I went and visited Cuza’s Palace in Iasi
In fact, it is officially called the Union Museum, but it is the palace where the Prince of Moldova and Wallachia lived and ruled the United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia for years. The Little Union, celebrated on January 24, took place in 1859 when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler for the first time in Moldavia, on January 5 and then on January 24 in Wallachia. But this was not an easy task at all, but it came as a result of complex political processes that involved foreign powers such as the Ottoman Empire or France. It was the union without which the Great Union of December 1, 1918 would not have been possible.
In Iasi, on Lapusneanu Street, the former Ulita Sarbeasca, is the house where the ruler lived. The pedestrian street was and still is one of the most important streets in the city. A promenade, full of terraces and summer gardens (also called Ulita veseliei) attracted elegant residents for walks and relaxation. The house was built in neoclassical style, fashionable at that time, in 1806 by the Catargi family and between 1859 and 1866 it was rented to serve as the home of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza when he was in town. The four years were enough for the building to remain in the collective memory under the name of “Cuza Palace”.
During the First World War, when Iasi was the capital of Romania, Bucharest being under foreign occupation, the Palace was the royal seat of King Feridnand. On the balcony of the street, the King greeted the marching Romanian armed troops!
It has been a museum since 1959 and since 2008 it has been completely restored, giving visitors an extraordinary experience and has its place among the most beautiful museums not only in Iasi but in all of Romania. You will discover the way the people lived at that time through the original exhibits in the museum, arranged in such a way as to give the feeling that a Prince can always move back to the palace.
Arranged on two floors, the ground floor presents thematic aspects of the union era, as well as a history of the house and the floor is intended for royal apartments and includes the main destinations of the princely house from the mid-nineteenth century: the ruler’s offices and, respectively, Mrs. Elena Cuza, living room, lounge, billiard room, Mrs. lounge, a bedroom.
The palace is extremely elegant, small but sumptuous, according to a crowned head. Each room has a specific specific and you will discover both the way Alexandru Ioan Cuza worked and the daily life of both him and his wife Elena. There are discreet details about his and his wife’s habits, objects and clothes that belonged to them and the decorations are actually gorgeous.
The museum’s heritage includes a variety of pieces of great historical, memorial, documentary and artistic value: documents, rare books, old maps, photographs, costumes, decorative art (furniture, porcelain, silverware, clocks, lighting fixtures, carpets) belonging to the ruling Cuza family, but also to the aristocracy of the period. The museum also has a valuable collection of old coins and medals, but to feel the aristocratic atmosphere of this place, the best solution is to visit the Cuza Palace because the words are poor to describe something so beautiful.
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