) and Jassy.
Iași
City


Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Cultural Capital of Romania, The City of Great Loves, The City of the Famous Destinies, The City of Great Ideas, The City of the Three Unions, The City on Seven Hills[1][2][3][4]
Iași

Location of Iași within Romania (in red)

Coordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°E / 47.15694; 27.59028Coordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°E / 47.15694; 27.59028
Country  Romania
County Iași
Status Municipality
Settled Before 14th century
First official record 1408
Government
 • Mayor Mihai Chirica (PSD)
Area
 • City 93.9 km2 (36.3 sq mi)
 • Metro 808 km2 (312 sq mi)
Elevation 60 m (200 ft)
Population (2011 census[5])
 • City 290,422
 • Density 3,092/km2 (8,010/sq mi)
 • Metro 382,484
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code 700xxx
Area code(s) +40 x32
Car Plates IS
Climate Dfb
Website www.primaria-iasi.ro

Iași ([jaʃʲ]; also referred to as Jassy or Iassy)[6][7] is the largest city in eastern Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859, then of the United Principalities from 1859 to 1862, and the capital of Romania from 1916 to 1918.

Known as The Cultural Capital of Romania, Iași is a symbol in Romanian history. The historian Nicolae Iorga said "There should be no Romanian who does not know of it".[8] Still referred to as The Moldavian Capital, Iași is the main economic and business centre of the Moldavian region of Romania.[9]

At the 2011 census, the city proper had a population of 290,422, making it the fourth most populous in Romania. With 465,477 residents (as of 2014), the Iași urban area is the second most populous in Romania (after Bucharest),[10] whereas more than 500,000 people live within its peri-urban area.[5][11] Home to the oldest Romanian university and to the first engineering school, Iași is one of the most important education and research centres of the country, and accommodates over 60,000 students in 5 public universities.[12][13] The social and cultural life revolves around the Vasile Alecsandri National Theater (the oldest in Romania), the Moldova State Philharmonic, the Opera House, the Tătărași Athenaeum, a famous Botanical Garden (the oldest and largest in Romania), the Central University Library (the oldest in Romania), the high quality cultural centres and festivals, an array of museums, memorial houses, religious and historical monuments.

Etymology and names

The city is historically referred to as:

An 1871 Romanian telegraph stamp using the historic name of Jassy.

Scholars have different theories on the origin of the name "Iași".[14] Some argue that the name originates with the Sarmatian tribe Iazyges (of Iranian origin; possibly connected to the Yaz culture of Eastern Iran), one mentioned by Ovid as Latin: "Ipse vides onerata ferox ut ducata Iasyx/ Per media Histri plaustra bubulcus aquas" and "Iazyges et Colchi Metereaque turba Getaque/ Danubii mediis vix prohibentur aquis".[15]

A now lost inscription on a Roman milestone[16] found near Osijek, Croatia by Matija Petar Katančić in the 18th century, mentions the existence of a Jassiorum municipium,[17] or Municipium Dacorum-Iassiorum from other sources.[18]

Other explanations show that the name originated from the Iranian Alanic tribe of Jassi, having same origin with Yazyges tribes Jassic people. The Prut river was called as Alanus fluvius and the city as Forum Philistinorum.[19][20][21] From this population derived the plural of town name, "Iașii".

Another historian wrote that the Iasians lived among the Cumans and that they left the Caucasus after the first Mongolian campaign in the West, settling temporarily near the Prut. He asserts that the ethnic name of Jasz which is given to Iasians by Hungarians has been erroneously identified with Jazyges; also he shows that the word jasz is a Slavic loan word.[22] The Hungarian name of the city (Jászvásár) literally means "Jassic Market"; the antiquated Romanian name, Târgul Ieșilor (and the once-favoured Iașii), and the German Jassenmarkt, may indicate the same meaning.

History

Coat of arms of the Principality of Moldavia at Cetățuia Monastery

Ancient times

Archaeological investigations attest to the presence of human communities on the present territory of the city and around it as far back as the prehistoric age.[18] Later settlements included those of the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, a late Neolithic archaeological culture.

There is archaeological evidence of human settlements in the area of Iași dating from the 6th to 7th centuries (Curtea Domnească) and 7th to 10th centuries; these settlements contained rectangular houses with semicircular ovens.[23] Also a lot of vessels (9th-11th centuries) found in Iaşi had a cross, showing that inhabitants were Christians.[24]

Early development

The name of the city is first found in a document from 1408. This is a grant of certain commercial privileges by the Moldavian Prince Alexander to the Polish merchants of Lvov. However, as buildings older than 1408 still exist, e.g. the Armenian Church believed to be originally built in 1395, it is certain that the city existed before its first mentioning.

Capital of Moldavia

Around 1564, Prince Alexandru Lăpușneanu moved the Moldavian capital from Suceava to Iași. Between 1561 and 1563, a school and a Lutheran church were founded by the Greek adventurer Prince, Ioan Iacob Heraclid.

Trei Ierarhi Monastery (1639)
Iași in the 1700s
Princely Court of Moldavia

In 1640, Vasile Lupu established the first school in which the mother-tongue replaced Greek, and set up a printing press in the Byzantine Trei Ierarhi Monastery (Monastery of the Three Hierarchs; built 1635–39). In 1643, the first volume ever printed in Moldavia was issued in Iași.

The city was burned down by the Tatars in 1513, by the Ottomans in 1538, and by Imperial Russian troops in 1686. In 1734, it was hit by the plague.

Through the Peace of Iași, the sixth Russo-Turkish War was brought to a close in 1792. A Greek revolutionary maneuver and occupation under Alexander Ypsilanti (Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης) and the Filiki Eteria (Φιλική Εταιρία) (1821, at the beginning of the Greek War of Independence) led to the storming of the city by the Turks in 1822. In 1844 there was a severe conflagration.

Mid–19th century to 20th century

Al. Lăpușneanu Street
Union Square

Between 1564 and 1859, the city was the capital of Moldavia; then, between 1859 and 1862, both Iași and Bucharest were de facto capitals of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. In 1862, when the union of the two principalities was recognized under the name of Romania, the national capital was established in Bucharest. For the loss caused to the city in 1861 by the removal of the seat of government to Bucharest the constituent assembly voted 148,150 lei to be paid in ten annual instalments, but no payment was ever made.

During World War I, Iași was the capital of a severely reduced Romania for two years, following the Central Powers' occupation of Bucharest on 6 December 1916. The capital was returned to Bucharest after the defeat of Imperial Germany and its allies in November 1918. In November–December 1918 Iași hosted the Jassy Conference.

Jewish community

Iași also figures prominently in Jewish history, with the first documented presence of Sephardi Jews from the late 16th century. The oldest tomb inscription in the local cemetery probably dates to 1610.[25] By the mid-19th century, owing to widespread Russian Jewish and Galician Jewish immigration into Moldavia, the city was at least one-third Jewish.

Great Synagogue (1671)

In 1855, Iași was the home of the first-ever Yiddish-language newspaper, Korot Haitim, and, in 1876, the site of what was arguably the first-ever professional Yiddish theater performance, established by Avraham Goldfaden. The words of HaTikvah, the national anthem of Israel, were written in Iași by Naftali Herz Imber. Jewish musicians in Iași played an important role as preservers of Yiddish folklore, as performers and composers.

According to the 1930 census, with a population of 34,662 (some 34% of the city's population), Jews were the second largest ethnic group in Iași. There were over 127 synagogues. After World War II, in 1947, there were about 38,000 Jews living in Iași. Because of massive emigration to Israel, in 1975 there were about 3,000 Jews living in Iași and four synagogues were active.[25]

Currently, Iași has a dwindling Jewish population of ca. 300 to 600 members and two working synagogues, one of which, the 1671 Great Synagogue, is the oldest surviving synagogue in Romania.[26]

World War II

Main article: Iași pogrom

During the war, while the full scale of the Holocaust remained generally unknown to the Allied Powers, the Iași pogrom stood as one of the known examples of Axis brutality toward the Jews.

The pogrom lasted from 29 June to 6 July 1941, and over 13,266 people,[27] or one third of the Jewish population, were massacred in the pogrom itself or in its aftermath, and many were deported.

In May 1944, the Iași area became the scene of ferocious fighting between Romanian-German forces and the advancing Soviet Red Army and the city was partially destroyed. The German Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland won a defensive victory at the Battle of Târgu Frumos, near Iași, which was the object of several NATO studies during the Cold War. By 20 August, Iași had been taken by Soviet forces.[28]

Post-World War II era

Iași experienced a major wave of industrialization, in 1955-1975.[29] During this period of time, it received numerous migrants from rural regions, and the urban area expanded.[30] The socialist period saw a growth of 235% in population and 69% in area in Iași; however, the urban planning was sometimes arbitrary and followed by dysfunctions.[31]

By 1989, Iași had become highly industrialized, with 108,000 employees (representing 47% of the total workforce) active in 46 large state-owned enterprises, in various industries: chemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgical, heavy equipment, electronics, textile, food, energy, building materials, furniture.[32][33]

Geography

Topography

Panoramic view of the Copou Hill

Located in the North-East of Romania, between the Iași Ridge (Romanian: Coasta Iașilor) (the northern-most hill formation of the Bârlad Plateau) and the Jijia Plain, Iași used to be the crossroads place of the commercial routes that passed through Moldavia coming from Kingdom of Poland, Habsburg Monarchy, Tsardom of Russia and Constantinople.

The city lies on the Bahlui River, a tributary of the Jijia (tributary of the Prut). The surrounding country is one of uplands and woods, featuring monasteries and parks. Iași itself stands amid vineyards and gardens, partly on hills, partly in the in-between valley.

It is a common belief that Iași is built on seven hills (Romanian: coline): Cetățuia, Galata, Copou-Aurora, Bucium-Păun, Șorogari, Repedea and Breazu, thus triggering comparisons with Rome.

Climate

Climate data for Iași, Romania (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.7
(62.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 27.0
(80.6)		 31.8
(89.2)		 36.4
(97.5)		 38.0
(100.4)		 40.1
(104.2)		 39.7
(103.5)		 38.0
(100.4)		 33.9
(93)		 29.0
(84.2)		 19.5
(67.1)		 40.1
(104.2)
Average high °C (°F) −0.1
(31.8)		 2.1
(35.8)		 8.1
(46.6)		 16.5
(61.7)		 22.4
(72.3)		 25.3
(77.5)		 26.8
(80.2)		 26.6
(79.9)		 22.7
(72.9)		 16.1
(61)		 8.4
(47.1)		 2.7
(36.9)		 14.8
(58.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 3.0
(37.4)		 10.3
(50.5)		 16.1
(61)		 19.2
(66.6)		 20.5
(68.9)		 19.9
(67.8)		 15.9
(60.6)		 10.0
(50)		 4.3
(39.7)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 9.4
(48.9)
Average low °C (°F) −6.9
(19.6)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 5.2
(41.4)		 10.4
(50.7)		 13.7
(56.7)		 15.0
(59)		 14.3
(57.7)		 10.7
(51.3)		 5.5
(41.9)		 1.1
(34)		 −3.4
(25.9)		 5.0
(41)
Record low °C (°F) −30.6
(−23.1)		 −36.3
(−33.3)		 −22.7
(−8.9)		 −9.4
(15.1)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 3.5
(38.3)		 6.3
(43.3)		 4.6
(40.3)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 −9.6
(14.7)		 −21.1
(−6)		 −29.5
(−21.1)		 −36.3
(−33.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 32
(1.26)		 31
(1.22)		 31
(1.22)		 53
(2.09)		 63
(2.48)		 101
(3.98)		 83
(3.27)		 56
(2.2)		 48
(1.89)		 25
(0.98)		 35
(1.38)		 31
(1.22)		 589
(23.19)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 11.3
(4.45)		 14.3
(5.63)		 11.9
(4.69)		 6.9
(2.72)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.7
(0.28)		 10.4
(4.09)		 6.3
(2.48)		 61.8
(24.34)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6 6 6 8 8 9 9 5 5 5 6 7 80
Average relative humidity (%) 82 80 71 62 61 62 60 63 66 73 79 83 70
Mean monthly sunshine hours 69.1 77.6 127.6 170.1 234.9 254.7 272.8 270.1 208.0 155.8 73.0 57.3 1,971
Source #1: NOAA, [34] Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, 1896–2015 and humidity, 1896–1960)[35]
Source #2: Romanian National Statistic Institute (extremes 1901-2000)[36]

Iași has a humid, continental-type climate (Köppen climate classification "Dfb" — summer wetter than winter, European subtype) with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm with temperatures sometimes exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) while winters are cold and windy with moderate snowfall and temperatures at night sometimes dropping below −15 °C (5 °F). Average monthly precipitation ranges from about 25 mm (1.0 in) in October to 100 mm (3.9 in)in June.

Cityscape

Architecture

The neo-Gothic Palace of Culture, built on the old ruins of the mediaeval Princely Court and on the foundations of the former neoclassical Princely Palace of Moldavia
Grand Hotel Traian (Union Square), designed and built by Gustave Eiffel

Iaşi features historical monuments, 500-year-old churches and monasteries, contemporary architecture, many of them listed on the National Register of Historic Monuments. Notable architecture includes the Trei Ierarhi Monastery, part of the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site, or the neo-Gothic Palace of Culture, built on the old ruins of the mediaeval Princely Court of Moldavia.

During World War II and the Communist era many historical buildings in the old city centre (around Union Square area) were destroyed or demolished, and replaced by International style buildings and also a new mainly Mid-Century modern style Civic Centre was built around the Old Market Square (The Central Hall).[29]

The mid-1990s to early-2000s brought the first non-industrial glass curtain walled buildings (Romtelecom, Hotel Europa), while in 2012, in close proximity to the Palace of Culture, the Palas shopping mall and office complex was inaugurated.

Communist era's Central Hall Square
Cuza Palace, now the Union Museum
Dosoftei House

Other significant buildings include:

Religious buildings

Iași is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Iași. The city and the surrounding area house more than 10 monasteries and 100 historical churches.[37] Among the oldest is Princely Saint Nicholas (1491), dating from the reign of Stephen the Great, and the Metropolitan Cathedral is the largest of its kind in Romania. The Trei Ierarhi Monastery, a unique monument, considered to be an architectural masterpiece,[38] was erected in 1635–1639 by Vasile Lupu, and adorned with gilded carvings on its outer walls and twin towers.

Other examples of historic churches and monasteries (some of them surrounded by defense walls and towers) include: Socola (1562), Galata (1582), Saint Sava (1583), Hlincea (1587), Aroneanu (1594), Bârnova (1603), Barnovschi (1627), Golia (1650), Cetățuia (1668), Frumoasa (1726), Saint Spiridon (1747), Old Metropolitan Cathedral (1761), Bărboi (1843 with 18th-century bell tower), Bucium (1853).[39]

Gardens, parks and natural landmarks

Ciric Park

Iași has a diverse array of public spaces, from city squares to public parks.

Mihai Eminescu's statue and his Linden Tree in Copou Park

Begun in 1833, at the time when Iași was the capital of Moldavia, by Prince Mihail Sturdza and under the plans of Gheorghe Asachi and Mihail Singurov, Copou Park was integrated into the city and marks one of the first Romanian coordinated public parks. The oldest monument in Romania stands in the middle of the park, the Obelisk of Lions (1834), a 13.5 m (44.29 ft) tall obelisk, dedicated to the Law of Organic Rules, the first law on political, administrative and juridical organization in Romanian Principalities.[40]

Founded in 1856, the Botanical Garden of Iași, the first botanical garden in Romania, has an area of over 100 hectares, and more than 10,000 species of plants.

Iași Exhibition Park was opened in 1923 and built under the coordination of the architect N. Ghica Budești.

The Ciric Park, located in the north-eastern part of Iași is another complex which consists into the park and four lakes.

Eminescu's Linden Tree (Romanian: Teiul lui Eminescu) is a 500 year old silver lime (Tilia tomentosa Moench) situated in the Copou Public Garden. Mihai Eminescu reportedly wrote some of his best works underneath this lime, rendering the tree one of Romania's most important natural monuments and a notable Iași landmark.[41] The Odd Poplers Alley, in Bucium neighborhood, is another spot where Mihai Eminescu sought inspiration (the poem "Down Where the Lonely Poplars Grow"). In 1973, the 15 white poplars still left (with the age ranges between 233 and 371 years) were declared natural monuments.

Iași County has 387 centuries-old trees, of which 224 were declared monument trees and 160 got the Romanian Academy's approval and are proposed for such a classification. Most of them are oak or linden trees. The oldest tree in the county is the 675-year-old hybrid lime tree located in the courtyard of Bârnova Monastery, in the vicinity of Iași. When the lime was about 57 years old and had about 14 cm (5.5 in) in diameter, Iași was mentioned as an urban settlement, during the reign of Prince Alexander the Good (1408).[42]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18th century 30,000—    
1831 59,880+99.6%
1851 70,000+16.9%
1859 65,745−6.1%
1900 78,067+18.7%
1912 75,229−3.6%
1930 102,872+36.7%
1948 96,075−6.6%
1956 112,977+17.6%
1966 161,023+42.5%
1977 265,002+64.6%
1992 344,425+30.0%
2002 320,888−6.8%
2011 290,422−9.5%
Sources: 18th century, 1831, 1859:,[43] 1851:,[44] 1900:,[45] 1912 Census:,[46] 1930-2011: Censuses.
Roznovanu Palace, today Iași City Hall

As of 1 January 2015, Iași is the country's second most populous city after Bucharest with 357,192 residents registered within the city limits,[47] and with a population of 465,477 residents, the Iași urban area is also the second largest in Romania.[10]

At the 2011 census, Iași was the fourth most populous Romanian city with a population of 290,422.[5] The metropolitan area (which includes Iași and 13 other nearby communities) had a population of 382,484, while Iași County, with its 772,348 inhabitants, was the most populous county in Romania (after the Municipality of Bucharest). Additionally there were 60,000 more residents (mostly students) and thousands of daily commuters.

According to the 2002 census, in Iași there were 109,357 housing units and 320,888 people living within the city proper. Of this population, 98.5% were ethnic Romanians, while 0.59% were ethnic Romani, 0.13% Jews, 0.13% Greeks, 0.13% Lipovans, 0.08% Hungarians, 0.05% Germans and 0.39% others.[48] In terms of religion, 92.5% of the population were Christian Orthodox, 4.9% Roman Catholic, other religious groups 2.6%. There are currently almost 10,000 Roman Catholics living in Iași.[49] There is a debate between historians as to whether the Catholics are originally of Romanian or Hungarian descent.[50]

Economy

Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Palas shopping mall and business centre

Iași is an important economic centre in Romania. The local and regional economy relies on service sector institutions and establishments. The most important service sectors are related to education, health care, banking, research, culture, government and tourism.

The city is an important information technology sector centre, with the presence of several large multinational companies (Amazon, Oracle, Continental, Xerox, Accenture, Capgemini) and many other local and foreign companies such as Bentley Systems, Bitdefender, Comodo, Endava, Ness, Pentalog, SCC or TiVo (to name a few),[51] as well as two universities which offer specific degree programs. Industry forecasts expect the Iași ITC workforce to grow from the current 12,000 (as of 2016) employees to more than 33,000, by 2030.[52]

An estimated workforce of more than 35,000 employees is active in Iași's industrial manufacturing sector,[53] particularly in automotive (Delphi, Lear, Tess Conex), pharmaceutical industry (Antibiotice Iași), metallurgical production (ArcelorMittal, Technosteel LBR), industrial equipment (Agmus, ASAM, Fortus), energy (E.ON Moldova Distribuție, Veolia Energie), textiles and clothing (Benetton, Iași Conf, Iașitex), home appliances (Tehnoton), building materials (Brikston, Build Corp), food (Compan, Panifcom, Zeelandia).[33][54]

Located in an area recognised for its vineyards and wines, Iași is part of a traditional wine region with viticultural centres surrounding the city: Copou, Bucium, Uricani, Comarna, Plugari, and Probota. Iași County is also home to renowned Cotnari and Bohotin vineyards.[55][56]

With large shopping malls and commercial centres located in the area, Iași also has a well-developed retail business.

Largest employers

Top 10 Employers
Company Industry Employees
Sf. Spiridon University Hospital Health care 2,944
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University High education 2,021
Xerox Business Services România IT services 1,945
Delphi Diesel Systems Automotive industry 1,724
Gheorghe Asachi Technical University High education 1,710
Antibiotice Iași Pharmaceutical industry 1,458
RATP Public transport 1,349
St. Maria Clinic Children's Hospital Health care 1,256
Continental Automotive Romania Automotive Engineering 1,230
University of Medicine and Pharmacy High Education 1,230

Sources:[57][58][59]

Culture

Pogor House, the Romanian Literature Museum
Alecu Balș House, where Franz Liszt performed in 1847, nowadays Moldova State Philharmonic

Major events in the political and cultural history of Moldavia are connected with the name of the city of Iași. The great scholars of the 17th century, Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin and later Ion Neculce, wrote most of their works in the city or not far from it and the famous scholar Dimitrie Cantemir known throughout all Europe also linked his name to the capital of Moldavia.

The first newspaper in Romanian language was published in 1829 in Iași and it is in Iași where, in 1867, appeared under literary society Junimea, the Convorbiri Literare review in which Ion Creangă’s Childhood Memories and the best poems by Mihai Eminescu were published. The reviews Contemporanul and Viața Românească appeared in 1871, respectively in 1906 with great contributions to promoting Romanian national cultural values.

Many great personalities of Romanian culture are connected to Iași: the chronicler Nicolae Milescu, the historians and politics men Mihail Kogălniceanu or Simion Bărnuțiu, the poets Vasile Alecsandri or George Topârceanu, the writers Mihail Sadoveanu, Alecu Russo, or Ionel Teodoreanu, the literary critic Titu Maiorescu, the historian A.D. Xenopol, the philosophers Vasile Conta or Petre Andrei, the sociologist Dimitrie Gusti, the geographer Emil Racoviță, the painter Octav Băncilă, only to name a few.

Theatres and orchestras

Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre and Iași Romanian National Opera
Luceafărul Theatre

The "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theatre, opened in 1840, is the first National Theatre in Romania. The building, designed according to the plans of the Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, was raised between 1894 and 1896, and also hosts, starting 1956, the Iași Romanian National Opera.

Iași is also home to:

Museums

Ion Creangă Memorial House
Mihai Codreanu Memorial House

Iași is home to many museums, memorial houses, art galleries.
First memorial museum from Romania opened in Iași in 1918, as the Ion Creangă Memorial House, and today the Iași Romanian Literature Museum owns fourteen memorial houses. The Mihai Eminescu Museum, situated in Copou Park, is dedicated to the great poet’s life and creation; other museums are dedicated to: Dosoftei, Mihail Kogălniceanu, Vasile Pogor, Nicolae Gane, Petru Poni, Mihai Codreanu, Mihail Sadoveanu, George Topîrceanu, Otilia Cazimir, Radu Cernătescu, Cezar Petrescu, Dimitrie Anghel.

The Theatre Museum, opened in 1976, at the celebration of 160 years since the first theatrical performance in Romanian, illustrates the development of the theatrical phenomenon since the beginning, important moments of the history of Iași National Theatre, the foundation, in 1840, of the Philharmonic-dramatic Conservatoire, prestigious figures that have contributed to the development of the Romanian theatre.

The Union Museum, includes original pieces and documents which belonged to prince Al. I. Cuza and his family.

The Natural History Museum, founded on 4 February 1834, is the first museum of this kind in Romania with over 300,000 items, the most valuable being the collections of insects, mollusk, amphibians, reptiles, birds, plants and minerals.

Four other museums are located in the Palace of Culture: with its roots dating back to 1860, the Iași Art Museum is the oldest of its kind in Romania,[60] and, with more than 8,700 works (many of them belonging to the universal patrimony), has the largest art collection in the country; the Moldavia's History Museum, offers more than 48,000 objects from various fields, archaeology, numismatics, decorative art, ancient books, documents; the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia owns more than 13,000 objects depicting the Romanian advance through the ages; the Science and Technology Museum's collection has more than 11,200 objects in five distinct sections and one memorial house.[61]

Foreign culture centres

French Institute in Iași

Iași hosts six cultural centres: French, German, British, Latin American & Caribbean, Hellenic, and Arab.

Cultural events and festivals

Periferic is an international biennial of contemporary art organized in Iași, Romania by the Vector Association. Eight editions have taken place thus far.

FILIT (International Festival of Literature and Translation Iași) is an international yearly literature and translation festival organized in Iași, Romania by the Iaşi County Council through the Iaşi Museum of Romanian Literature. Three editions have taken place so far and the festival is recognized as one of the leading Central and Eastern European events of its kind.[62] FIE (International Education Festival) is a yearly arts festival organized in Iași, Romania by the City Hall. Three editions have taken place thus far.

The Iași National Opera organizes the Romanian Gala of National Operas, with the third edition taking place in 2015. A rock festival, Rock'n'Iași takes place in October. Gardner Jazz Festival is a local festival that started in 2014 and had its second edition in 2015. An aeronautics and art festival called Hangariada is organised each year in May.

Live music and various other artistic events (poetry nights, readings) are a habitual occurrence in the various bars and coffee shops the city has to offer.

Education

Al. I. Cuza University
Central University Library

The first institute of higher learning that functioned on the territory of Romania was Academia Vasiliană (1640) founded by Prince Vasile Lupu as a "higher school for Latin and Slavonic languages", followed by the Princely Academy in 1707.

The first high education structure in Romanian language was established in the autumn of 1813, when engineer Gheorghe Asachi laid the foundations of a class of engineers, its activities taking place within the Greek Princely Academy.

After 1813, other moments marked the development of higher education in Romanian language, regarding both humanities and the technical science. In 1835, Academia Mihăileană founded by Prince Mihail Sturdza is considered first Romanian superior institute in the country.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University

In 1860, three faculties part of the Academia Mihăileană formed the nucleus for the newly established University of Iași, the first Romanian university.

The Physicians and Naturalists Society, founded in Iași, has existed since the early part of the 19th century, and a number of periodicals are published. One of the oldest medical universities in Romania, founded in 1879, is in Iași. It is now known as the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

In 1937, the two applied science sections of the University of Iași became departments of the newly created Gheorghe Asachi Polytechnic School. In the period before and after World War II, the later (renamed Polytechnic Institute in 1948) extended its domain of activity, especially in the field of engineering, and became adopted a Technical University in 1993.

Public universities include:

University of Medicine and Pharmacy

There are also some private higher education institutions including Petre Andrei University, the largest private university in the historical region of Moldavia.[63]

The Central University Library of Iași, where the chief records of Romanian history are preserved, is the oldest and the second largest in Romania.

Iași Science Festival is a week long festival organized every year in April (starting 2013) for high school and grade school students to get be able to observe and take part in scientific experiments and be given detailed tours of the scientific and technical universities and research labs in Iași. Over 200 experiments were performed and over 10,000 students took part in the 2014 edition, from throughout the Moldavia region.[64]

Media

Main article: Media in Iași

Sports

In 2012, Iași was selected as one of the European Cities of Sport.[65]

Current teams

Panorama of Emil Alexandrescu Stadium, home to the CSM Studențesc
Sport League Club Founded Venue
Basketball Men's Divizia A Politehnica Iași Sala Polivalentă
Basketball Women's Divizia A Politehnica Național Iași Sala Polivalentă
Football Liga I CSM Studențesc Iași (as the informal successor to Politehnica Iași) 16 August 2010 Emil Alexandrescu Stadium
Handball Women's Liga Națională Terom Iași Sala Polivalentă
Rugby SuperLiga Poli Agro Unirea Iași 1964 Agronomia Stadium
Volleyball Women's Divizia A2 ACS Penicilina Iași Sala Polivalentă

Former teams

Transport

Public transport

Iași's public transportation system is served by the RATP Iași which operates an extensive network using 150 trams (electric trams began operating in Iași in 1900) and 175 buses. In 2014, RATP carried 50,358,000 passengers, an average of 140,000 passengers per day.[66]

Air

Iași Airport

Iași is served by the Iași International Airport (IAS) located 8 km (5.0 mi) east of the city centre. The airport is the 4th busiest in Romania and offers direct domestic, European, and Middle Eastern scheduled or charter connections. After extensive modernization works, the number of connections and traffic volumes have seen a significant increase, in 2015.[67]

Rail

Great Railway Station

Iași-Pașcani railway was opened on 1 June [O.S. 20 May] 1870, Iași-Ungheni on 1 August 1874 and Iași-Chișinău railway was opened on 1 June 1875 by the Russian Empire in preparation for the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).

Nowadays, three railway stations, Great Railway Station, Nicolina International Rail Station and Socola Rail Station serve the city and are operated by Romanian Railways (CFR). Moldovan railway also serves these stations for travel into Moldova.

The Great Railway Station, located about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the city centre, provides direct rail connections to all the major Romanian cities and to Chișinău. The rail stations are very well connected to all the parts of the city by the trams and buses of the local public transport companies.

Road

Iași is connected by European routes E583/E85 with Bucharest through a four lane road, by European route E58 with Central Europe and Chişinău in Moldova, and by DN National Roads with all major cities of Romania. A planned East–West freeway would connect the city to the A3 Transylvania Motorway.

The Iași Coach Station is used by several private transport companies to provide coach connections from Iași to a large number of locations from all over the country.

Health care

Iași is home to at least 15 hospitals, including the St. Spiridon Hospital, the second largest and one of the oldest in Romania (1755),[68] St. Maria Clinic Children's Hospital, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Regional Oncology Institute, and Socola Psychiatric Institute (1905 - first psychiatric hospital in Romania).

Air pollution concerns

Iași has the second-worse air quality in Romania, after Bucharest.[69] In 2014, the European Commission started environmental law infringement procedures against Romania, citing Bucharest, Iași, and Brașov cases as examples.[70] In 2015, atmospheric particulate matter has repeatedly reached and exceeded legal thresholds for PM10. Pollution from vehicular traffic, construction works, and a lack of green spaces (the city only has about 11 m2 (118 sq ft) of public green spaces per capita) make up some of the reasons behind these problems.[69]

Monuments and history

Twin towns/Sister cities

Iași is twinned with:

Consulates in Iași

Honorary Consulates:

People

References and sources

References
  1. ↑ "1000 lei 1998 - 80th anniversary of the Great Union of 1918" (in English). Romanian Coins.org. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Iași, the cultural city" (in Romanian). Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "About Iaşi" (in Romanian). La Iaşi. 2002. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Romanian Cities" (in Romanian). Tarom.
  5. 1 2 3 "Population at 20 October 2011" (in Romanian). INSSE. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  6. ↑ JASSY at jewishvirtuallibrary.org
  7. ↑ Edith Saurer; Margareth Lanzinger; Elisabeth Frysak (2006). Women's Movements: Networks and Debates in Post-communist Countries in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar. pp. 443–. ISBN 978-3-412-32205-2.
  8. ↑ Tourism – About Iași
  9. ↑ About Iași City
  10. 1 2 "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex - functional urban areas". Eurostat. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Economy of a Regional Metropolis. Case-study: Iași, Romania". Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  12. ↑ History of Education in Romania
  13. ↑ Metropolitan Area Iași (Romanian)
  14. ↑ The beginnings of Iași (Romanian)
  15. ↑ Ovid (1893) [c. 8 a.d.]. Sidney George Owen, ed. Ovid: Tristia Book III (2nd, rev. ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 60.
  16. ↑ Museum Documentation Center Croatia, A Tractate on the Roman Milestone Discovered near Osijek
  17. ↑ Grässe, J. G. Th. (1909) [1861]. "Jassium". Orbis latinus; oder, Verzeichnis der wichtigsten lateinischen Orts- und Ländernamen (in German) (2nd ed.). Berlin: Schmidt. OCLC 1301238 – via Columbia University.
  18. 1 2 Orașul Iași: monografie istorică și socială (Romanian)
  19. ↑ Alexandru I. Gonța, Românii și hoarda de aur, Editura Demiurg,Iași, 2010, p. 102
  20. ↑ C.C. Giurescu, Târguri sau orașe și cetăti moldovene, București, 1967, p.242-245
  21. ↑ Gh. Ghibănescu, Originile Iașilor, în "Arhiva", Iași,1904, p.42-46
  22. ↑ A.P. Horvath, Pechenegs, Cumans, Iașians, Hereditas, Budapest, 1989, p. 64
  23. ↑ C. Cihodaru, G. Platon, Istoria orașului Iași, Editura Junimea, 1980, pp 30-50
  24. ↑ Dan Gh. Teodor, Creștinismul la est de Carpați, Editura Mitopoliei Moldovei și Bucovinei, Iași, 1984, p.91,93,136
  25. 1 2 Iași - YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
  26. ↑ Great Synagogue of Iași at wmf.org
  27. ↑ Jewishgen
    The Iași Pogrom at Radio Romania International
    Iași Pogrom quotes 13,266 or 14,850 Jews killed.
  28. ↑ The last day of the war in Iași (Romanian)
  29. 1 2 General View-The historical and architectural Iași (Romanian)
  30. ↑ http://www.humangeographies.org.ro/articles/51/5_1_11_9_paftala.pdf
  31. ↑ "THE SPATIAL EVOLUTION OF IAȘI CITY: TRADITION AND TRENDS" by O. Stoleriu and C. Stoleriu
  32. ↑ "Microsoft Word - 6 urban geology and impact of geohazards.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  33. 1 2 Studiu comparativ de caz despre industria ieșeană (Romanian)
  34. ↑ "Iași Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Klimatafel von Iasi (Jassy), Moldau (Bessarabien) / Rumänien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  36. ↑ "AIR TEMPERATURE (monthly and yearly absolute maximum and absolute minimum)" (PDF). Romanian Statistical Yearbook: Geography, Meteorology, and Environment. Romanian National Statistic Institute. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 St. Paraskeve Pilgrimage Centre
  38. ↑ Church of the Three Hierarchs Overview at mydestination.com
  39. ↑ Churches & monasteries
  40. ↑ The oldest monument in Romania
  41. ↑ Pettersen, L. & Baker, M. . Romania. Lonely Planet Travel Guide. p. 262.
  42. ↑ Iași - the county of centuries-old trees
  43. ↑ [Universitatea Al.I.Cuza Iași Ed. Litera, București 1971, pag.9–10](Romanian)
  44. ↑ 1860 Chambers's encyclopaedia
  45. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
  46. ↑ A Handbook of Roumania
  47. ↑ "Populatia Romaniei la 1 ianuarie 2015". hotnews.ro. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  48. ↑ "Ethno-demographic Structure of Romania". The Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Recensământ 2002". Recensamant.referinte.transindex.ro. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  50. ↑ "Mother, teacher, nurse. The role of women in society and church according to Hungarian-speaking young Catholics in Romania | Pax Romana ICMICA/MIIC". Web.archive.org. 2007-10-14. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  51. ↑ HITECH Iași sau cum devine Iașul un magnet pentru investițiile din IT&C (Romanian)
  52. ↑ Iasi_ITC_workforce_doubled_in_only_2_years (Romanian)
  53. ↑ Fişa localității Municipiului Iași (Romanian)
  54. ↑ Benetton closes all the shops in Romania, but maintains the production facility in Iasi (Romanian)
  55. ↑ Moldavian Wines
  56. ↑ Iasi-Cotnari vineyards
  57. ↑ Surprizele din topul firmelor ieşene (Romanian)
  58. ↑ Top angajatori (Romanian)
  59. ↑ Continental Automotive Romania locations (Romanian)
  60. ↑ 155 de ani de la înființarea în Iași a primei Pinacoteci din România
  61. ↑ Complexul Muzeal National Moldova Iași-Raport de activitate (pg.810) (Romanian)
  62. ↑ "Culisele unei investiții de 56,7 milioane de euro | Evenimentul". www.ziarulevenimentul.ro. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  63. ↑ About UPA (Romanian)
  64. ↑ "Iași Science Festival - Studii de caz - ABplus Events". www.abplus.ro. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  65. ↑ European Capitals and Cities of Sport List at aces-europa.eu
  66. ↑ Tot mai puțini ieșeni merg cu RATP-ul (Romanian)
  67. ↑ Aeroportul Iasi doboara un nou record propriu (Romanian)
  68. ↑ St. Spiridon Hospital History (Romanian)
  69. 1 2 "Iaşul este al doilea cel mai poluat oraş din România. Nu se pot amenaja noi spaţii verzi, dar se cheltuie bani pe studii de calitate a aerului", Romania Curata, retrieved 13 May 2016
  70. ↑ http://www.gandul.info/stiri/comisia-europeana-lanseaza-un-infringement-impotriva-romaniei-pentru-ca-nu-isi-protejeaza-cetatenii-de-poluare-13346370
  71. ↑ "Orașe înfrățite (Twin cities of Minsk) [via WaybackMachine.com]" (in Romanian). Primăria Municipiului Chișinău. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  72. ↑ "Netanya - Twin Cities". Netanya Municipality. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
Sources

External links

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