O cişmea şi începuturile mahalalei Păcurari din Iaşi
A fountain and the beginning of the “mahalle” of Păcurari in Iaşi

Summary/Abstract: In this study, I have focused on a less researched area in the town of Iaşi, namely the western margins of the old town, where – several centuries ago – a man decided to appease the thirst of both the inhabitants and the travellers who crossed the city by constructing a fountain. For a few centuries, this fountain was called Cişmeaua lui Păcurar, a well-known place for the inhabitants of Iaşi up to the 20th century, but forgotten today. Only the name of one small street south from the Păcurari street reminds us of its existence. In this study, we have attempted to identify Păcurar, the founder of the founder, and to follow the evolution of the area throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Towards 1780, the first houses were built here; post 1800, a quarter (mahalle) developed in this margin of the town of Iaşi, which took the name of the fountain (Păcurari). Moreover, in the same period, not far from the drinking fountain, a German founded a famous brewery – the oldest attested in Iaşi. Concerning the first decades of the 19th century, we researched the files preserved at the National Archives (Iaşi branch) and we studied the way authorities treated the issue of water supply for this area. Because it lacked funds, the Eforia (Town hall) made late and inconsistent efforts to clean and restore the drinking fountain; in this respect, local inhabitants made numerous complaints, during a modernization process that took many years.

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