Vasile Alecsandri National Theater - Iași
The Copou headquarters of the Iași theater burned down on the night of February 17-18, 1888. For a short period of time, through the efforts of the then mayor, Scarlat Pastia, the performances took place in a hall in the courtyard of Bacalu Inn ( in the current area of the Victoria cinema).
However, the Iași community needed a proper room and countless steps were taken to the Ministry of Instruction. In a letter from 1892, the mayor Vasile Pogorargumenta the need, pointing out that it spreads not only over the upper part of the country, but also over the neighboring provinces, where a whole population of the same blood lives with us ”.
Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer, known for designing 20 theaters in Europe (Vienna, Prague, Ausburg, Sofia, Odessa, Pest, Temeswar, Szegedin, Zurich, Karlsbad, etc.) were contacted.
It was decided to place it on the same axis as the Metropolitanate, leaving room between the two majestic buildings for a park. Initially, the statue of Gheorghe Asachi was placed in front. It was replaced with a tribute monument dedicated to Vasile Alecsandri, unveiled on October 15, 1906.
For the decoration of the hall, the authorities of the time looked for solutions by contacting famous artists in Europe, and in the end the result was impressive. The curtain is made by the Viennese artist Maximilian Lenz, and the ceiling, framed in rococo stucco and decorated with nymphs and angels, by Alexander Goltz. The Venetian crystal chandelier, with over 100 light bulbs, impressed from the very beginning.
In October 1896, the first tests of electric lighting were made, which were themselves treated as spectacles and enjoyed great popularity among the locals.
The inauguration took place on December 1, 1896, with the National Overture by Flechtenmacher, the Burdujeni Museum by Costache Negruzzi, Cinel-Cinel by Vasile Alecsandri and A Romantic Poet by Matei Millo.
