Explore Iasi: TOP 11 museums that will inspire you
For visitors from home and abroad, Iasi has a lot to offer, being a unique blend of history, culture and spirituality. Emblematic buildings such as the Palace of Culture, a true symbol of neo-Gothic architecture, famous pages of Romanian literature, on which Mihai Eminescu and Ion Creangă are in pride of place, and the charm of the Copoului are just some of the attractions worth discovering. Among the reasons why Iasi attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year are its museums, which evoke the city’s history, culture and spirit. Find out which are the most important museums and art galleries in Iasi to visit the first chance you get.
Museum of History of Moldova
The Museum of the History of Moldova in Iasi is a fascinating destination for history lovers, hosting collections of exceptional value. Housed in the Palace of Culture (since 1954), the museum displays collections of archaeology, numismatics and history, documenting everyday life and key moments from Moldova’s past. The museum continues the tradition started in 1916 with the Museum of Antiquities, and is a real gateway to the past. The 50,000 exhibits include coins, monetary treasures, vases, tools and weapons, jewelry, etc.
Contact Museum of History of Moldova
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday and Tuesday – closed Address: 1 Stefan cel Mare Square, Iasi, 700028 (within the Palace of Culture) Location: Museum of the History of Moldova Phone: 0232 275 979
Art Museum of Iasi
This cultural treasure attracts art lovers with its impressive collections, which include over 10,000 works of painting, graphics and sculpture. Visitors to the Art Museum in Iasi can admire works by renowned Romanian artists such as Nicolae Tonitza and Aurel Băeșu, as well as European masterpieces such as “Leda and Jupiter” from the School of Poussin. Housed in the Palace of Culture, the museum is a must-see destination for art enthusiasts, combining historical tradition with the charm of universal art.
Contact Iași Art Museum
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday and Tuesday – closed Address: 1 Stefan cel Mare Square, Iasi, 700028 (within the Palace of Culture) Location: the Art Museum of Iasi Phone: 0232 275 979
Ethnographic Museum of Moldova
The list of museums to visit in Iasi could not miss the Ethnographic Museum of Moldova. It was founded in 1943 and is a cultural treasure that keeps alive the essence of traditional Romanian civilization. Its impressive heritage includes over 13,000 items representing crafts, traditional architecture, interior textiles, folk costumes and peasant technical installations. The history of the museum is closely linked to the personality of the lecturer Ion Chelcea, who organized the first collections, including a significant donation of 340 objects offered by the magistrate Iuliu Pascu.
Contact Ethnographic Museum of Moldova
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday and Tuesday – closed Address: 1 Stefan cel Mare Square, Iasi, 700028 (within the Palace of Culture) Location: Ethnographic Museum of Moldova Phone: 0232 275 979
“Regina Maria” Municipal Museum Iasi
The museum offers an exciting insight into the history of the city of the Seven Moldavian Hills, housed in the Burchi-Zmeu House, an emblematic building that has been carefully restored. At the Municipal Museum in Iasi, visitors can admire art exhibitions, documents, old books, photographs and maps, which recount significant pages from the city’s past, highlighting its cultural and social evolution. The exhibition spaces, such as the “Dan Hatmanu” and “Dumitru I. Grumăzescu” Art Galleries, complement the cultural offer with various events.
Contact “Regina Maria” Municipal Museum Iasi
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday and Tuesday – closed Address: 3 Zmeu Street, Iasi Location: “Regina Maria” Municipal Museum Iasi Phone: 0332 408 185
“Vasile Pogor” Museum – The Junimii House
This institution is a veritable gateway to the Junimii era, hosting testimonies of personalities such as Eminescu, Creangă and Caragiale, who shaped modern Romanian culture. After its refurbishment, the Vasile Pogor Museum offers an interactive and engaging experience for all visitors, who can explore innovative digital installations and feel the atmosphere of Junimist meetings.
Contact Vasile Pogor Museum in Iasi
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday – 10:00-17:00; Monday – closed Address: 4 Vasile Pogor Street, 700110, Iași Location: “Vasile Pogor” Museum of Iasi Phone: 0232 213 210, 0747 499 400
Union Museum
The museum building, the former residence of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza and King Ferdinand, impresses with its classical architecture and exceptional historical destiny. The museum floor recreates the atmosphere of the 19th century, including the princely chambers and working spaces of Cuza and Madame Elena. During the First World War, this was the headquarters of King Ferdinand. A visit to the museum offers a fascinating insight into the formative past of modern Romania. The museum hosts historical, artistic and documentary exhibitions, as well as conferences, events, festivals and cultural manifestations.
Contact Union Museum
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday and Tuesday – closed Address: 14 Alexandru Lăpușneanu Street, Iași 700057 Location: Unirii Museum Phone: 0232 314 614
House of Museums
Initially the residence of the “Viața Românească” Society, the building housed the city’s printing house and was later the site of a massacre during the Iasi Pogrom in 1941. Today, the Museum House includes five museums in Iași: The Pogrom Museum, the Jewish Theater Museum, the Poetry Museum, the Museum of Childhood in Communism and the Museum of Romanian Literature, hosting exhibitions, educational workshops and cultural events in a modern and multifunctional space.
Contact Museum House
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday – 10:00 – 17:00, Monday – closed Address: Vasile Alecsandri nr. 6, Iași, 700054 Location: Museum House Phone: 0232 410 340, 0747 499 400
Metropolitan Museum
The museum is located underground, in the basement of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iasi, and includes rooms that communicate through color and in which there are various exhibitions: the Hall of the Founders, the Sinaxar Hall, the Offering Hall, the Ecclesia Hall, the Way of the Cross, the Baptistery Hall, the Spiritual History of Moldavia Hall. The orientation of the museum (east-west) reflects the orientation and footprint of the Metropolitan Cathedral. In the exhibition space there are heritage objects such as: old vestments of the Moldavian metropolitans, icons, objects used in the celebration of the sacraments, etc.
Contact Metropolitan Museum
Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday – 10:00 – 17:00, Sunday and Monday – closed Address: 16, Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard, Iasi 700064 Location: Metropolitan Museum Iasi Phone: 0754 204 059
Mihai Eminescu Museum
The museum was inaugurated in 1989 as a tribute to the great national poet and as a symbolic gift to the city to which the writer was deeply connected. Situated in Copou Park, the Mihai Eminescu Museum houses a valuable collection of photographs, photocopies of Eminescu’s manuscripts, first editions, medals and old books. Fine art works by renowned artists such as Sabin Bălașa and Octav Băncilă enrich the collection.
Contact Mihai Eminescu Museum
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00-17:00; Monday – closed Address: Carol I Boulevard, Iasi, Copou Garden Location: “Mihai Eminescu” Museum Phone: 0747 499 405
Ion Creangă’s Gujdeuca
The Ion Creangă Museum in Iasi, known as Creangă’s Bojdeuca, is the first literary museum in Romania, inaugurated in 1918. The great storyteller lived here between 1872 and 1889, creating works such as ‘Childhood Memories’. The museum exhibits the writer’s original objects such as inkwells, school textbooks and icons. The adjoining cultural complex includes a library, documentary collection and an auditorium for performances. Recently restored, the Bojdeuca keeps Creangă’s creative atmosphere alive, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
Contact Ion Creangă Museum – Bojdeuca
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00-17:00; Monday – closed Address: 4 S. Bărnuțiu Street, Iași Location: Bojdeuca Ion Creangă Phone: 0747 499 400
Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography
The “Grigore Cobălcescu” Didactic-Scientific Museum or the Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography, located within the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, is also on the map of places to visit in Iasi. It is the first geology museum in the country and has more than 25,000 samples of minerals, ores and rocks, including samples of minerals and rocks from the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano. The oldest of the exhibits come from the Krantz collection, acquired in 1888 by Professor Grigore Cobălcescu, the first university professor of geology-mineralogy in Romania.
Contact Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography
Program: Free access for organized groups of students or pupils, by appointment Address: 20 A, B-dul Carol I., “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University (B building), 2nd floor, 700505 Location: Museum of Mineralogy and Petrography Phone: 0232 201 461 The museums of Iasi are an attraction for visitors from all over the country and the world, reflecting the cultural, scientific and historical richness of this emblematic city of Romania.
