Astronomical Observatory of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași

The Iași Astronomical Observatory stands at 5-7 Aleea Mihail Sadoveanu, on Copou hill, and is owned by Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (UAIC). It is an astronomical observatory that in the past also served as a seismic station. After the Chair of Astronomy was founded at the University of Iași in 1864, plans were made for an observatory. The astronomer Constantin Căpităneanu set up an observatory in Iași in 1875, considered the first astronomical observatory in Romania. The present building was begun in September 1912 on Copou hill, then outside the city, and completed in December 1913; the first director of this observatory was Constantin Popovici. Because of its deterioration, the observatory was closed for about ten years. The rehabilitation contract was signed on 3 December 2020, and the works, funded through the National Investment Company, began in February 2021, returning the heritage building to a known historic appearance and adapting it for people with disabilities. The observatory was inaugurated on 29 September 2023 and opened to the general public on 12 October 2023, when about 500 visitors used the new telescope to see Jupiter, Saturn and the Andromeda galaxy. The observatory is run by UAIC and serves as a research base for the faculties of Physics and Mathematics, with research centres planned for the dynamics of small celestial bodies and for atmospheric studies. Public visits are free and take place on certain evenings of the week, following the schedule announced by the university, as well as during astronomical events.