Built between 1906 and 1925, the Palace of Culture is one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the city of Iaşi. The ground it stands first belonged to the Moldovan Medieval Royal Court and then to the the Royal Palace.
It was at first the headquarters of the Administrative and Justice Palace in Iaşi, but in 1955, its destination was changed to a cultural one. Since then, it has housed some of the most important art institutions of Iaşi.
Although the palace is relatively new, the place it was built upon is full of history. As mentioned before, it used to be the place of the Royal Court, which was first attested in 1434. Then, between 1806 and 1812, Alexandru Moruzi built the Royal Palace on the same spot, in the neoclassical style. Unfortunately, the building was severely damaged by fires and had to be rebuilt between 1841 and 1843.
Then, at the end of the 19th century, the Royal Palace was once again affected by several fires, which is why the decision was made to demolish and rebuild it. As a result, the constructions started once again in 1906, under the supervision of architect I.D. Berindey.
This time, it was built in the style of Western European communal palaces, combining different architectural styles, like Neogothic, Neobaroque and Neoromantic. It was very imposing from the moment it was built, due to its impressive size. In fact, at that time, it was the highest building in the city with the central tower reaching 55 m.
Although the initial project contained 365 room, only 298 were eventually built. In toto, the palace has a surface of 7330 square meters. It is not only beautiful on the outside, but it is also equipped with some of the finest installations and furniture that money could buy at the time. Its technical equipments were purchased from Germany, while the hardware was made by the Haug House, Krieger, Mericier and Bagves in France. The furniture is exquisite and of quality as well. It was built in the Neogothic style by the renowned Albert Goumain workshop in France and by the British firm Mappel.
Sources:
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatul_Culturii_din_Ia%C8%99i
palatulculturii.ro/palatul-culturii-iasi
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