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Focșani Municipal Theatre "Maior Gheorghe Pastia"
The Focșani Municipal Theatre "Maior Gheorghe Pastia" is a historic monument built between 1909 and 1913 in the Beaux-Arts style, funded entirely through the donation of Major Gheorghe Pastia — a veteran of the War of Independence decorated with the gold "Virtutea Militară" medal by King Carol I himself. Pastia donated 570,000 lei from forty years of savings, with the sole condition that the theatre bear his name in perpetuity. The winning design was selected by a committee led by architect Ion Mincu and actor Constantin Nottara, and the inauguration in 1913 took place with the play "Fântâna Blanduziei" by Vasile Alecsandri, in a production directed by Mihail Sadoveanu.
The Focșani Municipal Theatre "Maior Gheorghe Pastia" is a historic monument (LMI code VN-II-m-A-06462), located at 71–73 Strada Republicii, in the centre of the city. Its story begins in 1906, when the old theatre building erected in 1871 by actor Ioan Lupescu disappeared, leaving Focșani without a stage. Major (ret.) Gheorghe Pastia — a veteran of the 1877 War of Independence, wounded in combat and decorated with the gold "Virtutea Militară" medal by King Carol I — donated 570,000 lei from forty years of savings to the municipality, with a single condition: that the theatre bear the inscription "Teatrul Maior Gheorghe Pastia" in perpetuity. The land was made available free of charge by the municipality. The winning design, selected from a competition with four entrants by a committee led by architect Ion Mincu, actor Constantin Nottara, and Gheorghe Băicoianu, belonged to architects Constantin Ciogolea and Simion Vasilescu. At the laying of the foundation stone on 11 September 1909, a commemorative coin bearing the architect's likeness was struck. The building was inaugurated on 21 November 1913 with a performance of "Fântâna Blanduziei" by Vasile Alecsandri, staged by the Drama Company of the National Theatre of Iași, led by Mihail Sadoveanu. The architecture is in the Beaux-Arts style, featuring a symmetrical façade, ornate decorative elements, and a splendidly decorated interior dome, with characteristics reminiscent of theatres in Berlin and Odessa. The interior is arranged over three levels: stalls, boxes, and balcony. Repeated earthquakes damaged the building, leading to its closure in 1987. Restored between 2000 and 2004, it was reopened on 24 January 2004. On the esplanade in front of the theatre stands a bronze bust of its founder, created by sculptor Gabriel Tăicuțu, alongside a walk of stars and busts of Eminescu, Bălcescu, and Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The earliest documented record of a theatrical performance in Focșani dates to 1851, given by the troupe of Matei Millo.
Strada Republicii nr. 71–73, Focșani, județul Vrancea