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French ambassador in Bucharest Laurence Auer and German ambassador Peer Gebauer went to Iasi on Thursday to open, together with Iasi local administration officials, cultural centres of the two countries at Braunstein Palace, a symbolic building in the centre of the city of Iasi.
Braunstein Palace is a historical monument of Iasi built in the early 20th century that after WWII was turned into a social housing building. After 1990, parts of the building were returned to the building's former owners, and then bought back by the city hall, which in 2016 started a project to rehabilitate, consolidate and redevelop Braunstein Palace on European funds worth 6 million euros. After the completion of the works, Braunstein Palace became the venue of a European Cultural Centre, of several exhibition and conference halls, told Agerpres.
French ambassador Auer told the attendees that the event coincides with the 30th anniversary of Romania's membership of the International Association of la Francophonie.
"It is known that Iasi is a francophone city, both thanks to its universities and professors, and also to the connections between artists, people of culture. I am all the more happy to be at this opening of the cultural centres at Braunstein Palace (...) What can be more beautiful a symbol than the reunification in the same place of two cultural centres active in Iasi since the early 1990s, two centres that for more than 30 years have provided for the city, the academic community, schools, artists and all lovers of German and French culture," said Auer.
To German ambassador Gebauer, the opening of the two cultural centres at Braunstein Palace underlines the fact that this city has a special international cultural importance.
"Today we are not only opening the German Cultural Centre and the French Cultural Institute in the splendid and recently rehabilitated Braunstein Palace, but we are writing another chapter of Franco-German collaboration in Europe, in our host and partner country, Romania, here in the hospitable city of Iasi with a particularly dynamic culture. All this is happening in a special year, because in 2023 we celebrate 60 years since the signing of the Elysee Treaty, which is the basis of our collaboration," said Gebauer.
Also attending the event was Iasi Mayor Mihai Chirica, who underlined the importance of the investment carried out on EU funds in showcasing this symbolic building.
Braunstein Palace also hosts an Italian cultural centre, the George Enescu National University of Arts, and the Iasi branch of the Union of Romania's Visual Artists.
