Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)
About Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)
Ion Creangă moved into the cottage on Țicău hill in the summer of 1872, after he was defrocked and had to leave his lodgings by Golia Monastery. He lived in the right-hand room, while the other was home to Ecaterina Vartic, who would look after him for the rest of his life. His fairy tales and “Memories of My Boyhood” were written here, and the house got from the writer the name everyone knows it by: bojdeucă, a little hovel. In the summer and autumn of 1876 Creangă put up his friend Mihai Eminescu here.
The house opened to the public on 15 April 1918 as the country's first literary memorial museum and has been repaired several times since, after the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977. The most recent works, begun in 2022, covered the restoration of the cottage, the modernisation of the museum building and the rebuilding of the amphitheatre and paths; the museum reopened on 15 December 2023. It is a historic monument (LMI code IS-IV-m-B-04328) and belongs to the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Iași.
What you can see
The bojdeuca is a small white house with a shingle roof and a wooden porch, with one room on either side of the entrance hall. Inside are objects that belonged to Creangă: his inkwell with its pen wiper, candlesticks, dishes, paintings, books and the school textbooks he wrote, photographs and an icon brought from the house of his grandfather, David Creangă, in Pipirig.
In the garden, on the stone path that leads down to the house, stands the writer's granite bust, made by Iftimie Bârleanu in 1968. The newer building on the grounds, opened in 1989, holds the library, the documentary collection and a room for temporary exhibitions, and in front of it is an open-air amphitheatre for children's shows.
Good to know
The bojdeuca sits on a hill, and you reach the house down stone steps and paths. The streets of Țicău are narrow and steep, with few parking spaces.
Information verified on 20 October 2026.
- The wooden porch and shingle roof of the bojdeuca, seen from the stone path leading down to the house.
- The inkwell with its pen wiper, from the table at which “Memories of My Boyhood” was written.
- The icon brought from grandfather David Creangă's house in Pipirig.
- The writer's granite bust in the garden, carved by Iftimie Bârleanu in 1968.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the bojdeuca is in the Țicău district, on Strada Simion Bărnuțiu, ~1.5 km north-east of Union Square (estimate). Bucharest is ~400 km away (5–6 hours on the A7 and DN2 via Buzău and Bacău), Bacău ~130 km (~2 hours via Roman), Suceava ~145 km (~2 hours 30 minutes via Pașcani). The last stretch runs along narrow, steep streets.
Public transport: from the centre it is a ~20–25 minute walk (estimate), the last part uphill. There is no confirmed tram or bus stop right by the museum, so check local routes before you go if you want to use public transport.
- Where to park
Next to the museum there is a small kerbside car park, free according to OpenStreetMap, with only a few spaces, which fill up quickly at weekends and during events. Otherwise you park in the side streets of Țicău, where spaces are scarce; it is easier to leave the car in the centre and walk up.
- Fees & discounts
Full ticket 16 lei; groups of more than 9 people 13 lei per person; pensioners 8 lei; pupils and students 4 lei. Free for pre-school children, people with disabilities and their companions, and ICOM card holders, and everyone gets in free on 1 December. Guided tour: 20 lei per person in Romanian, 60 lei in a foreign language (English, French, Italian), by appointment. Photography inside for personal use: 30 lei per hour.
- Rules
Photography inside is charged separately, and filming has its own fee. As in any memorial house with original objects, exhibits must not be touched, and visitors go into the small rooms a few at a time; follow the staff's instructions. Guided tours in a foreign language must be booked in advance.
- Facilities
open-air amphitheatre · library and temporary exhibition room · virtual tour on the website · sloping paths and stone steps
Frequently asked questions about Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)
- How much is a ticket to Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)?
- A ticket to Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) costs 16 lei (students 4 lei, pensioners 8). Full ticket 16 lei; groups of more than 9 people 13 lei per person; pensioners 8 lei; pupils and students 4 lei. Free for pre-school children, people with disabilities and their companions, and ICOM card holders, and everyone gets in free on 1 December. Guided tour: 20 lei per person in Romanian, 60 lei in a foreign language (English, French, Italian), by appointment. Photography inside for personal use: 30 lei per hour.
- What are the opening hours of Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)?
- Opening hours at Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House): Monday closed, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 – 17:00. Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00, last ticket at 16:30; closed on Monday. On public holidays the museum announces special hours on its website. Entry is free on one weekday in the first week of the month (usually the first Tuesday), announced on the museum's website.
- How long does a visit to Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) take?
- A visit to Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) takes about 45 min (estimate, small house and garden).
- Can you visit Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) with kids?
- Yes, Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) is suitable for children (fairy tales, stone steps).
- Where can I park at Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)?
- There is free parking at Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) (small car park by the museum, fills up). Next to the museum there is a small kerbside car park, free according to OpenStreetMap, with only a few spaces, which fill up quickly at weekends and during events. Otherwise you park in the side streets of Țicău, where spaces are scarce; it is easier to leave the car in the centre and walk up.
- How do I get to Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)?
- Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House) is located at Strada Simion Bărnuțiu 4, Iași, Iași County. By car: the bojdeuca is in the Țicău district, on Strada Simion Bărnuțiu, ~1.5 km north-east of Union Square (estimate). Bucharest is ~400 km away (5–6 hours on the A7 and DN2 via Buzău and Bacău), Bacău ~130 km (~2 hours via Roman), Suceava ~145 km (~2 hours 30 minutes via Pașcani). The last stretch runs along narrow, steep streets. Public transport: from the centre it is a ~20–25 minute walk (estimate), the last part uphill. There is no confirmed tram or bus stop right by the museum, so check local routes before you go if you want to use public transport.
- When is the best time to visit Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House)?
- The best season for Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca (Ion Creangă Memorial House): April – October (the garden is lovely in spring).
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