Muzeul Unirii (Union Museum), Iasi

Muzeul Unirii (Union Museum) is dedicated to the 1859 Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, the event that marked the beginning of modern Romania. Housed in a nineteenth-century residence used by Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the museum preserves the atmosphere of Romania’s early state-building period.

The museum’s collections include period furniture, paintings, official documents, decorative arts, weapons, and personal objects linked to the leading figures of the era. Visitors are welcomed by Costache Agafiței’s painting Hora Unirii, which depicts the public celebrations that followed the election of Cuza in 1859. Several rooms recreate aristocratic interiors, while Princess Elena Cuza’s apartments reveal her difficult public and private role.

The building itself has an interesting history. After passing through several owners, it was threatened with loss after being seized over financial debts. In 1937, historian Nicolae Iorga helped secure its preservation by encouraging the state to acquire the property. It opened as the Union Museum on 24 January 1959, marking 100 years since the 1859 union.