Iaşi was officially named Historical Capital of Romania

In 2018 it was also named Royal City and the Capital of the Great Union

When the 1859 Union is celebrated, the focus usually turns to the eastern Romania city of Iaşi, the former capital of Moldavia, the province which elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza as its ruler on January 5, 1859. His election as ruler of Țara Românească (Wallachia), a few weeks later, on January 24, sealed the formal unification of the two principalities. But while Moldavia gave modern Romania its first leader, it did not offer its capital city. Between 1859 and 1862, the united principalities had two capitals: Iaşi and Bucharest. The latter remained the only one beginning with 1862, while Iaşi had to contend with a new status, and all that it brought, or not, in the way of its development.

On 24 January 2019, the city was officially named Historical Capital of Romania, a title that follows a draft law introduced last year to recognize the role it had in the country’s history. Last year, Iași was also named a Royal City, for the role it played during First World War. In the 2018 project, Alba Iulia is named a Capital of the Great Union. The project references a statement of Carol I who committed to “reward Iași, after a long wait, for the great sacrifices this noble city made to the cause of the Union.”

Source: Iaşi Municipality