“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University – Building A

The University of Iași was the first modern university in Romania, founded in 1860 at the initiative of politician Mihail Kogălniceanu and Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, and was named after the latter in 1942. This University Palace in Copou Quarter was opened by the royal family in 1897, then extended in the 1930s and rehabilitated after the bombing in 1944. The painting entitled “Homage to the Founders” at the end of the ”Hall of Lost Steps” gallery, along with the statue of Mihail Kogălniceanu in front of the building, emphasize the role of local personalities in the birth of Romania in 1859. During the First World War, the Old Auditorium hosted the Romanian Senate, and other rooms have been occupied by the War and Education Ministries, the Red Cross and the Scouts. (PHOTO : Mihai BULAI)