The National Theatre “Vasile Alecsandri” is the oldest palace of this kind in Romania, built between 1894-1896, following the plans of the famous Viennese architects, Fellner and Helmer. It was inaugurated on 1st December 1896. Once with the theatre, its electrical factory was also inaugurated, this event marking the beginning of the electrical illumination at Iasi. In 1956 when they celebrated 140 years since the first performance in Romanian, the theatre in Iasi received the name of the great poet, playwright and man of culture Vasile Alecsandri (1821-1890).The taste of theatre began to rise among us: the nobles began to consider it a cultural element , they seriously began to think at the means of erecting a romanien steady theatre in Moldavia, which would lead "romanianism" to progress, wakening as well the national spirit in us.
One of the landowner's son, whit great passion for theatre was Matei Millo, who through the power of his talent for dramatics, impressed all those who had seen him for the first time on stage.
After the arrival of the french actors from Paris brought by Pelier and after the organization of the Romanian and French troupes,Millo founded for the young romanien actirs a decleration school (1846), where he was teacher. Millo's decleration school brought a significant reform regarding the performance of the plays and the manner of the actors' declerations. Until him the actors were influenced by the romantic and declamatory school of C.Caragiale, having not only the speech but also the gestures exaggerated.
The taste of theatre began to rise among us: the nobles began to consider it a cultural element , they seriously began to think at the means of erecting a romanien steady theatre in Moldavia, which would lead "romanianism" to progress, wakening as well the national spirit in us.
The National Theatre -The “Vasile Alecsandri” national theatre-construction was carried out during 1894-1896 in accordance with designs by the Viennese architects Helmer and Fellner. Its interior is sumptuous and splendid.The history of the building of the National Theatre in Iasi, bearing since 1956 the name of the 19th century poet, playwright and theatre promoter Vasile Alecsandri, is connected to a less fortunate event-the destruction of the old Theatre on the Copou Hill, following a devastating fire, on the night of 17th to the 18th of February 1888.
The planning process for the building of a new theatre lasted until 1894, when, with the efforts of the Mayor, of the Local Council, as well as those of Representative Miltiade Tzoni, the contract with the Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer was signed, and they supervised the design of the present building.
The Viennese architects, whose names ore of world renown, have authored projects for similar buildings in Vienna, Pesta, Prague,Tchernovtsy , Fiume, Odessa, Zurich, Szegedin, Carlsbad andTimisoara, „ true examples of good taste and good organisation”. The building contract was entrusted to a construction company from Bucharest, whereas the electicity and the heating plant weew built by a company from Berlin.
The construction works went on for two years and in 1896, on Becember 2nd, within an impressive festivity, the ceremonial handing of the keys to the Mayor, Nicolae Gane, takes place. The National Theatre “ Vasile Alecsandri’’ of Iasi is the custodian of a past that imposes reverence : on December 27 1816, Iasi is the host of the first Romanian – language play, in 1837, the first playbill featuring the name Teatrul National is printed and the shows start being organized by season; beginning with 1840, the Romanian and the French theatre are reunited under a single, national management. The new management- Vasile Alecsanri , C. Negruzzi and Mihail Kogalniceanu-opens the season on January 1st, 1841. The great names of the Iasi stage continue to live their destinies in the memory of the present: N. Luchian, Fanny Tardini, Mihail Pascaly, Mathilda Pascaly, Mihail Galino, Matei Millo and later Grigore Manolescu, Aristizza Romanescu, Agatha Bîrsescu, Aglae Pruteanu.
The golden generation, a creator of milestones, has generated a following: the actors Aurel Ghitescu, Anny and Bruno Braeschi, George Popovici, Nicolae Suba, Constantin Ramadan, Margareta Baciu, Marioara Davidoglu, Mihai Grosariu, Stefan Dancinescu, Costache Cadeschi, Costache Sava Eliza Nicolau, Virginica Balanescu, Miluta Gheorghiu, Ion Lascar, Carmen Barbu; the disrectors Aurel Ion Maican, Ion Sava, George Mihail Zamfirescu and the stage painter Theodor Kiriacoff.Thus, the balance of such a repertoire shows the multidirectional orientation of the cultural message, which is no longer the exclusive prerogative of a formal framework, but which creates more and more diverse ways for public contact. The National of Iasi aspires towards such a modem language, which would satisfy the most diverse requirements.
Arhitecture
The theater’s building was built between 1891-1896, after Felner and Helmer’s architectural plans on the place where the former city council used to stand. The theater was situated between several fronts, built along the Barsescu Street. Near the street a small square is created and once the works for the theater’s building were over two statues were put: the statue of the poet Vasile Alecsandri (main front side) and the statue of A. Greceanu on the way to Bratianu Street (former Marzescu Street). To the hinder side of the theater, between the Albina Bank and Bals House (actual Philharmonic building) another small square was made, where, (simultaneous with the ending of the theater) the statue of Miron Costin was placed. During the Second World War, a part of the buildings from Bratianu Street was degraded. In 1965 a systematization project of the city’ central area was approved among which was the main front side and a certain portion from Agatha Barsescu Street and Bratianu Street. Stefan cel Mare Street is being demolished and transformed in a spacious square that has at one of its ends the view of the National Theater and at the other one the sight of the Metropolitan Church. In the same period, a new body is built for the theater near the Cuza Voda Street. This body is meant to be the hinder side and partial the lateral sides of the initial building- changing the whole theater’s initial appearance. The author of this work is the architect I. Costinescu, the pile keeping its configuration until the present day.The first body an old body) was projected by a private firm “Felner and Helmer” from Vienna, and the working was accomplished by the “Construction Society” from Bucharest between 1893 -1896.
Three stiffness areas are distinguished more precisely:
Area I: consists of the main entrance, the stairs to the boxes and to the dress circle, with a satisfactory stiffness achieved through thickness and the continuity of the walls;
Area II: includes the great hall and lateral halls; it has a small stiffness on the slanting direction; the continual walls are missing because the space was needed for the hall;
Are III: is compound from the stage, side scenes, deposits and the festivity room; it has a satisfactory stiffness on the two directions.
The Second body is united with the old body, in the continuation of the stage and was built in 1968.
The
The third and the fourth bodies are symmetrical towards the longitudinal axis and are joined to the old body and the second one (on the both sides of the second body).
Resistance structure
The old body has the resistance structure made from a carrying work brick. The inner and exterior columns make their connection with the rest of the elements through the iron profiles from the ceilings level, all these making part from the resistance structure.
The ceilings are different in all 4 levels, having apertures between 2, 50 and 8, 80 m. The ceiling above the basement is made up of small brick vaults with iron profiles and arches with brick vaults.
The ceiling above the great hall is made of solid wrought iron with concrete.
The ceilings above the pit, first and the second floor are made up of bricks and iron profiles, except the foyer area from the second floor, where the wrought iron with concrete was molded between the profiles.
The foundations are continual under the bearing walls.
For preventing the accidents and the underground caves, discharging arches were foreseen.
The breadth of the foundations is generally equal with the one of the pit walls, at which 2-3 cm are added for each side. The exceptions are the areas where interventions were made, and the breadths are bigger.
It was found out that the foundations made of Repedea rocks and water cement and simple cement in the braced areas.
The empty places where the windows and the doors are supposed to be were equipped with sustaining poles made of 2-4 metallic profiles, type “I”, depending on the walls’ thickness, with insufficient leaning. The old body has scaffolding above the great hall made of iron heading one direction, leaning on longitudinal walls, with bars girder on both directions, to which the dome above the great hall is attached. In the rest of the areas the scaffolding is made of wood. The cover is of an iron sheet on the roof boarding, which is made of board.
The consolidation works, proposed and approved by the “Historical Monuments Institute” inside the Cultural ministry, engineers’ sections are: the understructure, the superstructure. The understructure
The realisation of a wrought iron-concrete belt at the o, 95m cote, under the basement walls; the moving off of the foundation rock on limited areas under the belt till the -5 m cote; the performance of a hydro insulation on inferior basis of the belt; the molding of the cement in the foundation’s runner; the achievement of the hydro insulation under the inferior belt, the assembling of the reinforcing in the inferior belt and the cement’s molding till under the belt, in order to realize a perfect junction between the belt and the poured cement; the waterproof isolation of the exterior cement walls; the waterproof isolation of the basement floor; the moving off of the foundation rock and the molding of the cement is being made alternatively from 2 in 2 m, on a 10 m area, after that the operation repeats on the next 10m, till the end of the construction.
The superstructure
The introduction of vertical wrought iron- concrete. A part of the brick work columns are re-built of cement that along with girder should create high capacity frames. The existing walls’ clefts will be filled with fluid mortar: the introduction of a belt, girders and wrought iron- concrete sustaining poles that should make the connection with the vertical elements. The belts applied on one side of the wall will be filled with concrete, and the ones that are on the both sides of the wall will be connected with wrought iron- concrete cross pieces from 3 in 3 m. The ceilings made from metallic profiles and brick vaults will be consolidated similarly to the ones above the basement, excepting that nothing is to be opened in order not to spoil the existing ornaments. The stiffness of the metallic structures that sustain the vault over the great hall will be obtained through the introduction of iron bars and some diagonal arch supporters between the bars; the vault’s thermal isolation for the diminution of condense phenomena; the repair and the replacement of the framework elements made of deteriorate wood.
The decoration and the finishing elements of the main hall and the pit’s, first and second floor’s foyers had been remade with the opportunity of 1987-1980 repairs, after the original model. So, the main’s hall floor from the pit and the first level is made of marble. The monumental access stairs are as well made of marble. The main stairs’ baluster rail columns are made of plaster elements. The final segments of this balustrade have bronze and plaster decorative elements and sustain two beautiful lamp posts.
11 km/h