“Mihail Kogălniceanu” Memorial Museum

Mihail Kogălniceanu (1817-1891) was born in this house. He was a great militant for the Union, and was a writer, historian, and diplomat. As prime-minister of Romania in the Union era, he promoted agrarian and administrative reforms as well as the secularisation of monastic properties. In this house, Prince Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was hosted during his visit to Iași in 1869. The house was redesigned in Neoclassic style in 1888 by the architect Carol von Kugler. In 1918, when Iași was the War Capital of Romania, the Martial Court was installed here. The building, turned into museum in 1970, features the elegance of boyar houses, with Louis XVI and Biedermeier furniture, Sèvres porcelain, and it hosts cultural events. Visitors are welcomed by the hologram of Kogălniceanu. (PHOTO : Ozolin DUȘA)