Iaşi

Iaşi
	Iaşi
	The Palace of Culture
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	; Iaşi Location of Iaşi within Romania (in red)
	Coordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°ECoordinates: 47°09′25″N 27°35′25″E / 47.15694°N 27.59028°E
Country	Romania
County	Iaşi County
Status	Municipality
Founded	1408 (first official record)
	Government
- Mayor	Gheorghe Nichita (Social Democrat Party (Romania))
	Area
- City	93.9 km2 (36.3 sq mi)
- Metro	832.2 km2 (321.3 sq mi)
	Population (est. January 1, 2009)
- City	308,843
- Density	3,357/km2 (8,694.6/sq mi)
- Metro	400,347
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	700xxx
Area code(s)	+40 x32
Car Plates	IS
Website	www.primaria-iasi.ro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Iaşi County.

Iaşi (pronunciation in Romanian: /jaʃʲ/) (also historically referred to as Iassy in French or Jassy in German), is a city and municipality in Moldavia, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859, the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859–1862 and Romania between 1916–1918.

The third largest Romanian city (as of January 1, 2009^[1]), Iaşi is the economic, cultural and academic centre of the Romanian region of Moldavia.

The city has the oldest Romanian university and accommodates an annual count of over 70,000 students in 5 public and 3 private universities. It is home to more than 50 churches and hosts 5 cultural centres: British, French, German, Latin American & Caribbean and Hellenic. Cultural life gravitates around the National Theater (the oldest in Romania), the Opera House, the Iaşi State Philarmonic, the Tătăraşi Atheneum, a famous Botanical Garden (the oldest and largest in Romania), the Central University Library (the oldest in Romania), an array of museums and memorial houses, an independent theater and several student organizations.

[edit] Etymology and names

The city is historically referred to as Iaşi;

Bulgarian: Яш Yash
Hungarian: Jászvásár
Greek: Ιάσιο, Iàsio
Romany: Yashi
Yiddish: יאס Yas
Russian: Яссы Yassy

Scholars have different theories on the origin of the name "Iaşi". Some argue that the name originates with the Sarmatian tribe Iazyges (of Iranian origin), one mentioned by Ovid as "Ipse vides onerata ferox ut ducata Iasyx/ Per media Istri plaustra bubulcus aquas" and "Iazyges et Colchi Metereaque turba Getaque/ Danubii mediis vix prohibentur aquis".

A nowadays lost inscription on a Roman milestone^[2] found near Osijek, Croatia by Matija Petar Katančić in the 18th century, mentions the existence of a Jassiorum municipium.^[3]

Another explanation is that the name originated from the Iranian Alanic tribe of Jassi. The Hungarian name of the city (Jászvásár) literally means "Jassic Market"; the antiquated Romanian name, Târgul Ieşilor (and the once-favoured Iaşii), may indicate the same meaning.

Oral sources say that the name may come from an archaic form of the Romanian word "to exit" because the city was an important trade node in the region.^[4]

The city is first mentioned in a 1408 document by Moldavian Prince (Voivode) Alexandru cel Bun. However, as buildings older than 1408 existed and still exist (for example the Armenian Church originally believed to be built in 1395; the present building is from the modern era), it is believed that the city existed long before its first mentioning.

[edit] History

Golia Monastery

The Three Hierarchs Monastery

Around 1564, Prince Alexandru Lăpuşneanu moved the Moldavian capital from Suceava to Iaşi. Between 1561 and 1563, a school and a Lutheran church were founded by the Greek adventurer Prince, Ioan Iacob Heraclid. In 1640, Vasile Lupu established the first school in which the mother-tongue replaced Greek, and set up a printing press in the Byzantine Trei Ierarhi Church (Church of the Three Hierarchs; built 1635–39). In 1643, the first volume ever printed in Moldavia was issued in Iaşi.

The city was burned down by the Tatars in 1513, by the Ottomans in 1538, by the Imperial Russian troops in 1686. In 1734, it was hit by the plague.

Through the Peace of Iaşi, the sixth Russo-Turkish War was brought to a close in 1792. A Greek revolutionary maneuver and occupation under Alexander Ypsilanti (Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης) and the Filiki Eteria (Φιλική Εταιρία) (1821, at the beginning of the Greek War of Independence) led to the storming of the city by the Turks in 1822. In 1844 there was a severe conflagration.

Between 1565 and 1859, the city was the capital of Moldavia; then, between 1859 and 1862, both Iaşi and Bucharest were de-facto capitals of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (the Danubian Principalities). In 1862, when the union of the two principalities was recognized under the name of Romania, the national capital was established in Bucharest. For the loss caused to the city in 1861 by the removal of the seat of government to Bucharest the constituent assembly voted 148,150 lei to be paid in ten annual instalments, but no payment was ever made.

During World War I, Iaşi was the capital of a severely reduced Romania for two years, following the Central Powers' occupation of Bucharest on December 6, 1916. The capital was returned to Bucharest after the defeat of Imperial Germany and its allies in November 1918.

In May 1944, Iaşi became the scene of ferocious fighting between Romanian-German forces and the advancing Soviet Red Army and the city was partially destroyed. The elite German Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland won an impressive defensive victory at the Battle of Târgul Frumos, a location near Iaşi. The battle was the object of several NATO studies during the Cold War. By July, Iaşi had been taken by Soviet forces.

[edit] Jewish History of Iaşi

Main article: History of the Jews in Romania

Iaşi also figures prominently in Jewish history. Records of Jews exist from the 16th century, and by mid-19th century, owing to widespread Russian Jewish and Galician Jewish immigration into Moldavia, the city was at least one-third Jewish. In 1855, it was the home of the first-ever Yiddish-language newspaper, Korot Haitim, and, in 1876, the site of what was arguably the first-ever professional Yiddish theater performance (See Abraham Goldfaden).

The words of HaTikvah, the national anthem of Israel, were written in Iasi by Naphtali Herz Imber.

By 1930 there were over 30,000 Jews and over 127 synagogues. After World War II, it played a prominent part in the revival of Yiddish culture in Romania: from 1949 to 1964, Iaşi was home to a second company of the State Jewish Theater.

Today, Iaşi has a dwindling Jewish population of ca. 300 to 600 members, and one working synagogue which dates from the 1600s. There is also a Jewish community center serving kosher meals from a small cantina.

Outside of the city on top of a hill there is a large Jewish Cemetery which has graves dating from the late 1800s; burial records date from 1915 to the present day and are kept in the community center.

[edit] The Iaşi Pogrom

Main article: Iaşi pogrom

During the early part of World War II, Iaşi was the site of a pogrom which was the largest massacre of Jews in Romania. During the war, while the full scale of the Holocaust remained generally unknown to the Allied Powers, the Iaşi pogrom stood as one of the known examples of Axis brutality toward the Jews.

The pogrom began as a diversionary tactic. Due to its proximity to the Soviet border, the city's Jewish population was accused of aiding the "Bolsheviks," and promoted rumors among the general population that the Jews were anti-Romanian. The pretext for the pogrom included a minor Soviet air attack on the city on June 26, 1941, two days after Romanian and Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union. After a second air attack two days later, the 14th Infantry Division, led by General Stavrescu declared its mission of eradicating "those who are aiding the enemy". In a telegram, Staverscu wrote that the Russian aviators "had accomplices among the Judeo-communist suspects of Iaşi."^[5]

Iaşi "Great Synagogue", built in 1670

The pogrom lasted from June 29 to July 6, 1941, and approximately 2,000 people, or half the Jewish population, was massacred in the pogrom itself or in its aftermath, and the rest were deported. Under express orders from military dictator and German ally Ion Antonescu, the city was to be "cleansed" of its Jewish population. Orders also specified that Section Two of the General Headquarters of the Romanian Army and the Special Intelligence Service (SIS) of Romania were to spread rumors of Jewish treachery in the press, including ones that Jews were guiding Soviet military aircraft by placing lights in their houses' chimneys.^[6]

A systematic massacre by the Iaşi police, Romanian and German soldiers, and a portion of the citizens of Iaşi followed; the remaining Jewish population was loaded onto overcrowded, sealed "death trains" that drove slowly back and forth across the country in the hot summer weather until most of their passengers were killed by hyperthermia, thirst, or infection and bleeding.

Six Romanians of Iaşi are credited with saving around one hundred Jews (see Righteous Among the Nations).

[edit] Geography

[edit] Topography

The city of Iaşi lies on the Bahlui River, a tributary of the Jijia (tributary of the Prut). The surrounding country is one of uplands and woods, featuring the monasteries of Cetăţuia, Frumoasa, Galata (with nearby mineral springs), and the dendrologic park of Repedea. Iaşi itself stands amid vineyards and gardens, partly on two hills, partly in the in-between valley. It is a common belief that Iaşi is built on seven hills (coline in Romanian): Cetăţuia, Galata, Copou-Aurora, Bucium-Păun, Şorogari, Repedea and Breazu, thus triggering comparisons with Rome, la città dei sette colli (The city of the seven hills).

[edit] Climate

Weather averages for Iasi, Romania
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	-1 (31)	2 (35)	8 (46)	16 (61)	22 (72)	25 (77)	27 (80)	26 (79)	22 (72)	16 (61)	8 (47)	2 (36)	14 (58)
Average low °C (°F)	-7 (19)	-5 (23)	-1 (30)	5 (41)	10 (50)	13 (56)	15 (59)	14 (57)	11 (51)	5 (41)	1 (34)	-4 (25)	5 (40.5)
Precipitation mm (inches)	33 (1.30)	30.5 (1.20)	30.5 (1.20)	53.3 (2.10)	63.5 (2.50)	101.6 (4.00)	83.8 (3.30)	55.9 (2.20)	48.3 (1.90)	25.4 (1.00)	35.6 (1.40)	30.5 (1.20)	591.8 (23.30)
Source: Weather.com ^[7] January 2009

Iaşi has a continental climate (Koppen climate classification "Dfb") with four distinct seasons. Summers are very warm with temperatures sometimes exceeding 32 °C (90 °F) while winters are cold and windy with moderate snowfall and temperatures at night sometimes dropping below –10 °C (14 °F). Average monthly precipitation ranges from about 25 mm (1 in) in October to 100 mm (4 in) in June.

[edit] Demographics

Year	Population
Historical population of Iasi
1859	50,000
1900	78,000
1930 census	102,872
1948 census	96,075
1966 census	161,023
1977 census	265,002
1992 census	344,425
2002 census	320,888
2005 estimate	317,812
2006 estimate	316,716^[8]
2007 estimate	315,214^[9]

Roznovanu Palace (1823) today Iaşi City Hall

According to the last Romanian census from 2002 there were 109,357 housing units and 320,888 people living within the city of Iaşi, making it the second largest city in Romania. Additionally there are 60,000 more residents (mostly students) and thousands of daily commuters.

Of this population, 98.1% are ethnic Romanians, while 1.2 % are ethnic Roma and 0.7% others.

In terms of religion, 92.5% of the population are Christian Orthodox, 4.9% Roman Catholic, other religious groups 2.6%.

As of January 1, 2009, 308,843 inhabitants live within the city limits,^[1] a decrease from the figure recorded at the 2002 census.

Iaşi Metropolitan Area has a combined estimated population of 400,347, an area of 787 km² and includes the municipality of Iaşi and 13 other nearby communities.

[edit] Education

"Al. I. Cuza" University

"Gr. T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy

The University's Central Library "Mihai Eminescu"

The first Romanian High Education structure was established in the autumn of 1813, when engineer Gheorghe Asachi laid the foundations of a class of engineers, its activities taking place within the Greek Academy of Iaşi.

After 1813, other moments marked the development of higher education in Romanian, regarding both humanities and the technical science. In 1835, Academia Mihăileană was founded in Iaşi by Prince Mihail Sturdza.

Iaşi is home to the oldest Romanian modern university (University of Iaşi), opened by (and nowadays named after) Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza in 1860. The city is host to five universities, and is widely regarded as the cultural "heart" of the Old Kingdom (that is Moldavia, Wallachia, and Dobruja - the three regions comprising Romania until 1918).

A society of physicians and natural historians has existed in Iaşi since the early part of the 19th century, and a number of periodicals are published. One of the oldest medical universities in Romania, founded in 1879, is in Iaşi. It is now known as the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

In 1937, the two applied science sections of the university of Iaşi became departments of the newly created Gheorghe Asachi Polytechnic School; In the period before and after World War II, the later (renamed Polytechnic Institute in 1948) extended its domain of activity, especially in the field of engineering, and became adopted a Technical University in 1993.

Public Universities:

"Al. I. Cuza" University
"Gh. Asachi" Technical University
"Gr. T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy
"G. Enescu" University of Arts
"I. Ionescu de la Brad" University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine

Besides the universities, there are schools of art and music. The University's Central Library, where the chief records of Romanian history are preserved, is the oldest and the second largest in Romania.

[edit] Economy

Iaşi is an important economic centre in Romania. Iaşi's economy relies on public sector institutions and establishments.

The most important sectors are related to health care, education, research, culture, government, tourism and manufacturing. It is active in metallurgical production, medical drugs (antibiotics), textiles and clothing, construction, banking, wine, preserved meat. The city is an important IT sector centre, with software companies and two universities that provide high quality graduate engineers. Iaşi is also a well developed commercial city with many shopping malls and commercial centres.

[edit] Largest employers

**Top 10 Employers in Iasi - 2009** ^[10]
Company	Industry	Employees
"St. Spiridon" University Hospital	Health Care	2,140
"Al. I. Cuza" University	High Education	2,040
"Gh. Asachi" Technical University	High Education	1,800
RATP	Public Transport	1,536
"St. Maria" Clinic Children Hospital	Health Care	1,514
Fortus SA	Heavy Industry	1,473
Antibiotice SA	Pharmaceutical Industry	1,414
CET	Energy & Heating Industry	1,400
"Gr. T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy	High Education	1,344
ApaVital SA	Water Industry	1,044

[edit] Cityscape

Panoramic view over Iaşi

[edit] Architecture

Iaşi is an outstanding educational center, and preserves some beautiful pieces of architecture, such as the Trei Ierarhi Monastery and the neo-Gothic Palace of Culture.

Many buildings in the old city center were demolished during the Communist regime, with a few Soviet-style blocks of flats built instead.

[edit] Churches

Bărboi Church, View from Golia Tower

Mihai Eminescu's statue and his Linden Tree in Copou Park

Iaşi (specifically the Metropolitan Cathedral) is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Iaşi. There are currently almost 10,000 Roman Catholics living in Iaşi.^[11] There is a debate between historians as to whether or not the Catholics are originally of Romanian or Hungarian descent.^[12]

The city houses more than 40 historical churches. The oldest one is Saint Nicholas, dating from the reign of Stephen the Great (1457–1504); perhaps the finest, however, are the 17th century older metropolitan church, Saint Spiridion and Trei Ierarhi, the last a curious example of Byzantine art, erected in 1635–1639 by Vasile Lupu, and adorned with countless gilded carvings on its outer walls and twin towers. Other beautiful churches, some surrounded by big walls, are: Galata (1581), Golia, St. Sava, Barnovschi (17th century), Cetăţuia (the end of the 17th century), Frumoasa (18th century), Bărboi (19th century, with 18th century bell tower).

[edit] Gardens and parks

Iaşi has a diverse array of public spaces, from city squares to public parks.

Begun in 1833 at the time when Iaşi was the capital of Moldavia, by Prince Mihail Sturdza and under the plans of Gheorghe Asachi and Mihail Singurov, Copou Park was integrated into the city and marks one of the first Romanian coordinated public parks.

Founded in 1856, the Botanical Garden of Iaşi is the first botanical garden in Romania, has an area of over 100 hectares, and more than 10,000 species of plants.

Iaşi Exhibition Park was opened in 1923 and built under the coordination of the architect N. Ghica Budeşti.

The Ciric Park, located in the north-eastern part of Iaşi is another complex which consists into the park and four lakes.

[edit] Cultural life

Iaşi is home to many museums, memorial houses, art galleries. First Memorial House from Romania opened in Iaşi in 1918 (Ion Creangă Memorial House) and today the Iaşi Romanian Literature Museum owns twelve memorial houses.

National Theatre Vasile Alecsandri

Luceafărul Theatre

[edit] Theatres and orchestras

The "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theater, opened in 1837 is the oldest National Theatre in Romania. The building, designed according to the plans of the Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner was built between 1894–1896, and also hosts starting 1956 the National Romanian Opera Iaşi.

Iasi is also home to

"Moldova" State Philharmonic Orchestra
"Luceafărul" Theater for children and youth
Tătăraşi Atheneum

[edit] Palace of Culture

Four museums are located in the Palace of Culture, one of the largest buildings of Romania. Construction was carried out between the years 1906–1925 on the old ruins of the Royal Court of Moldavia and it is designed in flamboyant neo-Gothic style. The palace counts 298 rooms and has a total room surface of about 36 000 m².

The Art Museum has the largest art collection in Romania, with more than 8,000 paintings, out of which 1,000 belong to the national and universal patrimony
The Moldavian History Museum offers more than 35,000 objects from various fields: archaeology, numismatics, decorative art, ancient books, documents
The Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia owns more than 11,000 objects depicting the Romanian advance through the ages
The Museum of Science and Technology offers many musical devices

[edit] Foreign culture centres

French Cultural Centre
German Cultural Centre
British Cultural Centre
Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Centre
Hellenic Cultural Centre

[edit] Periferic Biennial

Periferic is an international biennial of contemporary art organized in Iaşi, Romania by the Vector Association. Eight editions have taken place thus far.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Rail

Central Railroad Station

Two train stations, Central Rail Station and Nicolina International Rail Station serve the city and are operated by Romanian Railways (CFR). Moldovan railway also serves these stations for travel into Moldova.

The Iaşi Central Rail Station, located about 1.5 km to the city centre, provides direct rail connections to all the major Romanian cities and to Chişinău. The rail stations are very well connected to all the parts of the city by the trams, and buses of the local public transport company, RATP.

[edit] Air

Iaşi Airport Terminal

Iasi is served by the Iaşi International Airport (IAS) located 8 km east of the city centre. The airport has nonstop flights to and from Bucharest, Budapest, Timisoara and Vienna.

[edit] Road

Iaşi is connected to European route E85/E583 with Bucharest through a four lane express road. It is also planned a East-West freeway connection Romanian Motorway A4 to Romanian Motorway A3 (also known as "Transylvania Motorway"). The Iaşi Coach Station is used by several private transport companies to provide coach connections from Iaşi to a large number of locations from all over the country.

[edit] Public transport

RATP (the local public transport company) provides public transit within the Iasi city and operates an extensive network using 150 trams (electric trams began operating in Iasi in 1898) and 100 buses. In the first 3 months of 2007 the RATP carried 11,365,819 passengers, an average of 128,000 passengers per day.^[13]

[edit] Media

[edit] Gallery

The Metropolitan Cathedral	Evening at the University	Lăpuşneanu Street	Golia Monastery Tower
Dobrovat Monastery	Galata Monastery	Cetatuia Monastery	Frumoasa Monastery
Stephen the Great Statue	Dosoftei House Museum	Ion Creangă Memorial House	Independence Monument
Hotel Europa	Iulius Mall	Moldova Mall	The Central Market (Hala)