The Balș House (University of Arts) and Notre Dame Institute (Philharmonics)

The finance minister Alecu Balș built this palace in 1815 in a neoclassical style. The Caudella ballroom hosted the first theatre play in Romanian language translated and directed by Gheorghe Asachi in 1816, and the concert of Franz Liszt along with Barbu Lăutaru’s Moldavian folk music band in 1847. The building hosts “George Enescu” University of Arts. Next to it, the Catholic nuns of the Notre-Dame-de-Sion Institute built a chapel in 1910 which now hosts the Philharmonic Orchestra. The first symphonic season took place in 1905 and the opening concert of the “Moldova” Philharmonic Orchestra was held in 1942, directed by George Enescu. This offered the city a valuable tradition, marked by the personality of the conductor Ion Baciu. In the front square, the statue of chronicler Miron Costin was erected in 1888.(PHOTO : Mihai BULAI)