The
building at Str. M.Kogalniceanu 7B which houses nowadays “Poni-Cernatescu”
Museum, inaugurated on 7 November 1991, was constructed
in 1839 by Metropolitan Bishop Veniamin Costachi. It was there that
lived starting from 1880 professor Petru Poni and his family, while
later academician Radu Cernatescu moved in. In 1918, it was used to
house the collections of the Library of the Romanian Academy and served
as a meeting place for a series of personalities of the scientific
and cultural life at mid 19th century and beginning of the 20th.
The inauguration of the museum house was possible thanks to donations
(of the years 1974,1990) offered to "Moldova” National
Museum Consortium of Iasi by prof. Florica Mageru, niece of the scientist
Petru Poni. These donations included: furniture items, diplomas, medals,
paintings and personal items belonging to Petru Poni's family.
The exhibition is arranged in six rooms and preserves testimonies
of the life and scientific work of the members of Petru Poni's family,
and about important personalities of Iasi in the field of chemistry,
as well.
The Welcome Hall
In the welcome
hall are displayed exhibits related to the history of
the house built in 1839 by Metropolitan Bishop Veniamin Costachi,
inhabited starting from 1880 by Petru Poni's family, and later by
the academician Radu Cernatescu.
The bronze bust sculpted in 1930 by Ion D. Bârlad and the oil
portrait painted in 1903 by C.D. Stahi, bring back to life the memory
of Petru Poni (1841-1925) - professor of chemistry at the "Al.
I. Cuza” University in Iasi - author of the first teaching books
of physics and chemistry in Romania - researcher of mineral waters,
petrol and minerals in Romania - Minister of Education (1896,1910);
member and president of the Romanian Academy in several phases (1898,1916,1918),
considered for good reasons as one of the founders of the higher education
in the field of chemistry in Romania.
Living
Room
Displaying
objects of decorative art (furniture made at the end of the 19th century,
in a furniture workshop in France, photos, art copies, as well as
a delicate marble work by sculptor Fermont - donation offered to Petru
Poni in anul 1900 on behalf of king Charles I), the space of the living
room has served once as a literary room. The hostess
was poetess Matilda Cugler – Poni, while constant guests were
Mihai Eminescu, Veronica Micle, Ion Creanga, Nicolae Iorga, Titu Maiorescu
etc.
Library
This room
contains a considerable amount of specialized documentary material,
more than 1100 reference titless, out of which mention should be made
of: " Chemistry Treaty” (by A. Pelouze and Fremy); "Applied
Chemistry” (author Henry Rose); "Dictionary of Chemistry”
(author A.Wurtz); "Hallogene Derivatives of Bases Replaced by
Nitrogen in the Nucleus” (author Radu Cernatescu); fiction and
history books, etc.
This
room also preserves part of the laboratory equipment
used by Petru Poni as teaching tools, and among them mention should
be made of:: voltmeter, ampermeter, colormeter, calorimetric bomb
"Mohr”, test tubes, measuring pots, reactives etc).
There
are also object which are representative for the epoch when lived
this important personality of the Romanian technical culture, more
exactly: desk clock, ink pot, desk kit, notebook, gas lamp, etc.
„Matilda
Cugler - Poni” Room
The volume
intitled "Poems”, issued by Casa Scoalelor Publishing House
in 1925 and literary manuscripts certify the activity carried out
by poetess Matilda Cugler-Poni, considered for good reasons as a forerunner
of feminine lyricism in Romanian poetry of the end of the 19th century.
There
are also displayed ih her room
documents concernign the family of the poetess, whose
origin was in Austria, more exactly: Copy of the ennobling certificate
of the Cugler family by Empress Maria Tereza, in 1744, certificate
of construction recognition, belonging to Carol Cugler, the poetess'
father.
The objects
of decorativ art, the jewelry case of gilded silver, the ivory binoculars
bring back to life aspects related to the daily preoccupations of
Petru Poni's wife.
Radu–Cernatescu
Room
The
room includes furniture items, photos, diplomas and personal
items which belonged to Radu Cernatescu, nephew of Petru Poni; professor
at the Chair of Analytic and Inorganic Chemistry of “Al. I.
Cuza” University; researcher in the fields of inorganic chemistry,
analytic chemistry, chemistry of biologically active compounds, chemistry
of the compounds; founding member of the Iasi Branch of the Romanian
Academy and of “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular
Chemistry.
The exhibition includes a series of objects illustrating the artistic
preoccupations of the chemist, and among them: "Bösrandörfer”
piano, used by him and the teacher Margareta Poni (Petru Poni's daughter)
and the patephone His Master's Voice, with an important collection
of ebonite disks.
Iassy
Chemistry Personalities Room
In
this
room are displayed important documents, specialized books,
diplomas, photographs and personal items which belonged to renowned
professors: Nicolae Costachescu, Anastasie Obregia, Constantin V.
Gheorghiu, Ilie Matei, Gheorghe Alexa, Mihai Dima, Ion Zugravescu.
The museum
has the privelege of offering the public the first PhD thesis in the
field of chemistry in Romania intitled "The Gases Contained by
Salt and the Mud Volcanos in Romania", sustained at the Faculty
of Sciences in Iasi, by Nicolae Costachescu, in 1905. There
are also testimonies regarding the appreciations and rewards received
in time by chemist Petru Poni, such as: Diploma of Member of the French
Order "Honor Legion” (1900), Diploma of Member of the Natural
Science Society of Moscow (1910) and Order "St Sava - - Degree
The Great Cross” (Serbia, 1896).
Poetry
Kiosk
The
park of the house with its kiosk, also named the “poetry kiosk”-reconstructed
by “Moldova” National Museum Consortium of Iasi in 1995
- where once lyrics were read by Mihai Eminescu, Veronica Micle, Matilda
Cugler-Poni, assures one of the attractions of the museum.
The
kiosk is made of fir tree wood, respecting the architecture
of the initial structure existing on the spot until 1980. The alleys
create a balanced fragmentation of the green space, pointing out the
trees of various species, the flower beds and the natural slopes.
The well, whose reconstruction unfortunately could not be done according
to any photographic evidence, completes the image of the park, assuring
the counterpart of shape and volume to the museum building and the
moderate vertical axis of the "Poetry Kiosk". This is the
favourite location for poetry contests, meetings with personalities
in the field of literature, history, art and music.
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