A close connection was created between Mihai Eminescu and the city of Iași since the time when the writer sent poems for publication to the magazine Convorbiri Literare. The author lived in Iasi for 5 years, during two periods (1874-1877 and 1884-1886), and the city recorded a special place in its history and identity.

 

Mihai Eminescu studied in the city of Chernivtsi. He completed his university studies in Vienna between 1869 and 1872, and with the help of a scholarship from the members of the Junimea literary society, Eminescu continued his studies in Berlin for another 2 years until 1874 when he moved to Iași.

 

Titu Maiorescu, Minister of Culture, who has supported Eminescu countless times due to similar political and philosophical visions, appoints the young poet chief librarian at the Central University Library in Iasi and later school auditor for Iasi and Vaslui counties, a position from which he is dismissed for political reasons. The poet collaborated with the city hall newspaper, Curierul de Iași.

 

While living in Iasi, Mihai Eminescu consolidated his relationship with Ion Creanga in Bojdeuca, where he lived for a while, met Veronica Micle with whom he had a love affair and participated in many of the meetings of Junimea literary society. In 1877 the romantic poet left for Bucharest as editor of the magazine Timpul, at the invitation of Titu Maiorescu.

 

Mihai Eminescu enjoyed his time in our city where most of his literary work was written. Iasi was the perfect, cosmopolitan, academic and strongly cultural environment where Eminescu was understood, made close friends and where he enjoyed life perhaps the most. The city pays homage to him whenever it has the opportunity, and Teiul in Copou Park is a real place of pilgrimage for all visitors to Iasi.