Moldova / Old Iasi. Archive images

The exhibition University of Iasi and Copoul in archival images (19th century - first half of the 20th century) aims to restore to the Iasi public some unpublished aspects of the history of the old capital of Moldavia, during the century that followed the establishment of the modern Romanian state. Through copies of unpublished documents found in the collections of the National Archives in Iasi and Bucharest, the project presents the metamorphoses of an urban route, from its constitution to its consecration as an essential identity landmark of the community. Copou Hill entered the urban consciousness at the beginning of the 19th century, as a place of promenade for the wealthy people of Iași, and was later considered an ideal destination for the construction of cultural institutions representative of the entire province of Moldavia. The founding of the Copou University Palace, on May 23, 1893, led to the coagulation of intellectual life around this symbolic edifice. Based on these historical realities, the organizers wanted to use a modern way of organizing the exhibition space to show, with the help of images, how the personality of the old Copou evolved.

The vernissage took place on Friday, June 22, 2012, at the Attic of the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University Museum in Iasi. The event was organized by the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University Museum of Iasi, in collaboration with the National Archives of Romania, with the help of a team composed of Cristian Zaharia (archival documentation), Iulian-Constantin Copăcel (artistic conception and graphic design), Gheorghe Colbu (conception and spatial design), Mihai Pricopoaia (technical assistance), who worked under the coordination of Bogdan-Petru Maleon and Florin Cântec.