Union Monument, Iași
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Union Monument ( ro, Monumentul Unirii), a monument of white marble in the
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
n city of Iaşi, was designed by Princess Olga Sturdza and unveiled in 1927 at the base of Carol Boulevard. It consists of a central piece (the Motherland) and four smaller ones representing the historic provinces of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, Bessarabia and Bukovina (incorporated into Romania at the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
) and the
Romanian diaspora The Romanian diaspora is the ethnically Romanian population outside Romania and Moldova. The concept does not usually include the ethnic Romanians who live as natives in nearby states, chiefly those Romanians who live in Ukraine, Hungary, ...
. Demolished in 1947 as the Romanian Communist Party was tightening its grip on the country, it was rebuilt in 1999, this time being placed in Piaţa Naţiunii, in front of the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy.


History

On August 1, 1924, Princess Olga Sturdza sent a letter to the Iaşi mayor's office, expressing her intention to donate to the city a marble monument symbolizing the
Great Union In Romanian historiography, the Great Union ( ro, Marea Unire) or Great Union of 1918 () was the series of political unifications the Kingdom of Romania had with several of the so-called Romanian historical regions, starting with Bessarabia on ...
of 1918: The monument was to be placed at the entrance to the palace of the great ''logofăt'' Dumitrache Cantacuzino-Paşcanu, at the end of Carol I (later Copou) Boulevard, where Queen Marie lived when the Romanian government moved to Iaşi (1916-1918), but as it was too bulky, it was agreed to place it elsewhere. Installation work began in 1925, at the Foundation intersection (at the base of Carol Boulevard). The components of the work were executed in the Copou neighbourhood, some parts being kept in Copou Garden until they were assembled. The pedestal was of stone brought from Corbăul Clujului quarry and had four sides, its execution being entrusted to the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
entrepreneur Leonardo Martinez. The following words were inscribed into the left side: "The greatest desire, the most general, that which has nourished all past generations, that which is the soul of the present generation, that which, fulfilled, will gladden future generations is union! ''Ad hoc'' divan of Moldavia, 7 October 1858". On the right side were words spoken by
Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janua ...
on January 29, 1859: "The union of the crowns of Stephen the Great and
Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...
is the triumph of a great principle, which lives with vigour in the hearts of Romanians: the principle of Romanian brotherhood. It has saved us from perdition in the past, it revives us at the present time, it shall lead us to good things and greatness in the future. Long live Romanian brotherhood! Long live the Romanian Principalities!" On the front side were inscribed the words of King Ferdinand, spoken on December 5, 1918: "I declare that all lands inhabited by Romanians, from the Tisa to the Nistru, to be united for the ages in the Kingdom of Romania. Through fights and sacrifices, God has granted us to realise today our most holy aspirations. Let us consecrate the union of thoughts, of souls, but also the union in fruitful labour by shouting: Long live Greater Romania, strong and united!" Finally, on the back side were carved Olga Sturdza's words: "To the united people of Romania and to Iaşi – the cradle of unions – I offer this work of my heart and my hands. Olga I. Sturza. 29 May 1927". The central piece "represents the Motherland, an image for which Queen Marie accepted that her face be reproduced". Each province is shown as a daughter being embraced by their mother. Aside the daughters, near the bottom of a statue there is a kneeling child who wishes to return to Mother Romania. He represents all Romanians left outside the borders decided in 1919. For the four children, the sculptress had found representative faces among the schoolgirls of the Mihail Sturdza Normal School of Iaşi. However, newspapers of the day claimed that the feminine figures in fact depicted the queen's daughters, the princesses Elisabeth,
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
and Ileana, and that the little boy was based on Prince Mircea, who had died at the age of three in 1916, at the beginning of the war, and remained buried in Bucharest. The Union Monument was unveiled on Sunday, May 29, 1927, at 10:15 am, before Queen Marie, Princess Ileana (King Ferdinand's daughter), Princess Helen (wife of prince Carol) and the young crown prince Michael. Ferdinand, who would die that July 20, was gravely ill and thus did not attend. After this monument was unveiled, the royal delegation took part in the unveiling of the Attacking Cavalryman Statue at 11:30. Some reactions were negative at the time. For instance, one journalist wrote: "...a culinary work of whipped cream. One can tell a woman's hand in this. A group of five backsides is depicted."Constantin Coroiu, "Ce nu scrii şi tu frumos româneşte, măi Trăsne?" (“Why Don’t You Write Romanian Nicely, Trăsne?”)
. ''Evenimentul'', March 18, 2002. In 1947, the year the Paris Peace Treaties confirmed Romania's loss of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, the Armistice Committee ordered the monument's demolition.


Reconstruction

On February 8, 1994, in the great hall of Iaşi city hall, a committee met and decided to rebuild the monument, among the initiators of the project being mayor Constantin Simirad. The project was financed by Olga Sturdza's direct descendant Prince Dimitrie Sturdza, a Swiss businessman, who together with his family helped finance the new group of statues. Between 1995 and 1999, the sculptor Constantin Crengăniş paid by the Iaşi mayoralty, reconstructed the monument based on photographs. The pedestal was made from the same piece of marble as the statues, unlike the original, which had a stone base. The monument was placed on a circular base made of slabs of white and gray marble. It was placed in Piaţa Naţiunii, in front of the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iaşi, because in 1957 a statue of
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active memb ...
was installed in the previous location. On 1 December 1999, the monument was blessed in the presence of Daniel Ciobotea, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina; Simirad and Dimitrie Sturdza were also in attendance. On the back side, beneath the words of Olga Sturdza carved into the pedestal, the following words were inscribed: "We have rebuilt this monument as a sign of homage and recognition toward those who fought, are fighting and will fight for the joining together and the unity of the Romanian people. Mayoralty of the Municipality of Iaşi. Redone by Constantin Crengăniş, 1995-1999."


Gallery

Image:Monumentul Unirii din Iaşi3 2.jpg, Monument in front of the University Image:Monumentul Unirii din Iaşi4.jpg, Closer view File:Monumentul Unirii din 1918.jpg, Close-up Image:Monumentul Unirii din Iaşi5.jpg, Back view


Notes


References

* Mitican, Ion. ''Urcînd Copoul cu gîndul la Podul Verde''. Ed. Tehnopress, Iaşi, 2006.


External links

*
Constantin Ostap, “Minunea albă revine în Iaşi” (“The White Marvel Returns to Iaşi”)
"Magazin Istoric", nr. 3/2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Union Monument, Iasi Culture in Iași Tourist attractions in Iași Outdoor sculptures in Romania Marble sculptures in Romania Buildings and structures in Iași