Palatul Culturii (Palace of Culture), Iasi (must see)

The Palace of Culture is a spacious (299 rooms/36,000 m²) architectural landmark, symbol of Iasi and a listed national monument. It was built between 1906 and 1925 (the construction was somewhat halted by WWI) by prominent Romanian architect I.D. Berindei partially on the ruins of medieval princely court and a 19th century royal palace. In front of the building stands a mounted statue of Stephan the Great, medieval ruler of the Principality of Moldavia. During World War II the palace served as barracks sheltering first the German and then the Soviet troops. During the communist era, all the interior frescoes featuring Romanian monarchs were painted over. Until 1955, the building had served as the County Court of Law. Today, the flamboyant Neo-Gothic palace houses four museums (The Moldavian History Museum, The Moldavian Museum of Ethnography, The Museum of Art, and The Museum of Science and Technology), several art galleries and a huge public library.