Former Jewish Hospital – “Princess Elena” Hospital

In 1841, the Jewish Community bought an abandoned inn from the headman Mihalache Cantacuzino and built a hospital in stone and brick. It was visited in 1889 by King Carol I, and in 1917 by King Ferdinand. The hospital was initially called Hekdes and became, through donations and good management, one of the greatest in the city. In the 1930`s it had 650 surgeries and over 2200 treated patients per year, both Jews and non-Jews. Also, the first Society of Israeli Women of Iași, established in 1878, managed the Israeli Maternity, with over 400 patients a year. In 1948 the institution was nationalized, becoming a children’s hospital until 1971. It is currently the home of the “Elena Doamna” Obstetrics – Gynaecology Clinic, named after the first princess of Romania. (PHOTO : Cosmin CEUCĂ)