Download Social Events ICPIG (1186 KB)
Sunday, 26th of July – Registration & Welcome to Iași reception
Welcome get-together for participants and their companions at the beautiful Iași City Hall, the former Roset-Roznovanu Palace, built in the early 19th century, in neoclassical Viennese. This event is organized in collaboration with Iași City Hall.
Tuesday, 28th of July – National Theatre Invitation & Reception
Open invitation for everyone willing to attend an artistic event. It will take place in one of the most beautiful buildings in Romania.
Wednesday, 29th of July – Conference excursion
On Wednesday afternoon, all participants and their companions are kindly invited to one of the three excursions, included in the registration fee (English language guided tours; duration 7-9 hrs, late lunch included, light snack and drink included), each starting off at the conference venue at 12.45 and ending at your hotel.
There is a choice between the following excursions (pre-registration required by marking your 1st and 2nd choice on the conference registration page; assignment will be based on first-come-first served basis; you will also be able to choose the menu for lunch: with meat or vegetarian)
1. History and culture at the edge of the Carpathians: Neamt Stronghold & Monastery
Itinerary: Iași – Targu Neamt – Neamt Stronghold & Monastery– Iași (max. 3 groups of 45 people)
Distance covered: 250 km / 4 h (journey time) – 7 h (including visits and late lunch)
Highlights:
- Neamt Stronghold
- Neamt Monastery
- Late lunch
Description:
This trip is the best choice to take a look at one of the touristic areas closest to Iași. It’s a journey which will lead you to the Carpathians having the chance to discover a piece of our history. The first stop will be at Neamt Stronghold, dated 14th century, part of the former Moldavian defense system once. Neamt Stronghold is one of the main medieval monuments in Romania, located closeness of the highest peak of Plesului Summit. In time, the fortress stood vigil on Moldova and Siret valleys but also on the gateway to Transylvania, becoming one of the major Fortress of Moldova, because of the many works of strengthening during the reign of Stephen the Great. The building was declared a historical monument in 1866. The second visit is Neamt Monastery - it is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. A jewel of 15th-century architecture, the church was built during Stephen the Great's reign and finished in the year when the Moldavian army won the battle against King John Albert (1497). Sumptuous, with delicate color effects, the monastery shows the maturity of the Moldavian architectonic style, which matured during Stephen the Great's period. The façade of the church is covered with the decoration characteristic of Stephen the Great's time: Gothic windows and friezes with enameled disks, colored in green, yellow and brown.
2. Bucovina Touch: - Suceava Stronghold - Bucovina Village Museum - Voronet Monastery
Itinerary: Iași – Suceava – Voronet – Iași (max. 3 groups of 45 people)
Distance covered: 350 km / 5,5 h (journey time) – 9 h (including visits & late lunch)
Highlights:
- Suceava Stronghold
- Bucovina Village Museum
- Late lunch
- Voronet Monastery
Description: Improve your history and art knowledge by visiting the unique monasteries in Bucovina worldwide famous since 1993 once included in UNESCO World Heritage. Part of Moldavia, Bucovina became region administrated by Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1785 until 1918 following to Russian Austrian conflicts. It offers picturesque landscapes with low mountains covered by forest and rivers valleys hiding peaceful monasteries some of them founded half of millennium ago. The Fortress of Suceava, found under the name of Suceava Stronghold is a medieval fortress, located on the edge of town Suceava (northeastern Romania). It was part of the fortification system built in Moldova in the late 14th century, during the occurrence of Ottoman danger. The Fortress of Suceava was capital of Moldova Province since 1388 and made history as never conquered fortress. The Fortress of Suceava had a history not only rich in events and facts to fight, but frequently meant the main element of entire Moldova resistance against those who wanted to subdue. The medieval fortification included fortified settlements (princely courts, monasteries with high walls and fortresses of strategic importance) for defense, reinforced with stone walls, earth walls or having deep trenches.
Near the The Fortress of Suceava is located The Bucovina Village Museum. The museum itself was established in 1995 and now owns 53 folk buildings from Bucovina consisting of: traditional wood houses, household annexes, craftsmen workshops, households, wood church, school, mill and public edifices, trying to reconstruct a traditional village in Bucovina. The interiors of the houses and annexes are exhibition spaces in themselves, as each of them are designed so that they would faithfully portray the traditional way of life in the region: furniture, interior textiles, folk costumes, everyday objects. A touch of originality is rendered by recreations of the most important events in a lifetime: the christening of the new born baby, the wedding and the funeral.
Leaving Bucovina without visiting Voronet Monastery, known as The Sistine Chapel of Eastern Europe due its exterior blue frescoes showing “The Last Judgment”, is not allowed.
3. Iași, the capital of Moldavia – local culture and history
Itinerary: Iași, local, mostly walking; (max. 3 groups of 45 people)
Duration: 7h (including lunch)
Highlights:
- Iași Botanical Garden - the oldest and largest (about 100 ha) botanical garden in Romania
- Golia Monastery, a 17th century monastery located in the heart of the city with its Clock Tower
- The Metropolitan Cathedral, largest orthodox construction in Romania
- The Catholic Cathedral
- The Three Holy Hierarchs Monastery, one of the most fabulous religious constructions in Romania due its unique exterior architecture, dated 17th century
- Palace of Culture, a neo-gothic palace, constructed at the beginning of 20th century, inspired from Hotel de Ville Paris
- Late lunch
Description:
This tour is about Iași, Moldavia’s largest town, the main educational center, known as the city of the great ideas or the city of the seven hills like Rome or Lisbon. Capital of Romanian United Principalities two times between 1859-1862 and 1916-1918, at this moment Iași is considered Romania’s Cultural Capital. For almost 3 hours, we will walk through historical town discovering a part of the buildings which brings the history to our days. Then we will embark in a coach to have a panoramic tour with several stops, some of them outside the city. More information about Iași: http://romaniatourism.com/iasi.html
Thursday, 30th of July – Gala Dinner
On Tuesday evening, all participants and their companions are kindly invited to the Gala Dinner that will be organized at the modern Palas Centre – a city within the heart of the city of Iași, the perfect scenery to create the ultimate event. The Palas Garden offers multiple photo opportunities in the lake area (provided with a special gazebo), plazas, the Venetian carousel, as well as in the vicinity to the Palace of Culture. You will be delighted with a special short concert organized for you in the beautiful gardens.
Monday, 27th of July – Iași walking tour (5 hours, starting from 13:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, coffee break stop in the old town, between 5-30 people)
* not included in the registration fee; € 15.00 per person
Iași is one of the largest cities and municipality from Romania. Located in the Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859, then of the United Principates from 1859 to 1862, and the capital of Romania from 1916 to 1918. Known as the Cultural Capital of Romania, Iași is a symbol in Romanian history. The historian Nicolae Iorga “There should be no Romanian who does not know of it”. We will visit its main attractions: Traian Hotel – “The autograph” of the famous Goustave Eiffel for Iași, Alecu Balș Palace – the host of the first theater performance in Romanian, Vasile Alecsandri Theater – the first National Theater in Romania, The Obelisk of the first Jewish Theater in the world, Roznovanu Palace – the most beautiful manorial house, The three cathedrals – St. Parascheva Metropolitan Cathedral, Old Catholic Cathedral, New Catholic Cathedral (St. Mary – The Queen), Church of the Three Hierarchs, The Princely Saint Nicholas Church – the oldest church in Iași and we finish with the symbol of the city -The Palace of Culture. We will stop for a cup of coffee or tea at one of the many terraces in the old town.
Tuesday, 28th of July – Iași - Piatra Neamt city and Dacian fortress remains (Batca Doamnei) – Bicaz Gorges & Lake – Iași (9 hours, starting from 08:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, lunch included, between 8-45 people)
* not included in the registration fee; € 65.00 per person (additional € 10.00 per person is to be paid on spot if the number of people is less than 30)
Piatra Neamt has all the advantages offered by a kind and unique nature. The area around Piatra Neamt is one of the oldest inhabited areas in Romania. The oldest traces of human civilization in the present territory date back to the higher Paleolithic, about 100,000 years BCE. The Cucuteni culture, whose development lasted approximately one thousand years (ca. 3600-2600 BCE) was attested in the territory of Neamt county by a remarkable number of settlements (approx. 150), archaeological diggings unearthing important museum collections of Aeneolithic artifacts. Archaeologists have also discovered objects here dating back to the Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age.
The Dacian Fortress of Batca Doamnei represents the oldest historic monument of Piatra Neamt City. The fortress is located on a peak of the south-eastern side of the city, across Doamna (Lady) neighborhood and hermitage. A few traces of the Dacian settlement are situated on the peak of a spur at over 450 meters high. Although they are only the ruins of over 2,000 years old fortifications, a hiking to the “fortress” is accessible to any tourist and is worth to take at least for the landscapes that can be admired from the top of the hill. It’s worth to take a look from above, from atop Batca Doamnei, where a wonderful view opens up: the Piatra Neamt City and Reservoir, Bistrita Monastery and magnificent mountain peaks all around, and imagine what life was like there during Burebista and Decebalus reigns.
The Bicaz Canyon was dug by the waters of Bicaz River and it serves as a passageway between the Romanian provinces of Moldova and Transylvania, the former border between Romania and the Kingdom of Hungary. It is a noted location to see the wallcreeper, an uncommon cliff-dwelling bird. The road along the 8 kilometers of ravines, often in serpentines with rock on one side and a sheer drop on the other is one of the most spectacular drives in the country. It is one of the main rock climbing sites in Romania.
Wednesday, 29th of July – Companions are invited to join their partner for one of the guided tours described on the 'social activities' page above. (included in the registration fee)
Thursday, 30th of July – Bucovina Touch: Iași - Targu Neamt – Gura Humorului – Iași (9 hours, starting from 08:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, lunch included, between 8-45 people)
* not included in the registration fee; € 65.00 per person (additional € 10.00 per person is to be paid on spot if the number of people is less than 30)
Improve your history and art knowledge by visiting the unique monasteries in Bucovina worldwide famous since 1993 once included in UNESCO World Heritage. Part of Moldavia, Bucovina became region administrated by Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1785 until 1918 following to Russian Austrian conflicts. It offers picturesque landscapes with low mountains covered by forest and rivers valleys hiding peaceful monasteries some of them founded half of millennium ago. Leaving Bucovina without visiting Voronet Monastery, known as The Sistine Chapel of Eastern Europe due its exterior blue frescoes showing “The Last Judgment”, is not allowed. Not far is located Humor Monastery the only one constructed without roof tower and the first one painted outside. On the way back to Iași we will stop to Neamt Stronghold, dated 14th century, part of the former Moldavian defense system once.
One-day trip: Chisinau – the capital of the Republic of Moldova: Iași – Chisinau (city tour) – Cricova Winery – Capriana Monastery – Iași (10 hours, starting from 08:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, lunch with traditional show included, visit to the Cricova winery with wine tasting included, between 8-19 people)
*available on Friday, 31st of July 2015
**not included in the registration fee; € 100.00 per person (additional € 20.00 per person is to be paid on spot if the number of people is less than 14)
***passport required, some countries may require a visa to visit Moldova – see more information here. Visa assistance can be provided by the local organizers.
Highlights:
- A panoramic view of the green and beautiful city that is Chisinau - "White Stone Flower"
- During a tour of Chisinau you'll get acquainted with the Moldavian history, culture, architecture, and everyday life.
- Traditional lunch with folklore music and dance show.
- Stop at the famous Moldavian candy store – Bucuria (Joy)
- Vist at Cricova winery, a pearl for the Moldavian wine and the largest wine cellar in the world with wine tasting
- Capriana Monastery.
Two-day trip, Explore the cultural heritage: Fortified churches of Transylvania- UNESCO Heritage: Iași – Brașov – Bran - Râșnov – Visci - Sighișoara – Biertan – Prejmer – Bacău – Iași (2 days, departure at 08:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, 1 nights’ accommodation in single room with breakfast included at a 3-4* hotel, 2 lunches & 2 dinners included, all the transfers, between 8-19 people)
*departure on Friday, 31st of July 2015, arrival in Iași, Saturday 1st of August 2015 (estimated time 20.00)
** not included in the registration fee; € 210.00 per person (additional € 40.00 per person is to be paid on spot if the number of people is less than 14)
Highlights:
- Brașov city tour with the largest gothic cathedral of Transylvania, the greatest religious edifice from Vienna to Istanbul – The Black Church
- Bran Castle - got its fame from the novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker
- Râșnov Fortress - one of the best preserved peasant fortress of Transylvania with a great 360 degrees view over Brasov Depression and Piatra Craiului, where scenes from the film "Cold Mountain" were shot.
- Visci - one of the most interesting Saxon fortified churches (UNESCO World Heritage), wich was visited five times by Prince Charles
- Sighisoara - the most beautiful medieval cityscape in Romania, the birthplace of the Walachian leader Vlad Dracul, who became later known as Count Dracula in the Gothic literature and film.
- Biertan - a former bishop's seat, and we'll visit the most representative fortified church of Transylvania.
- Prejmer - one of the best preserved fortified churches in Eastern Europe, UNESCO world heritage
Three-day trip, Get in touch with the nature: Danube Delta – the second largest delta in Europe, UNESCO heritage: Iași – Vaslui – Bârlad – Galați - Tulcea – Danube Delta – Black Sea – Iași (3 days, departure at 08:00 at the conference venue, English speaking guide, 2 nights’ accommodation in single room with breakfast included at a 3-4* hotel, full board, all the transfers, safari car trip, photo cannel tour, bird watching, between 8-19 people)
*departure on Friday, 31st of July 2015, arrival in Iași, Sunday 2nd of August 2015 (estimated time 20.00)
** not included in the registration fee; € 310.00 per person (additional € 40.00 per person is to be paid on spot if the number of people is less than 14)
Highlights:
- Boat trip on lakes and specific channels, in wildest areas of the Danube Delta
- Letea Forest (including a safari car trip into the forest)
- A traditional fisherman dinner
- See the wild horses
- Bird watching – thousands of pelicans, over 300 species of birds
- Fishing lessons
- Spend some quality time at a secluded beach, at the Black Sea
For booking and more information about the post-conference tours, please contact us at: [email protected]