Iasi County
The history of this county had ups and downs, evidence of which are
many monuments and vestiges. Iasi – the “city of the seven hills”,
was first attested in a document dating back to the 15th century,
issued by ruler Alexander the Kind (1400-1432) to grant the town trade
privileges; but the history of Iasi goes back to the beginning of
the millennium. Archaeological diggings at Cucuteni unearthed one
of Europe’s most brilliant Neolithic cultures, the famous Cucuteni
Culture (3rd-2nd millennia B.C.), Baiceni-Mlada, (3rd-2nd centuries
B.C.), Dumbrava (2nd century A.D.) and Iasi-Nicolina (dating back
to the Iron Age and the 4th-12th centuries A.D.). Universities in
Iasi: the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (the oldest university in
Romania, founded in 1864), the Gh. Asachi Technical University, the
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the Ion Ionescu
de la Brad Agronomical University, the Academy of Art, the (Orthodox
and Catholic) Theological Institutes.
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Geographical
Outline
Iasi county lies in North-East Romania, close to the border with the
Republic of Moldova, and has an area of 5,500 sqkm. It has a population
of 811,000, the county seat accounting for ca 50 per cent of the total.
As the city of Iasi holds a front position in Romania’s economy, its
development is closely dependent on its favourable geographical location,
at the crossroads of old trade routes. The Iasi region is one of the
main commercial transit junctions in the eastern part of Romania.
Its network of roads and railways is easily accesible from any zone
of the country, including from the Black Sea and the Danube as well
as from Europe, en route for the emerging markets of the former USSR.
That and its economic potential as well as its special geographical
position make this region an open window on Europe as far as business
opportunities are concerned.
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Touristic
Information
The lasi
county with its patrimony which consists in 526 archaeological
places, 20 memorial houses of which 10 museums as well as 580
historic and architectural monuments is named also the museum-county
of Romania. Situated in the North-Eastern part of Romania, respectively
in the central zone of Moldavia, the lasi county has a population
of 811,342 inhabitants. The relief is a hilly one. In the central
and North-Eastern part, on about a half surface of the county,
there are hills and low interfiuvial plateaus, drained by the
Jijia and Bahlui Rivers. The impressive cultural and artistic
patrimony, its folk and ethnographic treassure, natural reservations
and sources of Repedea, Valea Lunga, table water springs in
Nicolina, Strunga, famous vineyards at Cotnari, as well as the
road and railway junction from here helpt the development of
an efficient tourism. The impossing buildings from Iasi place
it as the second cultural town of Romania: the "Trei lerarhi"
(The Three Hierarches) Church where there are the bones of rules
Vasile Lupu, Dimitrie Cantemir and Alexandru loan Cuza, the
National Theatre, The Foundation Library, University. The Culture
Palace is the landmark of lasi, and the bells of its central
tower ring every hour the Union Dance. The Princely Sf. Nicolae
Church was built by Stefan cel Mare in 1492. Here the rulers
of Moldavia were ordained: from Despot Voda to Alexandru loan
Cuza. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built in 1833-1839 by Mitropolitan
Veniamin Costachi. In 1880 the restoring works were led by architect
Al. Orascu and painter Gh. Tatarescu. Both outside and inside
there are neoclassical and baroque elements. Since 1888 here
there are the relics of Sf. Cuvioasa Paraschiva, the religious
patron of Moldavia. In the Copou Garden there is the oldest
public forum monument of Romania: the Monument of Constitutional
Rules known as the Obelisk of Lions built by Gh. Asachi. In
the central part of the Copou Garden, near by Eminescu's lime
Tree, there are Eminescu's bust and the bust of his older friend,
Ion Creanga built in 1932. Later an Alley of "Junimea"
with bronze busts of its members was built too. There are also
other valuable monuments in this county: the Palace of ruler
Alexandru loan Cuza in Ruginoasa; "Vasile Alecsandri"
Memorial House and mausoleum in Mircesti; the archaeological
Vestiges of the "Cucuteni" Neolithic civilization
from the IV-III millenaries B.C.; the ruines of Princely Court
and Dacian Fortress in Cotnari. In Iasi the first National Theatre
in Romanian language in our country was founded. There are also
Philannnic Orchestra and "Luceafarul" Children Theatre.
The Iasi county has 12 hotels with 1,656 places, six innes and
motels with 263 places five chalets, 15 camping grounds, six
rest homes and seven school camps.
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Economy
Profile
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