Botanical Garden
The "Anastasie Fătu" Botanical Garden of Iași is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city. As interesting as the plants, trees or greenhouses of the garden are, so is the tumultuous history of its arrangement.
In 1856, Anastasie Fătu founded the first Botanical Garden in Romania near Rapa Galbena with his own money.
In the vision of the great naturalist and philanthropist, the realization of this project was based on ecology, the promotion of botanical sciences and relaxation in nature. ("By founding this garden, I set out to improve the sanitation of the city of Iasi, to urge the studious youth to learn botany and to provide lovers of natural sciences the opportunity to contemplate the beauties of nature in their moments of rest" - Anastasie Fătu). After the death of the great botanist in 1886, the land was claimed by relatives and sold.
Several projects from the end of the 19th century focused on arranging a new botanical garden.
In 1873 the Society of Physicians and Naturalists created a second botanical garden next to the current Museum of Natural History.
In 1921, Prof. Alexandru Popovici managed to re-establish the botanical garden near the new building of the University on an area of 1ha. It was moved in 1963 to today's site on Copou Hill.
The one who brought a huge contribution, both physically and scientifically to the botanical park in Iasi, was Mandache Leocov who, in 17 years of management, increased the area of the Botanical Garden to 105 hectares and worked on several projects on the organization of greenhouses, of tropical trees and exhibitions.
Today, the activity in the Botanical Garden is carried out 10 sections and 2 laboratories spread over 100 hectares. In 2019, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University inaugurated the Botanical Garden Tea Room, where visitors can purchase souvenirs or consume drinks or snacks produced by the University Canteen.
