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                                    THE HISTORY OF GALATI   

Today in Galati are working the following museums:

v   History Museum of Galati- witch contains self standing sections:

-         Museum “House of Cuza Voda ” ;

-         Memorial House “Costache Negri” (from Manjina) ;

-         Properly museum ;

-         the lapidarian (the place where the carved or engraved stone collection is kept)  

v   Museal Complex of Natural Science which has organized on scientific bases started since 1959. In the present, the Museal Complex of Natural Science contains:

- the properly museum centre with aquariums, planetarium, exposure room, documentary base and facilities for the development of cultural activities;

   - has taken over the Zoological Garden from Gârboavele;

   - the botanical garden, in Tiglina witch includes a arranged park on a surface of 18 ha and a glass house.

v   The Visual Art Museum which was the first Romanian contemporary art museum, conceited in such a way that it would represent the newest tendencies of the plastic phenomenon of the XX century.

·         Theaters at Galati

Considered the province city, after the capitals Bucharest and Iasi, with the best public for the theatre, by the participation of the spectators at the presentations of the troupes who were in tournament or in permanent probation initiated by FANI TARDINI a century ago, Galati has seen his dream come true – permanent theatre – hardly in the sixth decade last century. The first spectacles have been presented at Galati at the middle of the nineteenth century.

v  The Puppets Theatre (today the “Gulliver” Theatre), has been created in 1 October 1952.

     The first rehearsals and spectacles have taken place on improvised scenes, with translated texts from Russian, with naive subjects, sententious, the principal heroes being the bears and the rabbits. Little with little, in the theatres repertory have been included spectacles inspired by the Grimm Brothers tails, H. Cr. Andersen, Charles Perrault, Vasile Alcesandri, Ion Creangă, Petre Ispirescu so on.

     After 1990, the PUPPET THEATRE from Galati has annually, the “Gulliver” Festival –a national prestigious manifestation, at which participates all the troupes of this king from within the country, the town being recognized as o capital of Romanian puppeteers.

v   The State Theatre was established in 1 September 1955.

    Although great drama, comedy, and tragedy amateurs, the Galatians have waited whole decades for the establishment of an institution with actors, permanent program and adequate room. From 1973 has been named the Dramatic Theatre and from the year 2000 – The Dramatic Theatre “Fani Tardini”.

The first persons who have started their career on a scene in Galati of first class of the theatre are: Gina Patrichi, Stefan Banica, Ileana Cernat, Florica Cercel, Emil Hossu so on.

From the year 1976, from the initiative of headmaster Mihai Mihail (has ensured the administration of the theatre between the years 1972-1989 and from 2000 until today), has been organized the first comedy show from Romania, under the name of Colloquial for the art of comedy.

v   The Operetta Theatre and Estrada Regional is established at 15 Mai 1956, ulterior the Musical Theatre Galati, the today’s Musical Theatre “Nae Leonard”.

    The musical vocation of Galati has its stumps back of a century and a half, when here at the Danube’s shore where barding their material and spiritual existence, next to the locals, a count of ethnic communities form al the corners of Europe…

 After World War II, in the city where Ivanovici sang with his orchestral instrument at some musical shows or in the Public Garden, but he had created his immortal waltz “The Danube’s Waves”, here where in the Moruzi Plaza  was borne “the prince of Romanian operetta”.

   Until now, in the lights of the Galatians scene the curtain has been raised for over 250 times for the premiers. Keeping the tradition and remaining the only theatre where the public of all ages and the social categories can watch o large variety of genres (opera, operetta, musical comedy, revue, musical, ballet spectacles or symphonic concerts and vocal-symphonic concerts, musical spectacles for children), The “Nae Leonard” Theatre comes thus to the reception of all the artistic tastes, of all the spectators ages.

·         Metal graving camps, which are deployed along the Danube’s Promenade, marcs diverse places in Galati (Braila’s Street, The Park from Tigilina’s 1 Valley) have engraved a city’s personality and have integrated wholesome to the natural landscape, citadel, becoming some sort of emblem of it’s.

·         Memorial Monuments…

         The monumental art of public forum is represented trough the statues dedicated to Mihai Eminescu, Costache Negri, Mihail Kogalniceanu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, I. C. Bratianu and the bust of Lascar Catargiu. His last works have been established in the interbelic period. 

v  The most beautiful monument of this kind remains the one dedicated to the National Poet, opera of sculptors Frederic Storck. Made out of an massive bloc of Campulung   white marble, with the height of 5,50m, deployed on a base of 2,60 by 2,45 m, the monument has been uncovered at 16 October 1911, in Central Park.

v  At 17 June 1912, in the middle of formal Royal Plaza, the bronze statue of the great big patriot Costache Negri has been uncovered, opera of  sculptor Ion Iordanescu. The statue with a height of 2, 80 m, was arisen on a Albesti roc pedestal.

v  In the year 1893, the great cultural benefactor of the town Galati, V.A. Urechea has given to the Galatians a bronze bust of Mihail Kogalniceanu. Uncovered at 24 October 1893, on an granite pedestal was arisen by the care of the same donator, the sculptor’s opera Wladimir Hegel, festivity at which even the politician’s son had assisted  , Vasile Kogalniceanu was the first plastic art opera that had been arisen at Galati. The hard ages and the peoples slattern have made that the bust could circulate a lot of time trough the town, remaining afterwards on a pedestal arisen in front of Mechanic High School, trough the begging of the Galatians  high schools head masters.

v  At the inauguration of the Boy School No. 5, on Ports Street, on the building’s frontispiece was fitted the bust of A. I. Cuza, the first of the country, donated by his wife. Event took place at 4 November 1888.