New ethnographic museum in Iaşi hopes to bring the Moldavian village back to life

According to Mayor Mihai Chirica, the project should help to restore the balance between villages and cities

Yesterday, authorities in Iaşi, Romania, announced a joint project to establish an ethnographic museum, celebrating the villages of the Moldavian region. The project was announced during a press conference by city officials, representatives of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (UAIC) and the Moldova Iaşi National Museum Complex.

The project will be part of the University Botanical Garden and will span an area of 32 hectares near a lake. According to Mayor Mihai Chirica, the project would help to rekindle the memory of the traditional Romanian village life, imprinted in the minds of citizens during their childhood.

The bright rural past shining in the city

During the press conference, Mayor Chirica explained that the project aims to restore a certain societal balance between cities and villages. He continued by pointing out that the migration of people from rural to urban areas has created a pronounced misbalance between the two and that a lot of Romania’s ethnocultural heritage is practically synonymous with rural life.

This ethnographic museum should help bring these practices to the forefront, rather than them being relegated to history books.

Lăcrămioara Stratulat, the director of the Moldova Iaşi National Museum Complex explained that the new project aims to create a vibrant, lively representation of the Moldavian village. It will include several houses, made with historic accuracy in mind, as well as craftsmen and artisans, who will work and create traditional products.

According to her, the ethnographic area will also have a deeply educational side, offering young people a glimpse into ‘how things used to be done’.

The president of the Iaşi County Council, Costel Alexe, praised the project as a way to celebrate the shared culture and history on both sides of the river Prut. The river is the border splitting the region of Moldavia between the Republic of Moldova and Romania.