Grădina Botanică Anastasie Fătu

In 1856, the doctor, naturalist and philanthropist Anastasie Fătu (1816-1886), former professor of botany at "Al. I. Cuza" University and member of the Romanian Academy, established the Botanical Garden near Ripa Galbenă. Although it was a private property, the stated goal of the founder was to improve the sanitation of the city of Iași and to encourage young enthusiasts to approach the study of botany, offering also natural science lovers an opportunity to contemplate nature during their rest.

A. Fătu spent 50,000 GEL to develop the swampy land he purchased for the garden, while the annual subsidy granted by Iași City Hall was only 2,500-2,600 lei. Through the tireless efforts of A. Fătu, the garden quickly became an important center of education. In 1872, when he was admitted as a member of the Romanian Academy, Fătu mentioned that his botanical garden exhibited 300 species at the national exhibition of 1865, organized at Frumoasa by Ion Ionescu de la Brad, receiving a silver medal for his contribution.

According to Fătu's "Enumeration of species cultivated in the Botanical Garden of Iasi in 1870", after about 14 years, no less than 2500 species of plants from all over the world were cultivated in the garden's fields and greenhouses.

Currently, the memory of A. Fătu's botanical garden is preserved by the name of Florilor Street, and a small street in the vicinity of the former garden bears its name in memory of the founder.

In 1873, doctor Dimitrie Brândză established the botanical garden of the Museum of the Society of Doctors and Naturalists in front of the Museum of Natural History in Iasi, using plants from the old garden of A. Fătu.

Documents from the University archive show that the local and ministerial authorities did not offer financial support either to the University or to A. Fătu for the organization of their own botanical garden.

Since 1895, professor Al. Popovici (1866 – 1941), the head of the botany department, made considerable efforts to establish a new, larger botanical garden, essential for specialized education. Thus, in 1906, a detailed plan was drawn up for the development of the 6-hectare land near the Palace of Culture, a plan that can currently be found in the Garden Museum.

Today, the memory of the botanical garden at "Palat" persists in the name of "Botanică" street behind the Summer Theater and in part of the woody vegetation of the beach.

Due to the lack of funds, in 1921, professor Al. Popovici initiated the establishment of a smaller garden around the University, using plants collected from the former botanical gardens of Iasi and from other gardens in the country and abroad.

The botanical garden next to the University, with an area of 2.5 hectares in 1960, has been the training ground for many generations of students and pupils in plant biology for over 40 years.

The principles that Anastasie Fătu supported with passion and for which she made great sacrifices, founding the first botanical garden in the country and a research center, were continued by D. Brândză, Al. Popovici and other enthusiasts since 1964.

A complex of greenhouses specially designed to accommodate tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean plants currently consists of 9 structures with a total area of 1400 sqm. Among them, the Palmarium, rising to 20 meters and shining like a diamond, dominates the entire complex. About 3,000 species of exotic plants are cultivated in the greenhouses, the total number of specimens reaching the figure of about 30,000. Future plans include building a series of 300 m2 aquariums and a breeding series. Within the current greenhouse complex, visitors can admire the exotic contours of palm and banana trees, as well as other fascinating species such as Cycas and Ceratozamia (living fossils), Egyptian papyrus, sugarcane, eucalyptus, lianas, carnivorous plants, tropical orchids , graceful camellias and azaleas, ornamental ferns, cacti, coffee trees, olive trees and more.

Source: Iași Municipality and surroundings (Ministry of Tourism, 1980)