Attraction
Vasile Alecsandri Museum in Mircești
The Vasile Alecsandri Museum occupies the manor house in the village of Mircești, built between 1861 and 1867, where the poet lived until his death in 1890. The house park contains the mausoleum where Vasile Alecsandri, his wife Paulina and the poet's parents are buried.
The museum is in the village of Mircești, Mircești commune, in the south-west of Iași County, about 67 km from the city of Iași; the village lies 4 km off the Iași-Roman road (DN28), just after the bridge over the Siret. The manor house was built between 1861 and 1867 to the poet's own plans, under the supervision of Paulina Lucașevici, later his wife. At first the house had two rooms and a hall, and Alecsandri later enlarged it.
Vasile Alecsandri (1821-1890) lived here until the end of his life and wrote much of his work at Mircești, including "Pasteluri", "Legende istorice", "Despot-Vodă", "Fântâna Blanduziei", "Ovidiu" and "Dumbrava Roșie". Guests of the house included Ion Ghica, Costache Negri, Titu Maiorescu and A. D. Xenopol. In 1914 the house passed to the Romanian Academy; it opened to the public in 1928 and became a memorial museum on 9 June 1957. After restoration in 1991-1993 it reopened on 19 September 1993.
The museum's five rooms present the writer's life and work: the library, issues of the journal "Convorbiri literare", photographs of the actors who played Chirița, the case of the cup awarded at Montpellier for "Cântecul gintei latine", the volume "Ostașii noștri" translated into German by Queen Elisabeth, his travel trunk, decorations and diplomat's bicorne, along with original furniture and family portraits. The park contains the mausoleum built in 1925-1927 on the initiative of the Romanian Academy, designed by the architect Nicolae Ghica-Budești and painted by Paul Molda; the poet's remains were moved here on 19 May 1928. The mausoleum holds Vasile Alecsandri, Paulina Alecsandri and the poet's parents, Elena and the boyar Vasile Alecsandri. North-east of the village, on the right bank of the Siret, lies the Lunca Mircești forest reserve (26.30 ha).
The museum is run by the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Iași and is open to visitors. In 2023 the Romanian Academy won ownership of the manor in court, while administration remained with Iași County Council. The mausoleum is a historic monument, LMI code IS-IV-m-B-04202.02.
Satul Mircești, comuna Mircești, județul Iași