Botoșani

Ethnographic Museum

The ethnographic museum of Botoșani serves as the perfect introduction to the city. It showcases its entire history, beginning with the first rural civilisation. The museum’s growth has been remarkable – whilst it housed fewer than 800 pieces in the 1980s, just two decades later this had grown to almost 3,500. Most of the objects on display tell the city’s story from the 1800s onwards: you can admire religious relics, furniture, textiles and ceramics, offering a glimpse into how people lived during that era.

Moscovici House

Moscovici House is a building constructed in the 1800s by Jewish banker Boris Moscovici, who gave it an eclectic style straddling Baroque and Palladian architecture. The building was later sold by the Moscovici family to the city’s chamber of commerce and subsequently served various purposes, from bookshop to offices. Since 2010, it has been included on the city’s list of historic monuments. Moscovici House is also open for internal visits, as three sections of the Botoșani county library, named after Mihai Eminescu, are housed on the ground floor.

Nicolae Iorga Memorial House

This fascinating building was the home of Nicolae Iorga, one of the most prominent figures closely associated with Botoșani. Nicolae lived here with his family between 1876 and 1880, and today the house displays numerous personal belongings. On view are photographs of his family and Nicolae at different ages, as well as his honorary doctorates from some of Europe’s most prestigious universities, including the Sorbonne, Cambridge and the University of Rome.

Also on display is an extensive book collection, many of which were written by Nicolae Iorga himself, along with a collection of newspapers and journals that he personally edited and managed. Some rooms in the house recreate life in that era, giving visitors an insight into what life was like in Botoșani at the end of the 1800s.

Popăuți Monastery

The Popăuți Monastery is one of Botoșani’s finest monuments. It was built in 1496 by Prince Stephen the Great and is included on Romania’s list of historic monuments. Within the monastery’s courtyard are three distinct buildings: the Church of St Nicholas and the bell tower, both constructed in Moldavian style, and the new church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which replaced an old museum demolished in the late twentieth century.

The Church of St Nicholas is a stone building with walls over a metre thick, though its exterior features a red brick façade. The interior is ornate, with a series of frescoes dating to the fifteenth century, and the nave walls decorated with scenes from the Passion of Christ. The bell tower, meanwhile, stands 17 metres high and dates to the same period as the church. It is square in form, constructed of stone carved at the corners, and arranged over three storeys. On the third floor are 4 large openings facing the four cardinal directions.

Outside the church, archaeologists have discovered a necropolis where 25 bodies are buried on three levels.

Mihai Eminescu Park

The Mihai Eminescu Park is the city’s green lung. It was opened in 1869, and in its central area features an artificial lake crossed by two bridges, where in summer it is possible to hire rowing boats and pedal boats. Along the shaded tree-lined avenues are a series of statues depicting the main personalities associated with Botoșani. The park is well-maintained and is undoubtedly the best way to spend a few hours of relaxation and tranquillity without leaving the city.