What does the center of a big city in Romania look like. Impressive buildings, a real magnet for tourists PHOTO

In recent years, Iasi has become an extremely important point of attraction for tourists. People from all corners of Romania but also from other countries arrive in the capital of Moldova and remain impressed by the beauty of the city.

The historical center is undoubtedly one of the strengths of Iași. A short walk away, we can discover a veritable collection of gorgeous buildings, steeped in history, just waiting to be discovered by tourists. Even if some of them are extremely well-known at the national level, they have not lost their charm, people from tourism claim.

The center of Iasi, magnet for tourists

Even if tourism in Iași county is predominantly for business, academic, cultural and religious exchanges, in recent years there has been an increase when it comes to weekend tourism, experts claim. It seems that the city has become an important point of attraction for those who want to go on a city break.

“As it is an academic city, with many prestigious universities, it is not surprising that Iași does well in terms of business tourism, academic or cultural tourism. At the same time, we have the largest pilgrimage in the country, if I’m not mistaken. This puts Iași on the map of religious tourism at the national and even European level.

However, there has been an increase when it comes to weekend tourism. In recent years, Iași has changed, and the city center is gorgeous and manages to attract many tourists. We are talking about those who come on a city break, tourists from the country or from abroad. Iasi is a perfect city for a two or three day vacation“, stated Andrei Albu, tourism advisor from Iași.

Roznovanu Palace Iasi SOURCE Cristian Hitruc

The beautiful buildings in the center of Iași

The center of Iași is certainly the most popular place in the city, which brings together a multitude of tourist attractions. The most emblematic building for the city is the Palace of Culture. The building has been voted one of the most beautiful buildings illuminated at night in the world. Thus, the jewel in the center of Iasi manages to gather, annually, thousands of tourists from all corners of the world. A proof of this fact is the receipts recorded during the year 2023.

In 2023, the Palace of Culture in Iași collected no less than 2,525,894 lei from the sale of tickets. The number of people who visited the cultural institution is 388,658.

The palace that became the seat of the town hall, a very special monument

The Roznovanu Palace, located in the heart of the city of Iasi, attracts the eyes of passers-by every day. But few know the history of this building which, over time, has housed important personalities and events. Located on “Ştefan cel Mare si Sfânt” Boulevard in Iasi, in the vicinity of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia and Bucovina, the current seat of the town hall hides impressive stories, in which important names from history took part. The building, known to many people from Iași as the town hall of Iași, became the symbol of the local administration in 1891. Then, the mayor Vasile Pogor bought the Palace, which was a very impressive building of those times, which had witnessed the stories of a great family of Moldavian boyars , Rosetti-Roznovanu.

Metropolis of Moldavia and Bucovina SOURCE Doxology

The Metropolis of Moldavia and Bucovina, the place of the largest pilgrimage in the country

Certainly, an extremely special place in the hearts of Romanian believers is the Metropolitanate of Moldavia and Bucovina in Iași. The largest pilgrimage in the country takes place here, to the relics of Saint Pious Parascheva. Located in the center of the city, on the Boulevard Ştefan cel Mare si Sfânt, the superb cathedral manages to gather, year after year, tens of thousands of believers.

Currently, the Metropolitanate is led by ÎPS Teofan Savu, who holds the title of Archbishop of Iasi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina.

The monastery that survived the flames and the raiders

Those who have visited the capital of Moldova at least once have certainly stopped in front of a beautiful church located right in the center of the city. The Three Hierarchs Monastery, a real jewel of Iași, has gone through many attempts to prolong its existence.

Three Hierarchs of Iasi PHOTO SOURCE Wikipedia

The church was built by voivode Vasile Lupu, between the years 1637-1639, as the royal necropolis, reflecting the founder’s aspiration towards the Byzantine world, combining traditional structures and forms with precious materials and a lavish decoration.

Metropolitan Varlaam consecrated this holy place on May 6, 1639, and two years later the relics of St. Pious Parascheva were placed here.

Over the years, the superb monastery in the center of Iasi has gone through many trials. In 1650, the church was looted and burned by the raiders from the east, and in 1686 it was trampled by the raiders from the north. At the same time, the monastery was shaken by several earthquakes, in the years 1711, 1781, 1795 and 1802.

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