Iaşi, Romania

Iaşi (German/Polish: Jassy, French: Iassy, Hungarian: Jászvásár, Italian: Jassi, Turkish: Yaş, Russian: Яссы, Ukrainian: Яси, Greek: Ιάσιο, Yiddish: יאס) is the second most populous city in Romania. Located on the northeastern part of the country, near the border with Moldavia, it covers 93.9 sq km (36.3 sq mi) and has a population of 310,000 people (2011 estimate).

Palace of Culture, Iaşi
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RO_IS_Iasi_,_Palace_of_Culture_2_.JPG
Author: Argenna


Iaşi is located on the Bahlui River between the Iaşi Ridge anhd Jijia Plain. It experiences a humid continental climate with warm, wet summers and cold, dry winters. July is the warmest month, registering an average high temperature of 27°C (80°F). January is the coldest month with average low temperature of -7°C (19°F). June is the wettest month, receiving 101.6 mm (4 in) of rainfall.

There is evidence of human habitation in the area around Iaşi going back to the prehistoric age. The present city was first mentioned in 1408, in a document on trading privileges. It became the capital of Moldavia in 1564, when Prince Alexandru Lăpuşneanu relocated it from Suceava, and remained the Moldavian capital until 1859. Between 1859 and 1862, both Iaşi and Bucharest served as de-facto capitals of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. When the union was renamed Romania, the capital was established at Bucharest.

Barboi Church, Iaşi
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biserica_Barboi8.jpg
Author: Cezar Suceveanu

Iaşi had a sizable Jewish community which comprised a third of its population by the mid-19th century. It was the home of the first-ever Yiddish-language newspaper, and was the first place of a number of prominent Jews, particularly those in the theater and music scene.

As in elsewhere, the Jews in Iaşi suffered from the Holocaust in the Second World War. It claimed the lives of one third of the Jewish Population. After the Second World War, there were some 38,000 Jews in Iaşi. Due to massive emigration to Isreal, the numbers have dropped sharply to just between 300 to 600 today.

Mihai Codreanu Memorial House, Iaşi
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ia%C5%9Fi_,_Memorial_House_%E2%80%9EMihai_Codreanu%E2%80%9C_(Sonnet_Villa)1.2.jpg
Author: Argenna

Visiting Iaşi

You can fly to Iaşi, arriving at the Iaşi International Airport (IAS), one of the oldest airports in Romania. It receives flights from Bucharest, Timişoara and Vienna.

You can also reach Iaşi by train from Bucharest and Budapest. There are also mini-bus services to Iaşi from Bucharest. There's one direct from the Bucharest international airport.

Places of Interest in Iaşi

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