Iași, Educational center in northeastern Romania
Iași is a large city in the Moldavia region of northeastern Romania, spreading across seven hills along the Bahlui River and shaped by numerous Orthodox churches and university buildings. The center gathers around wide boulevards and parks, while residential neighborhoods climb the surrounding heights and give the cityscape a rolling outline.
The city served as the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859 and hosted important courts and ecclesiastical buildings from that period. During the First World War it functioned as the temporary capital of Romania from 1916 to 1918, when the government fled here after German occupation of Bucharest.
The city carries a name that traces back to a medieval trading post and remains known today as a center for theater and music. Several stages regularly host productions in Romanian, and students shape the street life around central squares where cafes and bookshops invite visitors to linger.
Most landmarks lie within the center and on the Golden Plateau within walking distance of each other, while the hills require steep climbs. Buses connect outer neighborhoods to the core, and trams run on several lines through the city, making longer distances easy to cover.
An old botanical garden stretches over 25 acres (10 hectares) and displays rare plant species from different climate zones growing in large greenhouses. Visitors often notice the old avenues of linden trees that cast dense shade in summer and make the center cooler.
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